The Cleveland Cavaliers on the road edge the Denver Nuggets 113-108. The Cavaliers improve to 38-26, and the Nuggets fall to 35-30 on the season. LeBron James had a game-high 39 points on 15 of 25 from the field, including eight rebounds, 10 assists, and buried five three-pointers. James scored the teams last nine points in the fourth quarter. He made two tough fall away jump shots, and made a clutch three-pointer with under two minutes remaining in the game.
Larry Nance Jr. posted a double-double with 13 points on 6 of 10 from the field, plucked 13 rebounds, and gathered four steals. Rodney Hood dropped in 15 points on 6 of 13 from the floor, and stripped away two steals. George Hill tossed in seven points on 3 of 6 from the field, and dished out five assists. Jeff Green added 10 points on 4 of 7 from the field in 17 minutes off the bench. Jordan Clarkson contributed eight points on just 3 of 8 from the floor, and gave out three assists off the pine.
Kyle Korver scored seven points on merely 2 of 6 from the field off the bench. The Cavaliers shot an exceptional 50.6 percent from the field, and shot 44.8 percent on 13 of 29 from three-point range. The Cavaliers let the Nuggets comeback in the second half, but they responded well in the fourth quarter. The Cavaliers have now won their last five games on the road.
The Cavaliers were getting out-rebounded, and Jokic size was a matchup problem for the Cavs. The Cavaliers were resilient, and they won a big game on the road. Meanwhile, Kevin Love is still out with a hand injury, and Tristan Thompson was sidelined with an ankle injury.
LeBron James said, “I just tried to implement my imprint on the game by just closing it out for us.”
For the Nuggets, Nikola Jokic led the way with 36 points on 12 of 14 from the field, grabbed 13 rebounds, and handed out six assists. Gary Harris totaled 18 points on 7 of 18 from the floor, pulled down four rebounds, and drained four three-pointers. Paul Millsap managed 12 points on 4 of 8 from the field, and collected five rebounds. Jamal Murray pitched in 11 points on 5 of 10 from the floor, and snatched seven rebounds. Mason Plumlee tallied 12 points on a perfect 6 of 6 from the field, and nabbed five rebounds in 14 minutes off the bench.
Devin Harris concluded with seven points on 3 of 5 from the floor off the pine. The Nuggets shot 48.8 percent from the field, and shot 37 percent on 10 of 27 from three-point range. The Nuggets out-rebounded the Cavaliers 51 to 35. The Nuggets out-scored the Cavaliers in the paint 54 to 44. The Nuggets played sloppy with 21 turnovers. The Nuggets just had no answer for LeBron James, and he could not be stopped in the second half. The Nuggets did not start off the game well as the Cavaliers out-scored them 38 to 23 in the first quarter alone.
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