Intelligencer Journal/Lancaster New Era
Irving, Cavaliers surprise Celtics NBA
nFourth straight loss for Boston ASSOCIATED PRESS,
Kyrie Irving scored 15 of his 40 points in the fourth quarter, including several key late baskets, to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers in a 95-90 victory over the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night.
Irving scored 11 points in the final 2:33 on four layups and three free throws to give Cleveland back-to-back wins at home for the first time this season and send Boston to its season-high fourth straight loss.
Irving shot 16 for 24 -- setting a career high for field goals made -- and fell one point short of his career-best scoring total, set at New York on Dec. 15.
Tristan Thompson added 21 points for the Cavaliers.
Rajon Rondo led Boston with 17 points while Kevin Garnett scored 16. Paul Pierce, who scored 40 points in a 103-91 win over the Cavaliers in Boston on Dec. 19, finished with 12 points on 3-for-15 shooting.
Irving's layup gave Cleveland an 84-83 lead with 2:33 remaining. He followed with another layup after Rajon Rondo's turnover to put the Cavs up three. Four free throws by Garnett sandwiched around a basket by Alonzo Gee left Cleveland with an 88-87 lead.
After Garnett missed a baseline jumper, Irving dribbled past midcourt and drove to the basket for a three-point lead with 52 seconds remaining.
Following another miss by the Celtics, the Cavaliers called timeout. Irving dribbled into the lane and hit a twisting shot while being fouled by Jared Sullinger. He made the free throw to put Cleveland ahead 93-87 with 22.8 seconds left.
After Pierce shot an airball, Irving made two more free throws with 18.2 seconds left to put the game away.
The Celtics have dropped four in a row since winning six straight. Rivers blasted his team following Sunday's 103-88 loss in Detroit, a game which Boston never led. The latest loss dropped Boston to 20-21.
"I believe we should be better than that -- and we're not -- so it's hard," Rivers said before Tuesday's game.
Pistons 105, Magic 90: Jason Maxiell, Andre Drummond and Greg Monroe combined for 38 points and 28 rebounds, and Detroit pulled away to beat undersized Orlando.
Brandon Knight led Detroit with 18 points, while Monroe scored 16 and Drummond and Maxiell each had 11 points and 11 rebounds.
Cavs, Grizzlies in multi-player trade: The Memphis Grizzlies traded Marreese Speights, Wayne Ellington, Josh Selby and a future first-round draft pick Tuesday to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Jon Leuer.
The trade is the first big move by the Grizzlies' new ownership and clears about $6 million in salary in getting Memphis under the luxury tax threshold this season. The Grizzlies rank fourth in the West and are 6-4 over their past 10 games after the NBA's best start this season.
The deal gives the lottery-bound Cavs another first-round pick to improve a team entering Tuesday night's home game against Boston with a 10-32 record -- second-worst in the Eastern Conference. Speights also will help replace center Anderson Varejao who will miss the remainder of the season after developing a blood clot in his right lung.
Varejao remains hospitalized at The Cleveland Clinic.
Not so fast, Seattle: Telling Seattle residents "don't celebrate too early," Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson on Tuesday introduced the first part of his four-step plan to keep the Kings in California's capital city.
In front of a City Hall crowd filled with Kings fans and public officials, Johnson said he has 19 local investors who have pledged at least $1 million each to buy the NBA franchise. He said the major partner he hopes to anchor the last-ditch deal to save the Kings from moving to Seattle "will be revealed soon."
The mayor's announcement came a day after the Maloof family announced it has signed an agreement to sell the Kings to a Seattle group led by investor Chris Hansen. That deal is pending a vote by the NBA Board of Governors.
Suns' assistants move on: The shaky transfer of coaching power with the staggering Phoenix Suns has moved on with the team traveling to Sacramento to face the Kings tonight.
It will be the debut of Lindsey Hunter as the Suns' interim coach, the first game he has coached of any kind. Hunter, brought in by general manager Lance Blanks a few months ago as player development director, replaces Alvin Gentry, who left last Friday in what the team described as a mutual parting of the ways.
Blanks chose Hunter over Suns assistants Dan Majerle and Elston Turner, among others. Neither Majerle nor Turner showed up for any of the practices since Hunter was hired. Majerle has let it be known he won't be back and Turner almost certainly is gone for good, too.
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Atlantic Division
WLPctGB
New York2514.641--
Brooklyn2516.6101
Boston2021.4886
Philadelphia1725.40591-w
Toronto1526.36611
Southeast Division
WLPctGB
Miami2612.684--
Atlanta2318.56141-w
Orlando1427.341131-w
Charlotte1031.244171-w
Washington930.231171-w
Central Division
WLPctGB
Indiana2616.619--
Chicago2416.6001
Milwaukee2218.5503
Detroit1625.39091-w
Cleveland1132.256151-w
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Southwest Division
WLPctGB
San Antonio3311.750--
Memphis2614.6505
Houston2221.512101-w
Dallas1824.42914
New Orleans1427.341171-w
Northwest Division
WLPctGB
Oklahoma City329.780--
Denver2518.5818
Utah2219.53710
Portland2021.48812
Minnesota1721.447131-w
Pacific Division
WLPctGB
L.A. Clippers3210.762--
Golden State2515.6256
L.A. Lakers1724.415141-w
Sacramento1626.38116
Phoenix1328.317181-w
Monday's Games
Indiana 82 Memphis 81
New Orleans 114 Sacramento 105
Atlanta 104 Minnesota 96
Houston 100 Charlotte 94
Brooklyn 88 New York 85
Golden State 106 L.A. Clippers 99
San Antonio 90 Philadelphia 85
Chicago 95 L.A. Lakers 83
Washington 98 Portland 95
Tuesday's Games
Cleveland 95 Boston 90
Detroit 105 Orlando 90
Milwaukee 110 Philadelphia 102
Oklahoma City at L.A. Clippers (n)
Wednesday's Games
Atlanta at Charlotte 7 p.m.
Toronto at Miami 7:30 p.m.
Detroit at Chicago 8 p.m.
Denver at Houston 8 p.m.
L.A. Lakers at Memphis 8 p.m.
Brooklyn at Minnesota 8 p.m.
New Orleans at San Antonio 8:30 p.m.
Washington at Utah 9 p.m.
Indiana at Portland 10 p.m.
Phoenix at Sacramento 10 p.m.
Oklahoma City at Golden State 10:30 p.m.
Thursday's Games
Toronto at Orlando 7 p.m.
New York at Boston 8 p.m.
L.A. Clippers at Phoenix 10:30 p.m.
Cavaliers 95, Celtics 90
BOSTON (90)
Pierce 3-15 5-6 12, Bass 4-7 0-0 8, Garnett 5-13 6-6 16, Rondo 7-17 3-4 17, Bradley 2-4 1-2 7, Sullinger 5-11 2-2 12, Terry 2-5 0-0 4, Green 1-3 2-2 5, Lee 3-9 0-0 9. Totals 32-84 19-22 90.
CLEVELAND (95)
Gee 3-7 4-6 10, Thompson 9-18 3-3 21, Zeller 2-10 2-2 6, Irving 16-24 7-7 40, Waiters 3-12 0-0 7, Gibson 0-3 0-0 0, Walton 3-3 1-2 7, Livingston 0-2 2-2 2, Casspi 1-3 0-0 2. Totals 37-82 19-22 95.
Boston27262017--90
Cleveland31231625--95
3-Point Goals--Boston 7-17 (Lee 3-5, Bradley 2-2, Green 1-2, Pierce 1-4, Terry 0-2, Rondo 0-2), Cleveland 2-12 (Irving 1-3, Waiters 1-4, Gee 0-1, Casspi 0-1, Gibson 0-3). Fouled Out--Sullinger, Zeller. Rebounds--Boston 55 (Rondo 13), Cleveland 48 (Zeller 10). Assists--Boston 24 (Rondo 8), Cleveland 28 (Walton 7). Total Fouls--Boston 18, Cleveland 22. A--14,192 (20,562).
Pistons 105, Magic 90
ORLANDO (90)
Afflalo 0-4 0-0 0, Davis 4-16 3-4 11, Vucevic 5-10 0-0 10, Nelson 6-18 0-0 14, Redick 9-10 3-4 26, Nicholson 3-5 0-0 6, Harkless 2-3 0-0 4, Moore 4-7 0-0 9, McRoberts 0-3 0-0 0, Ayon 4-4 0-0 8, Smith 0-1 0-0 0, Jones 0-0 0-0 0, O'Quinn 1-3 0-0 2. Totals 38-84 6-8 90.
DETROIT (105)
Prince 2-6 2-3 6, Maxiell 3-8 5-5 11, Monroe 6-12 4-6 16, Knight 7-17 1-2 18, Singler 3-4 0-0 6, Drummond 5-7 1-4 11, Stuckey 6-13 0-0 14, Bynum 7-14 1-1 15, Daye 0-2 0-0 0, Villanueva 2-6 0-0 6, English 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 42-91 14-21 105.
Orlando25271424--90
Detroit26282823--105
3-Point Goals--Orlando 8-20 (Redick 5-6, Nelson 2-10, Moore 1-2, McRoberts 0-1, Afflalo 0-1), Detroit 7-23 (Knight 3-7, Stuckey 2-5, Villanueva 2-5, Bynum 0-1, Singler 0-1, English 0-1, Prince 0-1, Daye 0-2). Fouled Out--None. Rebounds--Orlando 44 (Afflalo, Vucevic 9), Detroit 60 (Maxiell, Drummond 11). Assists--Orlando 27 (Nelson 9), Detroit 23 (Bynum 6). Total Fouls--Orlando 20, Detroit 13. Technicals--Davis, Orlando defensive three second. A--11,798 (22,076).
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