Cavs win sixth straight, season’s high for Lillard and Spurs stay perfect in San Antonio
J.R. Smith and Kevin Love led the way as the in-form Cleveland Cavaliers eased past the Minnesota Timberwolves 125-99 in the NBA on Friday.
Smith posted 27 points and former Timberwolves forward Love contributed 20 in Cleveland’s sixth consecutive win.
Iman Shumpert scored 23 points while team-mate LeBron James added 13, 12 rebounds and eight assists as the Cavs won for the 12th time in 14 games.
Andrew Wiggins – traded by the Cavs as Love went the other way in 2014 – had a game-high 35 points for the slumping Timberwolves, whose losing streak extended to five games.
The San Antonio Spurs’ perfect home record remains intact after they held on to beat the New York Knicks 100-99.
New York almost won it at the death but Jose Calderon missed a three-pointer on the buzzer as San Antonio improved to 22-0 at AT&T Center this season.
MVP candidate Kawhi Leonard led the Spurs with a double-double, consisting of 19 points and 12 rebounds.
Star Knicks duo Kristaps Porzingis (28, 11 rebounds) and Carmelo Anthony (20, 12 rebounds) combined for 48 points in the defeat.
Draymond Green registered his eighth triple-double of the season in the Golden State Warriors’ 128-108 victory against the Portland Trail Blazers.
Green posted 11 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists in Portland.
Damian Lillard had a season-high 40 points for the Trail Blazers.
In other results, Khris Middleton made a lay-up with 10 seconds remaining to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to a 96-95 win over the Dallas Mavericks.
The Toronto Raptors accounted for the Washington Wizards 97-88 thanks to DeMar DeRozan’s 35 points, All-Star Anthony Davis went down injured in the New Orleans Pelicans’ 91-86 loss to the Indiana Pacers and the Memphis Grizzlies downed the Denver Nuggets 91-84.
Dwyane Wade helped the Miami Heat past the Phoenix Suns 103-95, the Orlando Magic defeated the Brooklyn Nets 83-77, while the Oklahoma City Thunder edged the Los Angeles Lakers 117-113.
