The Cavaliers traded for Antawn Jamison, hoping he would one day hit a big shot, while the Quicken Loans Arena crowd roared, danced and cheered. On Friday, it happened. Jamison made his biggest one as a Cavalier, although it came late by a few months, a lot of losses and one noteworthy summer defection.
Jamison’s three-pointer with 22 seconds left in overtime lifted the Cavaliers to a 126-119 win against the Los Angeles Clippers.
“Probably the biggest three that I’ve had, due to the situation, the scenario, just the importance of getting a win for the morale of this team and these fans,” Jamison said.
Photo: Reuters
The Cavaliers finally ended their nearly two-month losing streak at 26 games, as wine and gold--colored confetti drifted from the ceiling and Cleveland Rocks played on the public address system.
Cleveland’s previous victory came a week before Christmas, also in overtime, against the Knicks. Before Friday night, it was Cleveland’s only victory in 37 games.
“We got on a bad skid and it just kept rolling,” coach Byron Scott said. “It snowballed.”
Instead of establishing a new record for futility, the Cavaliers will be side-by-side in infamy with the 1976 to 1977 Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the NFL for the longest losing streak among North America’s four major professional sports.
During the skid, the Cavaliers lost by as little as one point and by as many as 55.
Cleveland, the NBA’s leader in wins last season, desperately needed a victory against the Clippers, a traditional laughingstock.
“There could have been high school players out there and I still would have been motivated to get a win,” the Cavaliers’ J.J. Hickson said.
Daniel Gibson scored seven points in overtime, including a three-pointer that gave the Cavaliers the lead for good at 114-112. The Clippers drew within a point, at 120-119, on Randy Foye’s three-pointer with 44 seconds left, but Jamison’s three-pointer pushed the Cavaliers further away again.
Jamison, whom the Cavaliers obtained before last season’s trading deadline to pair with LeBron James, had 35 points and nine rebounds. Hickson added 27 points and 14 rebounds.
Point guard Mo Williams returned from a hip injury suffered on Jan. 15. His absence only worsened already extenuating circumstances: James’ decision to leave for Miami and other key departures and injuries, most notably season-ending ankle surgery to center Anderson Varejao.
The return of Williams, a former All-Star, helped steady a team that has used a league-high 19 starting lineups. Williams came off the bench in his return and his three-pointer with 3:27 left in regulation provided the Cavaliers with a six-point lead, their largest to that point.
The Clippers rallied to take a brief lead on free throws by Eric Bledsoe.
Williams’ jumper with 6.3 seconds left in regulation tied the score, 110-110, and Hickson blocked Baron Davis’ attempt to win the game in regulation. The Cavaliers retreated to their bench while Davis complained that goaltending should have been called.
76ers 77, Spurs 71
In Philadelphia, the Philadelphia 76ers shot poorly all night, but still had enough to notch an impressive 77-71 win over the NBA-leading San Antonio Spurs.
Jrue Holiday scored 27 points and Elton Brand tied his season high with 17 rebounds for the 76ers, who defeated the Spurs for the fourth consecutive season in Philadelphia and remained in the seventh spot in the Eastern Conference playoff race.
Tim Duncan had 16 points and 13 rebounds, while Antonio McDyess added 11 points and 11 rebounds for the Spurs, who fell short in their goal of becoming the sixth team in NBA history to begin 45-8 or better.
Hornets 99, Magic 93
In Orlando, Florida, Willie Green scored 24 points to lead New Orleans over Orlando.
David West added 17 points and 17 rebounds as the Hornets snapped a four-game losing streak.
The Magic erased a nine-point halftime deficit, but came up short due to a slew of late turnovers. They had 16 for the game.
Dwight Howard led the way for Orlando with 20 points and 17 rebounds.
In other NBA action, it was:
‧ Lakers 113, Knicks 96
‧ Suns 95, Jazz 83
‧ Grizzlies 89, Bucks 86
‧ Heat 106, Pistons 92
‧ Trail Blazers 102, Raptors 96
‧ Nets 94, Bobcats 89
‧ Pacers 116, T’wolves 105
‧ Cavs 126, Clippers 119, OT
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