Kyrie Irving, Antawn Jamison guide Cleveland Cavaliers to a 100 – 99 win over Denver Nuggets – NBA Recap
A dramatic game at the Pepsi Center was brought to a fitting close, albeit not one that the home fans would have wanted, when Cleveland Cavaliers rookie Kyrie Irving made a game-winning layup with just 4 seconds left on the clock.
Irving’s last gasp effort broke the hearts of Denver Nuggets fans and the resolve of their players, who couldn’t respond in the short time left, thus handing Cleveland a memorable 100 – 99 win.
The game was played out pretty evenly from start to finish. The teams battled hard throughout the first half, which was a high scoring one. The first quarter saw efficient offense from both sides, and ended with the score mightily close at 27 – 26 to the Nuggets.
The second saw Nuggets drift away with a 10 – 0 burst early, taking the score to 37 – 28. A 10 – 4 sprint, just before the halfway mark, by the Cavaliers though ensured that they remained in the hunt, the score 45 – 42.
The momentum shifted and it was actually the Cavs who proceeded to take a commendable lead, 57 – 51, before the Nuggets cut it down to 57 – 55 at half time.
There was nothing to separate the sides in the second half, with the scores remaining close and neither side able to deal the decisive blow. The outcome thus would be decided in the final minutes, and while Ty Lawson and Nene made some big shots for the Nuggets, Kyrie Irving absolutely took control for the Cavs.
The youngster scored 10 of his 18 points in the decisive quarter, including the game winning two. He also had 8 assists and 5 rebounds to boast.
Although Irving might have won it for the Cavs, it was veteran forward Antawn Jamison who carried the team throughout the game. Jamison was on offensive behemoth and scored a game high 33 points, while also hauling down 9 boards.
Alonzo Gee was also worthy of mention, scoring 19 points for Cleveland.
Al Harrington was most prolific for the Denver Nuggets, scoring 22 points and grabbing 8 boards off the bench. Ty Lawson had a good game as well, scoring 18, grabbing 5 rebounds and handing out 6 assists.
Arron Afflalo, Nene and Andre Miller also made it into the double digit index.
Tags: