LeBron James scored 22 points as the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday put an embarrassing defeat further behind them with a 115-102 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers.
Kevin Love scored 18 points and grabbed 16 rebounds for the Cavs as all five Cleveland starters scored in double figures.
The balanced effort helped Cleveland overcome a 30-point night from Clippers guard Chris Paul, who scored 12 straight points in the first quarter to keep visiting Los Angeles close in the early going.
Photo: David Richard-USA TODAY
The Cavaliers then clamped down on defense to come up with a solid win against a top Western Conference team days after they were blown out by the Golden State Warriors — a defeat that James said “opened a lot of eyes for us.”
“In order for us to be successful, we have to defend at a high level. We’ve got to share the ball and get the ball moving from side to side and get the defense moving,” said James, whose Cavs began their bounce-back with a win over Brooklyn on Wednesday. “We’ve done that the last two games.”
Although James admitted that Monday’s loss to the Warriors was a wake-up call, he bridled at the suggestion it was a “red flag” for the 30-11 Cavaliers.
“We’re No. 1 in our conference for a reason,” he said. “Monday was definitely a test for us to understand how much more room for improvement [we have], but I’d rather be in this position than a lot of other teams.”
Spanish center Marc Gasol converted the go-ahead three-point play with 12.2 seconds remaining as the Memphis Grizzlies held off the Nuggets in Denver 102-101.
Gasol scored 27 points and guard Mike Conley added 20 for the Grizzlies, who got off to a blistering start and led by as many as 18 in the second quarter before the Nuggets rallied.
Gasol scored 18 of his points in the second half, cutting to the basket for a layup that put Memphis up 99-98. He was fouled by Denver center Joffrey Lauvergne and made the free-throw to give the Grizzlies a 100-98 lead they did not relinquish.
It was also close in Sacramento, where Kings guard Rajon Rondo notched his fifth triple-double of the season and forward DeMarcus Cousins scored 24 points with 15 rebounds to lead the hosts to a 91-88 victory over the Atlanta Hawks.
Rondo scored 11 points with 11 assists and 10 rebounds as the erratic Kings notched their fourth straight win.
San Antonio forward Kawhi Leonard scored 21 points as the Spurs defeated the injury-hit Suns 117-89 in Phoenix.
Reserve center Boban Marjanovic notched his first career double-double with 17 points and 13 rebounds as the Spurs won their 12th straight game and took their record to 37-6.
The absence of injured Tony Parker and a resting Tim Duncan was no problem for the Spurs, who never trailed in the contest.
With the win, San Antonio closed within two games of the 39-4 Warriors for best record in the league.
Anthony Davis scored 32 points to lead the New Orleans Pelicans, who continued their mid-season surge with a 115-99 victory over the Detroit Pistons.
Davis was his usual hard-driving self, diving into the courtside seats after a loose ball in the second quarter in a move reminiscent of one on which he hurt himself a fortnight earlier.
“It just happens,” an unscathed Davis said. “I can’t stop that. It’s raw instinct.”
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