In the not-too-distant past, a matchup between LeBron James and Paul George was a must see event. These guys would trade buckets constantly and helped make the Eastern Conference playoffs a blast to watch. Despite his horrifying leg break, George is having a fantastic season and is making the George/James matchup must see again.
Monday, the Cavaliers played host to the Pacers at the Q. James got on a roll quickly and didn’t look back. Indiana held the Cavs to 18 first quarter points, but LeBron accounted for 12 of them on 6/8 shooting. At halftime, Cleveland was up 44-43 thanks to 21 points from James; Paul George had a very quiet half, attempting only four shots and scoring five points.
The third quarter, however, featured the Paul George that we’ve come to know. He scored 14 points on 5/8 shooting and 3/5 from three; James also had another great quarter, chipping in ten points of his own.
In the fourth, both teams struggled shooting. Indiana shot 40% while Cleveland was at about 35%. Both George and James were unable to get into a rhythm on offense, combining for six points in the quarter. James, however, collected three of his four assists in the fourth.
Tristan Thompson was the man of the hour, shockingly enough. With ten points and seven boards in the period, Thompson was the ultimate game changer for Cleveland. He even had a game-saving block on Rodney Stuckey with 18 seconds left that allowed the Cavaliers to make it a four-point game.
The Pacers travel to Milwaukee for a matchup on Wednesday while Cleveland plays host to the Wizards on Friday.
ICYMI: LeBron James decides to give PG an easy bucket.
Around The League
Russell Westbrook records his 9th triple-double as the Thunder wax the Kings, 131-116. His line was monstrous: 20 points, 13 rebounds, 15 assists, and three steals. It’s the fifth game this season where Westbrook had 20p/15a, giving him an unyielding case as the league’s best all-around player. Oh, Steven Adams also almost got smashed by DeMarcus Cousins.
It was only a week since the last triple-double by Giannis Antetokounmpo and the one on Monday was just as remarkable. In a 128-121 victory over the Rockets, the Greek Freak recorded 18 points, 17 rebounds, 11 assists, four steals, and two blocks; Khris Middleton had 30, and Jabari Parker had 36 — a new career-high. James Harden had 26p/9a, and Dwight Howard had his third 30-point game of the season.
John Wall continued his hot streak and helped the Wizards skate by the 76ers, 116-108. Wall had 37 points and seven assists and even felt a little disrespected by Isaiah Canaan. Canaan nailed a three, and then proceeded to stare down the Wizards’ bench, which didn’t amuse Wall. After the incident, he collected 21 of his 37 in the comeback victory.
Scores
IND 96 - CLE 100
PHI 108 - WASH 116
UTAH 95 - BOS 100
HOU 121 - MIL 128
MEM 103 - DEN 96
OKC 131 - SAC 116
BKN 95 - LAC 105
