LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers Struggle Against San Antonio Spurs, Defending Champs Net 92-90 Victory On The Road

Holding on to a slim lead over LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers on the road, the San Antonio Spurs dug deep and found their championship poise to notch the 92-90 victory in the marquee match-up in the NBA on Wednesday. James and the Spurs were meeting for the first time since San Antonio’s conquer of LeBron’s Miami Heat last June in the 2014 NBA Finals.

The Spurs’ veteran big men of Tim Duncan (19 points, 10 rebounds and 2 blocked shots) and Boris Diaw (19 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists and 3 steals) led the attack on this night and the Spurs’ defence, particular that of Kawhi Leonard, limited James to just 15 points on 6-of-17 shooting. Cavaliers forward Kevin Love also struggled for just 10 points on 4-of-12 field goals and added 11 boards and 5 assists. Leonard finished with 12 points, 10 rebounds and 4 steals.

The Spurs and Cavaliers exchanged leads late with Cleveland stealing the advantage, 86-85 with 2:13 to go in the game. Anderson Varejao (23 points, 11 rebounds and 2 blocked shots) was responsible for that basket but his performance went to waste as the Spurs’ Duncan and Manu Ginobili hit crucial shots to give the Spurs the lead and the game.

Ginobili chipped in with only 7 points but three came with under a minute to go. Spurs back-up point guard Corey Joseph had 10 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists off the bench. Kyrie Irving had 20 points and 3 steals for the Cavs.

The Cavaliers dropped to an even 5-5 win-loss record for the year and have lost 3 of 5 at home. Cleveland has now lost back-to-back games twice this season after an upset loss, 106-97 to the Denver Nuggets last Monday. Meanwhile, the Spurs have won 5 of their last 6 games and improved to 7-4 overall.

Upcoming NBA Schedule (Next 3 games):

San Antonio Spurs: at Minnesota Timberwolves, vs. Brooklyn Nets, vs. Indiana Pacers

Cleveland Cavaliers: at Washington Wizards, vs. Toronto Raptors, vs. Orlando Magic