Cleveland Cavaliers cruise to third-straight victory
The Cleveland Cavaliers bagged their third-straight win with a thrilling 93-91 victory over the struggling New Jersey Nets behind a 52-point performance from their bench players on Tuesday
9 November at the Prudential Center in Newark.
“I said all along that our bench could be one of our strong points and our guard play could be one of our strong points,” Cavaliers coach Byron Scott said. “That was the case tonight.”
J.J Hickson spearheaded Cleveland’s attack with a double-double performance, as the third-year forward scored 18 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, while Antawn Jamison racked up 15 points,
highlighted by a huge three-pointer down the stretch.
“I think the bench guys did a great job of setting the tone, but the most important thing was that we won the game,” said Jamison, who also added eight rebounds and was 6-for-10 from the
floor. “We have a great group of guys who go out and play. I am glad to be a part of it. I do not know if this is my role for good. It is early on and tough to say. But if it works, we'll stick with it.”
Ramon Sessions also came out big as he racked up 15 points and five assists, while Daniel Gibson added 14 points on 4-for-5 clip from beyond-the-arc for the Cavaliers, who had a big scare
after the Nets pulled within one point, 83-82, with 2:51 left in the game.
However, the Cavaliers refused to give up their lead and Jamison responded with three-point bomb off a pass from Sessions, increasing their lead to four points, 86-82, in the 2:28 mark of
the game.
The Nets failed to score in the ensuing possession, and they absorbed a dagger after Anthony Parker converted on desperation three-point heave after a loose ball scuffle, which sealed the
hard-earned win for Cleveland.
“That was probably the biggest shot and probably the most unexpected,” said Cavaliers head coach Byron Scott on Parker’s high-arching three-pointer. “He hoisted it up and there was rain coming
down with it.”
Travis Outlaw led his team in scoring with his 27 points on 11-for-22 clip from the field, while Devin Harris and Brook Lopez added 18 and 16 points, respectively, for the Nets who have now
lost their fifth-straight game since starting the season with a 2-0 record.
“We were fighting,” said Outlaw, who also added seven assists and was 4-for-7 from the three-point region. “That's the most important thing. We have to continue to fight. We have to continue
to keep our head up and keep pushing.”
The Cavaliers and the Nets will go up against each other again on Wednesday 10 November at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio.
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