| |
RECAP
|
BOX SCORE
|
 GAME FLOW
CLEVELAND (AP) -- The NBA All-Star break is over. Somebody better
tell the San Antonio Spurs.
Playing with little intensity, the defending NBA champions were
outhustled, outrebounded and outplayed on Tuesday night by the
Cleveland Cavaliers in a shocking 92-81 victory.
|  | | Shawn Kemp, left, wrestled with Tim Duncan while he wasn't battling foul trouble. |
"It was a bad game for us," said Tim Duncan. "We didn't play
well, we didn't play hard. We had a little rust to us, but we never
got into it."
"We came in really flat," said David Robinson. "It was like we were still on vacation."
Conversely, the Cavs were into it from the opening tip.
"Everybody was up for this game," said rookie guard Andre
Miller, who scored 20 points and hit a key 3-pointer in the fourth
quarter. "That shows we can play with anybody in this league."
Lamond Murray added 27 points for the Cavs, who snapped a four-game losing streak as they tried to put a little distance
between themselves and an injury-filled first half of the season.
"It was very important to win and get back to the way we played
in the beginning," Murray said. "We want to make this a whole new
season. Now we have to do it again, and again."
Shawn Kemp had 14 points in 28 foul-plagued minutes and Mark
Bryant had 10 rebounds for the Cavs, who started a hobbling Brevin
Knight at point guard and were without Bob Sura.
Duncan scored 21 points and Robinson had 20 points and 11
rebounds before fouling out with 55 seconds left.
The Spurs were flat from the start and had one of their poorest
offensive games of the season. San Antonio shot just 39 percent and
got little help from its bench. One of the NBA's top rebounding
teams, the Spurs were outrebounded 43-35.
"We were really flat," said Robinson. "It was like we were
still on vacation."
Following the game, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich blasted his team,
taking out some of frustration on a chalkboard and locker.
"Coach went a little wild," said Duncan. "But we needed to
hear that from him."
Popovich didn't excuse his team's behavior or his own.
"It was the worst exhibition of effort and basketball that I
have seen all season long by any team," Popovich said. "We're
pretty disappointed. I obviously expressed that. You could probably
hear it. A locker ran into me, a chalkboard ran into me."
Miller's 3-pointer with 3:35 left was the biggest shot of the
game. Alone on the right wing, Miller initially hesitated before
knocking down the 3 to give the Cavs an 88-76 lead.
Miller, who made three straight 3-pointers during the weekend in
the Rookie All-Star Challenge, said he almost passed up the shot.
"I was wide open, but guys had to tell me to shoot," said the
soft-spoken Miller. "I was going to stand there and dribble out
the clock."
Miller and Murray put the Cavs in position to win, combining for
14 points in the third quarter when Cleveland outscored San Antonio
27-15 to take control.
Miller is making it increasingly difficult for Cavs coach Randy
Wittman to justify not starting him. The first-round draft pick
from Utah, who improves with each game, added seven assists and
made just one turnover in 33 minutes.
Late in the third quarter, he scored four points and made a nice
assist to a slashing Murray for a dunk as the Cavs closed the
period with a 14-4 run to take a 70-61 lead after three.
Game notes
Realizing he may have a point guard controversy on his
hands, Wittman said he would let the Knight vs. Miller battle sort
itself out. "Those things take care of themselves," he said. ...
Murray added 12 rebounds and is averaging 21.2 points in his last
five games. ... Indians All-Star center fielder Kenny Lofton, who
is expected to be sidelined until the All-Star break following
shoulder surgery, was at the game. ... Duncan, averaging 13.1
rebounds per game, didn't get one in the first half. He got his
first one on a loose ball with about eight minutes left in the
third and finished with five.
| |
ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
San Antonio Clubhouse
Cleveland Clubhouse
RECAPS
Charlotte 95
Philadelphia 93
Toronto 91
New York 70
Atlanta 103
New Jersey 86
Cleveland 92
San Antonio 81
Miami 107
LA Clippers 88
LA Lakers 88
Chicago 76
Denver 107
Minnesota 104
Milwaukee 112
Dallas 99
Houston 107
Detroit 102
Boston 101
Utah 99
Seattle 114
Washington 85
Portland 92
Golden State 83
Phoenix 117
Sacramento 108
|
