San Antonio had trouble stopping the Cavaliers as an eight-point fourth-quarter lead became an 82-78 road loss. Tony Parker poured in 26 points, and Tim Duncan had 18 for the Spurs while LeBron James had 19 and Larry Hughes 18 for the Cavaliers.
During the first quarter both teams went to their go to guys. The Spurs worked the ball inside to Duncan who made 2 layups for four of his eight first quarter points. Meanwhile LeBron James threw down on 2 buckets for four of his eight first quarter points. James added a couple of jumpers and a free throw and had 15 points at half time although the Spurs had the lead at that point 40 - 33.
The Spurs went up by ten 49 -39 when Brent Barry made a jump shot with 3:43 left in the third quarter. Tough defensive play in that quarter resulted in the teams combining for just 21 points as the Spurs were held to a season-low 10 points.
Tony Parker went on a tear in the fourth quarter scoring sixteen of his points in that period. However, during that time Cleveland made a 6 point run from 11:20 to 9:45 in the fourth tying the game at 52. Larry Hughs who had struggled some in the first half then became a vocal leader showing grit and determination as he got hot scoring five straight points for the Cavs giving them the lead at 60 - 57. Lebron James picked it up from there adding four more points extending the lead to 70 - 63. Damon Jones knocked it on out with a jumper and six straight free throws down the stretch. The Cavs scored 36 points in the final frame to take the 82-78 win.
Cavaliers Coach Mike Brown felt, "It was a very big win for us aginst a tough defensive team in a playoff type game where one team keeps it up for 48 minutes and the other eventually breaks."
And to think that Larry Hughes' father-in-law lived two doors down from me in the old neighborhood in St. Louis. I learned that when Odell was detailing some very nice rides one day and I told him I didn't know whose cars those were but that he should charge that guy double. That's when he told me they were Larry's. Odell, ask Larry if he can go easy on my Spurs next time. OK?
Tim Duncan and the San Antonio Spurs look to improve upon the NBA's best road record when they visit LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday night at The Q. Duncan has been suffering from the flu, but it hasn't stopped the perennial All-Star from missing any games. He battled through the illness for 17 points and 11 rebounds to help San Antonio (23-8) to a 95-81 victory over Atlanta on Sunday. San Antonio is 11-3 on the road and 5-1 when playing the first game of a back-to-back on the road. The Spurs visit Minnesota on Wednesday.
Cleveland has struggled on the road all season, but is 13-3 at home - one of the best marks in the NBA. The Cavs are trying to sweep the season series from the Spurs for the first time since 1988-89 after they spoiled San Antonio's home opener with an 88-81 victory Nov. 3. The Cavaliers' defeat of San Antonio not only gave the Cavs two straight victories to open this season, it provided a bright guiding shining star that now in retrospect seems to be only a faint glimmer of hope that the road might not be quite so much of an obstacle. The Cavs have since suffered 9 road losses. The win against San Antonio, was a time when the Cavs did exactly what their coach Mike Brown has preached since that night in San Antonio - 48 minutes of intensity.
The Spurs are a veteran team led by their two star players (Tim Duncan and Tony Parker), are well-coached (Gregg Popovich), play rugged defense and are battle-tested. "They've had the same nucleus and core that has been together year after year after year," Cavs coach Mike Brown said. "They have experience winning on the road. They've been winning on the road since '98 and '99, and before I got there. It's a veteran team that's been through everything you can imagine, and found a way to come out on top. That's a great coach down there (Popovich).
James was forced to battle through a different kind of problem for Cleveland (17-12) in his last game. He twisted his right ankle in the third quarter of a 103-96 loss at Chicago on Saturday. The Cavaliers superstar did not score the rest of the half until he had seven points in the game's final two minutes, but did not indicate that the injury was serious. "I was driving baseline and twisted my ankle a little bit,'' said James, who finished with 33 points and nine rebounds. "I was able to get it out of there before I rolled it all the way.''
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