CLEVELAND — In the locker room at halftime, Cavaliers coach Mike Brown forced his players to watch a horror flick — highlights of their defense in the first half.
“We were watching film and it was as ugly as it looked,” Mo Williams said.
After allowing 61 points in a first-half track meet, the Cavaliers buckled down, held Denver to 38 after halftime and won their sixth straight, 110-99 over the Nuggets on Thursday night.
“The first team that decided to defend in the second half was going to get the win,” Brown said. “And we did. The first half was a rat race. R-A-T, R-A-C-E.”
LeBron James scored 22 points, most of them coming with good buddy Carmelo Anthony guarding him, and Williams scored a season-high 24, making a critical 3-pointer with James on the bench, as the Cavaliers improved to 5-0 at home and beat the Nuggets for the first time since 2005.
“It looked like it was headed in the wrong direction in the first half, but we buckled down in the second and got it together,” James said.
Bulls 98, Mavericks 91
CHICAGO — Ben Gordon scored 35 points and Chicago roared back from an early 19-point deficit to hand Dallas its fourth straight loss.
Pistons 107, Warriors 102
OAKLAND, Calif. — Allen Iverson scored 23 points and Rasheed Wallace hit back-to-back 3-pointers in the fourth quarter for Detroit.
Noteworthy
James likes Manilow
LeBron James likes Barry Manilow. Or Brian Manilow.
A big fan of all styles of music, Cleveland’s superstar always gets ready for games by listening to hip hop. He said Jay-Z is almost always his choice before taking the floor, but he has diverse musical taste and enjoys R&B and alternative rock. He said he never listens to sports talk radio on his way home after a game.
James was then informed that Nuggets star Carmelo Anthony, his longtime friend and U.S. Olympic teammate, admitted last year that he had Barry Manilow’s music on his iPod.
James said he had Manilow on his iPod, too. A reporter bet him he didn’t.
James then scrolled through his iPod menu and was surprised when he couldn’t find it.
“Nope,” James said. “No Brian Manilow.”
As the room broke up in laughter, James corrected his error.
“Oh, Barry Manilow,” he said, smiling. “I was talking about his cousin.”
James then continued his search, and sure enough, he came up with some Barry Manilow tunes, showing “Copacabana,” “Mandy” and “I Am Your Child” on his varied playlist.
NBA makes Theus pay
The NBA has fined Sacramento Kings coach Reggie Theus $25,000 for comments he made about the officiating following a loss to Detroit. The league also penalized the Kings $25,000 Thursday for Theus’ actions. Theus said it was “ridiculous” that the Pistons took 36 foul shots to just 17 for the Kings in Detroit’s 100-92 victory in Sacramento on Tuesday.
Chicago signs guard
The injury-depleted Bulls signed veteran point guard Lindsey Hunter. With a Bulls’ backcourt thinned by injuries, the 37-year-old Hunter brings 15 years of experience to the team. He played 24 games for Detroit last season. Hunter has averaged 8.8 points and 39-percent shooting in his career. He’s also played with Milwaukee, Toronto and the Los Angeles Lakers.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
