The Cleveland Cavaliers get back on track after just a 1-3 start with a win on the road against the Nuggets 110-101. LeBron James led the way with 22 points on 8-of-18 from the field to go along with seven rebounds and 11 assists. LeBron started the game slow as he only shot 2-of-8 from the field in the first half but was much more aggressive in the second half, penetrating and getting points around the paint. Kevin Love had 19 points on only 6-of-16 from the field but was 7-of-8 from the costless throw line. The Cavaliers moved the ball very well this game and got other players involved in their offense. LeBron had 8 of his 11 assists in the first half as he was finding his teammates very well. Anderson Varejao finished with 15 points on 6-of-7 from the field to go along with seven rebounds. Shawn Marion had 10 points, Tristan Thompson had 12 points, and Dion Waiters had 17 points. Kyrie Irving had just 12 points but got his teammates involved with six assists.
The Cavaliers also started the first half with great defense, only allowing 45 points in first half but they did not do as well in the second half, allowing 56 points. The Cavs did shoot well tonight as they shot 47 percent from the field and also made 24 of their 33 costless throw attempts.
The Cavs have started just 2-3 this season. They are trying to build chemistry and figure out how to play their offense and Friday night, it looked like they figured that out better. They also need to play better on the defensive end. It may not be a really good start for them early in the season, but there are 82 games, and they got plenty of time to gel. During LeBron's first year with the Heat, they started 9-8 and finished the season 58-24. The Cavaliers could really take advantage of their next 11 games as 9 of the games are at home.
For the Nuggets, Randy Foye led the way with 28 points on 10-of-19 from the field with 5 threes to go along with nine assists. Wilson Chandler and Nate Robinson both had 14 points. Danilo Gallinari and Jusuf Nurkic gave Nuggets good minutes off the bench and both had 10 points. The Nuggets were without their point guard Ty Lawson. He tweaked his ankle during warm ups and was unable to play, but guards Randy Foye, Nate Robison, and Erick Green filled in well for him. The Nuggets are off to a slow start and have played poor defense in the early going. It is going to be real tough for them to make the playoffs in the Western Conference playing this way.
The Cavaliers will play their next game on Monday, November 10, against the New Orleans Pelicans. The Nuggets, meanwhile, have a home and home with the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday and Wednesday.