LeBron, Cavs Smother Rockets

The San Antonio Spurs preserved their 100 per cent record on home court after seeing off the Cleveland Cavaliers 99-95 in the National Basketball Association on Thursday.

Kawhi Leonard added 20 points and 10 rebounds for San Antonio, which has won 10 straight overall. “And Pop definitely puts those guys in the right position every single possession”, James said. Forward David West (13) and guard Manu Ginobili (10) were the only other San Antonio players in double figures.

LeBron James led the Cavaliers with 22 points, seven rebounds and five assists, but the visitors only had 15 total team assists on 38 made field goals and had 18 turnovers, which resulted in 19 Spurs points. “As a team we were pretty sharp after that first quarter”.

So, the big question is, will Lebron James and his team be the ones to dethrone the Spurs?

Cleveland started the game on a 12-2 run and led by as many as 15 in the second quarter before San Antonio crept its way back, only trailing five times after taking its first lead with seven minutes, 50 seconds left in the third. The Golden State Warriors are still atop the Western Conference standings with a 37-3 mark.

The victory also allowed the Spurs to extend their regular-season victory streak to 32 games, dating back to an overtime loss to the Cavaliers last March, and granted them their best-ever start after 41 games in franchise history.

The Cleveland Cavaliers gave San Antonio another tense test at home before the Spurs rose up on defense for what they deemed their biggest win of the season.

The Cleveland Cavaliers will head to San Antonio in a matchup of championship hopefuls. “We have to be a little bit more determined to play throughout the game with flow and pace”.

Jan 14, 2016; San Antonio, TX, USA; San Antonio Spurs point guard Tony Parker (9) drives to the bask …

James (19 points, seven rebounds, seven assists) and Irving (23 points) were efficient while Kevin Love chipped in 11 points and 13 rebounds, but Cleveland closed the trip 5-1 by digging in defensively, especially against Rockets guard James Harden.

With their defensive intensity turned up a few notches, the Spurs outscored the Cavs 24-18 in the second quarter and held them to 42.1-percent shooting.

Add it all together, and you have the proper context to understand it when James said: “We ended this road trip, we took care of business and I get an opportunity to see my family and that’s what’s most important right now”.

This will go down as just two of Paul Millsap’s 23 points for the night, but they were two that won’t be forgotten soon. The Spurs have been great all year long, but some fans have criticized them for not beating top competition.

In Salt Lake City, Rudy Gay scored 24 points and hit the game-winning shot with 0.9 seconds remaining to give Sacramento a victory over Utah.

The 76ers were led by reserve forward Robert Covington, who scored 25 points and six rebounds, while Ish Smith had 24 and eight assists in the defeat.

That’s lockdown defense, and Popovich praised both Parker and Leonard for their hands in it.

The Cavs appeared to regain momentum on a Matthew Dellavedova three-pointer to take a 73-72 lead to end the third, but San Antonio once again responded with its second double-digit run in the second half.