CLEVELAND: LeBron James’ runner in the lane with one second left allowed the Cavaliers to hold on for a 90-88 win over the Brooklyn Nets.
James and Kevin Love each scored 26 points and the Cavs remained unbeaten at home (9-0), but it didn’t come easily against a struggling Nets team.
Jarrett Jack’s desperation heave at the buzzer from well beyond half court hit the back of the rim. Brook Lopez scored 22 points and grabbed nine rebounds and Joe Johnson had 17 points for the Nets, who have lost four of their last five.
J.R. Smith fouled Joe Johnson on a 3-pointer with 15.2 seconds left, allowing the Nets to tie the game at 88. Smith picked up Johnson on each of the Nets’ last two possessions. Johnson’s potential look at a game-winner rimmed out with 18 seconds left.
James made two free throws at the other end for a three-point lead, but Johnson shook Smith on the Nets’ ensuing inbounds following a timeout. Smith ran into Johnson on a 3-point shot and Johnson made all three attempts.
James took the inbounds pass, dribbled the clock down and drove the lane before floating up the winner.
Johnson’s earlier 3-pointer gave the Nets an 83-76 lead, but the Nets went scoreless for 3½ minutes while the Cavs fought back. Smith’s pesky defense forced a block and then drew an offensive foul on Johnson. After a 3-pointer by James and then a three-point play by him, Tristan Thompson’s basket inside gave the Cavs an 84-83 lead with 2:44 to play.
The Cavs were playing their third game in four nights while the Nets were off the last two days.
James and Love combined to shoot just 2-of-7 in the first quarter and the Cavs ended the quarter shooting just 32 percent. Lopez punished the Cavs’ interior defense and the Nets got whatever they wanted early, leading by as many as 12 in the first half while the Cavs struggled to find their legs.
The Cavs didn’t take their first lead until a 3-pointer by Love with 4:50 left in the third quarter.
The Nets have played better of late after a dismal 0-7 start, but coach Lionel Hollins knows he’s still undermanned on many nights. This was one of them.
“I don’t try to analyze everything,” Hollins said. “I see it and I know what it is but what good does it do for me to stay up all night analyzing and trying to figure out how to make it different when we don’t have Kevin Durant, we don’t have [Russell] Westbrook, we don’t have LeBron James?
“We are who we are and if we go out and play together as a team and work as a group and try to be disciplined in what we’re doing we give ourselves a chance to win and that’s all you can do. If you’re not good enough to win those games because of the other team’s talent, you still have done all that you can do and you just go home and go to bed.”
Jason Lloyd can be reached at jlloyd@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Cavs blog at www.ohio.com/cavs. Follow him on Twitter www.twitter.com/JasonLloydABJ.