LOS ANGELES – LeBron James scored 27 points in just three quarters and the Cleveland Cavaliers dismantled the Los Angeles Clippers 114-90 on Sunday afternoon at Staples Center.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The game started so well for Los Angeles as they jumped out to an early 10-point lead on LeBron James and the Cavaliers. But, Cleveland wiped away the early deficit and led 21-19 at the end of the first quarter.
Both teams traded 10-point leads in the first half as the Cavaliers led by 17 at the break.
"We fought back and took the lead in the first quarter, and from there we did not look back," said Cavs forward Kevin Love.
Things only got worse from there as the Cavs hit eight three-pointers in the third quarter, posting their largest lead of the game at 25 points.
"The ball was moving, it had a lot of energy behind it and guys were in rhythm," added LeBron. "We made extra passes and were able to execute and knock them down."
J.R. Smith went off in the third quarter scoring 14 of his 17 points including five three-pointers. Kyrie Irving also scored 17 and Channing Frye had 15 knocking down a season-high five treys for the Eastern Conference frontrunners.
"They're way too comfortable against us," said Clippers head coach Doc Rivers. "We would love to see them again, and they would love to see us again."
J.J. Redick led the Clippers with 19 points -- 9 of which were scored in the first – and Chris Paul chipped in 17 points and 10 assists in 30 minutes.
The newest member of the Clippers, Jeff Green, struggled mightily, scoring just seven points on 2-of-10 shooting two days after scoring 17 points in a win over the New York Knicks.
Sports
Get today's sports news out of Los Angeles. Here's the latest on the Dodgers, Lakers, Angels, Kings, Galaxy, LAFC, USC, UCLA and more LA teams.
The 24-point loss was the largest margin of defeat handed to the Clippers this season.
"We should have a lot more pride playing at home," said a frustrated DeAndre Jordan after the game. "We did not fight like we should have. We started the game great, but there was no fight once they punched back."
TURNING POINT
LeBron James flips the switch. For most of the first quarter, LeBron was a facilitator. Once he flipped the switch late in the first, the Cavaliers came roaring back, went on a 30-to-6 run and would never trail again.
MVP OF THE GAME
LeBron James. He's the King.
STAT OF THE NIGHT
The Cavaliers hit a season-high 18 three-pointers on the day.
TWEET OF THE NIGHT
Steve Ballmer can I please redesign the Clippers mascot — KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) March 13, 2016
Yeezy the Condor?
PHOTO OF THE NIGHT
¯\_(ツ)_/¯ #CavsClippershttps://t.co/p2bAPXJIjB — Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) March 13, 2016
It's not even fair.
QUOTE OF THE NIGHT
"I miss the old Kanye." – Clippers mascot Chuck the Condor in response to Kanye West's tweet that he should be "redesigned."
NOTES
Entering the game, the Clippers had the league leaders in field goal percentage (DeAndre Jordan .693), three-point percentage (J.J. Redick .480), and free-throw percentage (Jamal Crawford .912). According to Elias Sports Bureau no team has ever had the league leaders in all-three categories. Luc Richard Mbah Moute returned for the Clippers and started…Paul Pierce did not play in the game.
RECORD
Cleveland Cavaliers (47-18, 20-12 on the road) 1st place in the Central Division.
Los Angeles Clippers (42-23, 22-12 at home) 2nd place in the Pacific Division.
WHAT'S NEXT?
The Cavaliers head to Utah to take on the Jazz tomorrow on the second night of a back-to-back.
The Clippers head out on the road for a brutal five-game stretch that kicks off on Tuesday against the San Antonio Spurs.
