Cleveland Cavaliers return home to face slumping San Antonio Spurs
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Darius Garland of the Cleveland Cavaliers drives to the basket during the second quarter of the game against the Portland Trail Blazers at Moda Centre on March 25.
PHOTO: AFP
CLEVELAND – The Cleveland Cavaliers will look to move closer to clinching the No. 1 seeding in the Eastern Conference and contend for the best record in the National Basketball Association (NBA), when they host the San Antonio Spurs on March 27 (March 28, Singapore time) in a late-season inter-conference game.
The Cavaliers (58-14) still have plenty to play for.
They have clinched the Central Division, but will be wary of the surging Boston Celtics, the reigning NBA champions, for the top spot in the East with 10 games left in the regular season.
The Cavs will also begin play on March 27 two games behind the Oklahoma City Thunder (60-12) for the best record in the league.
Their most recent contest was a 122-111 road win over the Portland Trail Blazers on March 25, as the Cavaliers won their second straight outing after a season-worst four-game losing streak.
The victory capped a five-game road trip – all against Western Conference teams – for Cleveland.
“We’re a tired group right now. We need to get home, get in our own bed, get back on our routine,” coach Kenny Atkinson said after the Portland game.
Darius Garland continues to impress, averaging 20.8 points, 6.7 assists and 2.8 rebounds per game while shooting a career-high 47.6 per cent from the floor and 40.3 per cent from behind the arc.
“This year is literally a revenge season, just for all the doubters and the haters that just counted me out from last year. So this year, you’re getting a product from what everybody else was talking about last year,” the guard explained.
The Spurs (31-40) travel to the Rocket Arena on the heels of a 122-96 road loss to the Detroit Pistons on March 25.
They had won three straight games (tying a season high) before that defeat and are still in 13th place behind the Dallas Mavericks (11th) and Portland (12th).
Meanwhile in NBA action on March 26, LeBron James tipped in a buzzer-beating rebound with 0.1 seconds left as the Los Angeles Lakers halted their three-game losing streak with a 120-119 road victory over the Indiana Pacers.
With the clock ticking down, Luka Doncic made one last drive to the basket – only to see his attempted 13-foot floater bounce off the rim at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
James reacted fastest, leaping to palm the ball into the bucket for the winning score and give the Lakers (44-28) a precious victory in the race for Western Conference play-off berths.
The 40-year-old forward – who had failed to score from the field in the opening three quarters – finished with 13 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists.
REUTERS, AFP
