J.R. Smith hit three 3-pointers in the last 3:31 plus sank a couple of free throws with 18 seconds remaining to bail out the Cleveland Cavaliers against the Orlando Magic, 105-99, on Saturday at Quicken Loans Arena.
LeBron James scored 23, dished out nine assists, and grabbed six boards to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers. Kyrie Irving chipped in 20, Kevin Love added 19, and J.R. Smith scored 16 for the Cleveland Cavaliers who had its 78-56 advantage with 2:31 left in the third quarter reduced by the Orlando Magic steadily to 88-85 with 3:59 left in the game. Center Serge Ibaka was able to bring Orlando Magic within 98-95 with 45 seconds left following a dunk and two free throw conversions, but Smith's 3-pointer pushed the Cleveland Cavaliers lead to 101-95 to douse the rally.
The Cleveland Cavaliers, who improved to 3-0, have beaten the Orlando Magic 15 straight times and haven't lost to them since Nov. 23, 2012. However, Cleveland Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue was not happy with how his team let their guard down and did not play well, according to ESPN.
15 straight wins over Orlando since November 2012, thanks to this guy's closing clutch treys! #DefendTheLand pic.twitter.com/BiYoULCC78
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) October 30, 2016
Evan Fournier led the Orlando Magic with 22 points, while Serge Ibaka added 19 points. Rookie point guard Kay Felder made his NBA debut in the game at 4:12 mark of the first quarter. He nailed his first NBA field goal by soaring with a layup and beating the quarter buzzer after taking an inbound pass, Cleveland reported. Felder also had one rebound and an assist with five minutes of action.
The Cleveland Cavaliers will host the Houston Rockets on Tuesday night and fans are anticipating a shootout between LeBron James and James Harden, according to Inquisitr. While James Harden is now handling point guard chores for the Houston Rockets, there will still be plenty of situations where LeBron James will be guarding him. Meanwhile, the Orlando Magic will try to get their first win of the season when they take on the 76ers in Philadelphia on Tuesday.
