The Cleveland Cavaliers, behind strong performances from LeBron James, J.R. Smith and Kevin Love, turned back the Charlotte Hornets, 112-103, Sunday in Cleveland.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- LeBron James, J.R. Smith and Kevin Love combined for 83 points, 22 rebounds and 19 assists as the Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Charlotte Hornets, 112-103, Sunday afternoon at The Q. Kemba Walker scored 29 for the Hornets.
Here is a capsule look at the game, which was televised by Fox Sports Ohio:
Heating up again: The Cavs (55-22 overall, 32-7 at home) have won three in a row.
Cooled: The Hornets (44-32 overall, 16-21 on road) had won three straight -- albeit the second and third against the Philadelphia 76ers.
Hard to believe, but true: The Hornets lost despite making 26 of 27 foul shots (96.3 percent). The Cavs were 6-of-13 from the line (46.2 percent).
Lots to like: The Cavs secured their second consecutive quality victory. On Friday in Atlanta, in the end of a back-to-back, the Cavs toppled the Hawks, 110-108, in overtime.
The Hawks and Hornets are jostling with the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat for spots 3-6 in the Eastern Conference playoff pool.
Against the Hawks, the Cavs squandered leads of 21 in the second quarter and 11 in the fourth quarter.
Against the Hornets, the Cavs led, 48-27, midway through the second quarter; 58-42 at halftime; 65-44 early in the third; and 86-71 after three. The Hornets rallied to within 96-92 with 4:25 left.
Obviously, the Cavs need to stop making it hard on themselves. Where the Hornets game was concerned, though, LeBron focused on the positives when speaking with Fox Sports Ohio reporter Allie Clifton on the court afterward.
"I think we played a really good game,'' King said. "We took a step forward once again....For the most part, I think we played exceptional basketball.''
LeBron also told Clifton: "If the playoffs started today, we'd be ready.''
LeBron had every right to be pleased, because the Cavs:
*Defeated a good team that has been playing well.
*Overcame the absence of point guard Kyrie Irving (right ankle).
*Played superb, playoff-caliber defense in the first half.
*Shot 54.2 percent from the field (45-of-83).
*Shot 55.2 percent from 3-point range (16-of-29).
*Notched 34 assists.
The Cavs' only glaring negative was 17 turnovers that cost 24 points. Unforced errors led to most of the turnovers.
Fun to watch: The Cavs did not fire up 3-pointers randomly and hope they went in. Most of the triples resulted from any combination of floor spacing, screens/plays and ball movement.
"When the ball is moving and the ball has energy, we're confident in shooting them,'' LeBron told Clifton.
The Cavs held a 21-point advantage from beyond the arc. Charlotte was 9-of-26.
Here is one Cleveland 3-pointer that stood out:
One of many quality plays by Love/JR. #cavs @FOXSportsOH pic.twitter.com/xskfxEuALE
-- Dennis Manoloff (@dmansworld474) April 3, 2016
Iman Shumpert, Matthew Dellavedova and Love executed a play that enabled Love to roll to the basket and catch the pass from Shumpert. Delly's rub-screen on Cody Zeller had created space for Love.
Smith's man, Courtney Lee, was forced into the middle to help against Love, who alertly spotted Smith open on the right side and made a terrific pass. Smith's 3-pointer came in a big spot, stopping Charlotte's momentum and giving the Cavs a 99-92 lead with 4:10 left.
King on fire: LeBron amassed 31 points, 12 assists, eight rebounds and two steals in 41 minutes. He was 14-of-22 from the field and 3-of-3 from the line.
LeBron, coming off a fantastic March even for him, has opened April with two monster performances. Against the Hawks, he had 29 points, 16 rebounds and nine assists.
Among LeBron's countless attributes are his ability to read the game and to make teammates better. Both were on display in a two-minute span late in the fourth, when he and Delly used screen action to produce LeBron layup (3:27), LeBron alley-oop dunk (2:09) and LeBron layup (1:22).
Delly finished with nine assists.
J.R. locked in: Smith had 27 points, five rebounds, three assists and one steal in 33 minutes. He was 10-of-16 from the field, including 6-of-9 from 3-point range, and 1-of-2 from the line.
Smith tied a season high for points. He had not scored 20+ since Feb. 8 against Sacramento (22).
Smith answered the call several times when the Cavs were starving for a basket.
Lovefest: Love went for 25 points, nine rebounds, four assists and one block in 32 minutes. He shot 10-of-18, including 5-of-8 from 3-point range. He should have gone to the line at least once but a blatant Charlotte foul was not called.
Love had not made five 3-pointers in a game since Jan. 29 at Detroit (5-of-7). In his past five games, Love is 18-of-40 from beyond the arc.
Once again, Love and LeBron worked well together when running offense from the high post. Here is one example:
Terrific stuff. #cavs @FOXSportsOH pic.twitter.com/96Y6yxyLAZ
-- Dennis Manoloff (@dmansworld474) April 3, 2016
Credit Love with a veteran tap to lose Zeller.