Cavaliers slip past Jazz 91-83
BY STONE LEXINGTON
CAVALIERS BEAT WRITER
The Cleveland Cavaliers welcomed a familiar face back to their lineup Thursday night. All-Star power forward Kevin Love was back in action for the Cavs following a 13-game absence because of surgery on his left knee. His presence was missed as Cleveland went 7-6 without him.
“He worked hard everyday,” Cavs head coach Tyronn Lue said. “We saw him in there everyday working hard, trying to get back and he’s ready to go. So, that’s good for us, being back two weeks early.”
After his surgery on Valentine’s Day, Love was projected to be out for roughly six weeks. He came back after four weeks, which is encouraging for a Cavs team attempting to defend the title they won last summer. So what does Lue think his team missed most without Love in the lineup?
“His defensive rebounding for one,” Lue said. “The second thing is, just when we get those leads and we get jump shot happy, we’re able to throw the ball into the post and slow the game down. Either he’s going to score or get to the free throw line, and that’s what was good for us before.”
Love’s first game back in the lineup came Thursday against the Utah Jazz Thursday in a cross-conference matchup. Despite Kyrie Irving missing the fourth quarter with tightness in his left knee and Iman Shumpert leaving the game in the third quarter with a sprained left shoulder, the Cavs hung on to defeat the Jazz 91-83 in Quicken Loans Arena.
“It’s part of the game,” Lue said about the injuries his team has suffered this season. “It’s a long season. We’re not the only team that’s going through it.
“A lot of teams are going through it. It’s just part of a long season. You’re going to get some knickknacks, you’re going to get banged up, but fortunately for us, our guys are ok. Nothing serious, so we’re fine with those two guys (Irving and Shumpert).”
LeBron James led Cleveland with 33 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, while Irving totaled 21 points, four rebounds and four assists before leaving the game. Love finished with 10 points and nine rebounds in 20 minutes, but James was the catalyst down the stretch with most of his best comrades out for the final quarter.
Utah held a slim 18-17 lead after Jazz center Rudy Gobert connected on a floater. The Cavs, however, closed the first quarter with a 12-2 run to take a 29-20 lead into the second. Utah battled back to trail 44-42 at halftime, while Love totaled eight points and six rebounds in 15 minutes in the half.
The Cavs and Jazz found themselves tied at 67 heading into the fourth quarter, where Cleveland found the gumption to pull away from a scrappy Utah team. Tied at 77 after a J.R. Smith three-pointer with 7:39 to play, James carried the Cavs the rest of the way with an array of clutch plays. After Smith’s trey, James scored seven straight points, capped by a three-pointer, to give Cleveland an 84-77 lead with 4:58 remaining.
When Utah crept back within three, 84-81, on a Joe Johnson floater with 3:01 to play, James answered with a layup to put the Cavs back up by five. Johnson kept Utah in the game with two free throws that brought the Jazz within an 86-83 deficit with 1:51 to play, but less than a minute later, James assisted Smith for a dagger three-pointer that put Cleveland back up 89-83 with roughly a minute to play. James’ layup seconds later virtually iced the game.
“I know when Kyrie went out, he came to ‘Bron and said ‘I think I’m done’,” Lue said. “‘Bron said ‘Ok I got it’.”
While Love didn’t play in the fourth quarter because of a minute restriction, he seemed to be moving around at full capacity while he was on the floor.
“The medical staff just said he was great,” Lue said before the game. “He felt great after the few practices that we had and the couple three-on-threes that they had, so they said he’s ready to go tonight and that’s a good sign for us. Hopefully it can continue to stay this way and stay healthy.”
The Cavs will now head on the road for a four-game trip, starting in Los Angels on Saturday against the Clippers. Love’s minutes should increase as the trip wanes.
“It’s going to take him some time, and we expect that anytime you come off an injury,” Lue said on Love getting back into the flow of NBA play. “I think mentally, it’s going to take him some time just to know that he can do the things he’s capable of doing, and then also timing wise, conditioning wise. So, it’s going to take him a little time, but it’s just good to have him back out there.”
Love’s teammates are certainly happy to have him back in the lineup as well.
POSTED 03/17/2017 00:08
Lake County Sentinel
Photo by Greg Goth
