The Cavaliers ended a three-game losing streak Tuesday night at home against the Portland Trail Blazers, overcoming an 18-point deficit to rally back in the second half and win 105-100.
One of the biggest factors in the game was the Cavs electing to switch the lineup to play smaller in the second half with LeBron James playing power forward and Jared Cunningham seeing the most minutes of his time in Cleveland, playing 34 minutes.
LeBron finished with 33 points on the night. Matthew Dellavedova contributed 17 on the night with one of his better offensive performances of the season.
The Trail Blazers’ starting backcourt was hot all night long as Damian Lillard scored 33 and C.J. McCollum contributed 24 points in the losing effort.
The game did not start out the Cavs envisioned after a rough stretch of games in which they lost four out of six heading into Tuesday night.
The Cavs managed just six points in the first seven minutes of action shooting 3 for their first 12 from field.
The Trail Blazers led 21-9 after eight minutes. Lillard and McCollum scored 18 of their first 21.
Delly scored seven of the Cavs first nine points.
Lillard went five for eight with 12 pts in quarter.
The Cavs would end the quarter down 25-17.
Portland opened up the second quarter on a 7-0 run.
The Trail Blazers would lead 37-21 with nine minutes left in the first half.
Portland would continue the onslaught leading 47-29 with 4:30 to play in the half, their largest lead of the night.
The Cavs’ defense was atrocious in the first half, allowing Portland to make 23 of 39 shots or 59 percent.
Cleveland would start to pick it up offensively late in the second quarter and trailed the Blazers at the half 56-47.
LeBron’s 15 points, 11 of which came in the second quarter, were a lone bright spot for the Cavs in the first half.
The Cavs came out with energy in the second half going on a 12-4 run to make it a one-point game with 5:48 to play in the third quarter.
McCollum would hit a three to end the run and put Portland back up by four, but Dellavedova responded with a three of his own.
Richard Jefferson would knock down a wide open three with 4:30 left in the quarter to give the Cavs their first lead since the first quarter putting the Cavs up 65-63.
Allan Crabbe put the Blazers back up 66-65 on the next possession with a three of his own.
A three from Mo Williams, a fastbreak layup from Cunningham, and another thunderous fastbreak dunk from Kevin Love put the Cavs up 74-71 with a minute and a half left in the third.
The Cavs would enter the fourth quarter leading 77-75.
4th Quarter
Williams and James kept the Cavs rolling to start the fourth quarter, extending it to an eight-point lead with 9:36 to play.
Portland would end the run with a three from Al-Farouq Aminu, but LeBron slammed home an explosive dunk to make it 85-78.
A few possessions later, Williams dished a perfect alley-oop lob to Tristan Thompson to give the Cavs their largest lead of the night 89-78 with 7:16 to play.
The Trail Blazers continued to hang around, going on a 6-2 run to get it down to a seven-point game with 5:07 remaining.
Both sides traded baskets before Dellavedova committed a flagrant foul on Mason Plumlee with 3:30 to play.
Plumlee knocked down both free throws and Portland maintained possession trailing 93-88.
Lillard hit a nice fade away near the free throw line to make it a three-point game.
LeBron answered back with a clutch three.
The next Trail Blazers’ possession, Plumlee was called for an offensive foul, his sixth foul of the night, leading to his ejection.
Ed Davis hauled in a big offensive rebound off of a missed three-point attempt by Aminu, to get two free throws with 2:09 to play, but missed both free throws.
Dellavedova hit a huge three-pointer with 1:55 to go to put the Cavs up by nine.
Lillard responded with a quick three of his own.
LeBron drove to the hoop and made a circus layup drawing contact, and converted the and-one to make it 102-93 Cavs with 1:03 to play.
Lillard hit yet another three to get it back to a six-point game.
The Cavs came up empty on their next possession and Crabbe missed a layup on the other end.
Portland was forced to foul Cunningham and send him to the line with eight seconds remaining and the Cavs would hang on to win 105-100.
The Cavs improve to 14-7 on the season and are off until Friday night at Orlando, tip-off at 7 PM.
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