NBA scores: The Cavaliers start to figure it out and 3 other things we learned Monday night

LeBron James finished with a triple-double and Kyrie Irving scored 27 second half points to lead the Cavaliers to a comeback win against Anthony Davis’ Pelicans. Maybe they’re starting to jell.

by Jeje Gomez

Nov 11, 2014, 1:03 PM UTC

Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

The clash between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the New Orleans Pelicans was billed as Bron vs. Brow, and the superstars didn't disappoint. LeBron James had his first triple-double of the season with 30 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists, while Anthony Davis put together an eye-popping stat line of 27 points, 14 rebounds, four assists, four steals and three blocks. The two MVP candidates anchored their teams as expected. So, it was up to their supporting casts to make the difference.

In the first half, Ryan Anderson cooked an inattentive Cavaliers defense for 23 points. The Cavaliers kept losing Anderson on screens and once a couple of shots fell, he went into attack mode. The Pelicans then strung together a few stops and suddenly found themselves ahead on the scoreboard. James and Kevin Love were hitting shots, but the Cavaliers' offense wasn't clicking on a team level. With Davis making an impact on defense, the Pelicans did enough to hold on to the lead going into halftime.

But they run out of ammo after that.

The second half belonged to Kyrie Irving, who scored 27 points on 14 shots and galvanized the crowd. Davis did his best to counter Kyrie's output -- just like Love and James did in the first half with Anderson's -- but his teammates didn't come to his aid. The Pelicans' starters simply weren't sharp enough to hang with the Cavaliers and only Anderson contributed off the bench. Cleveland, on the other hand, had its three stars playing at a high level and got timely contributions from Tristan Thomson and Joe Harris. The deeper team won.

It's the first time the Cavaliers have strung together victories this season and it could be a turning point for them. Their defense is still porous, but their offense should always be as explosive as it was in the second half, where they scored 67 points. The challenge for David Blatt now will be to reincorporate -- and find shots for -- Dion Waiters, who missed the game with a lower back contusion.

Kyrie Irving

Point guard shows complete game against Pelicans

3 other things we learned

Roy Hibbert’s image rehabilitation program continues

No one escaped the Pacers' tire fire last season unscathed, but Roy Hibbert was the player whose reputation suffered the most damage. Hibbert called his teammates selfish, had embarrassing rebounding numbers for a player his size and was almost unplayable in a close first round series against the Hawks. Once Lance Stephenson left the team in free agency and Paul George broke his leg, many wondered if the Pacers would be better off trading the 7'2 center and starting over.

But Hibbert is showing his value early in the season, as his numbers are up across the board. He's carrying a heavier load on offense but is still providing amazing rim protection. Against the Jazz on Monday night, he finished with 29 points -- the second best scoring night of his career -- against a big, athletic front line for Utah. Whether the renaissance helps Pacers fans cope with the season and remain hopeful for the future or simply ups his value for an eventual trade remains to be seen. But give Hibbert credit for toiling in anonymity and regaining his best form.

The Knicks can't guard without fouling

The trade that sent Tyson Chandler to Dallas pretty much guaranteed New York was going to take a severe step back on defense. Right now, the 2-6 Knicks rank 27th in the league in defensive rating, which is coincidentally where they rank in opponent free throws attempts per game. And while excessive fouling is not the only problem the Knicks have on defense, it's definitely costing them games.

New York held the Hawks to 38 percent from the field and and 37 percent from the three point line. They even out-rebounded Atlanta. And yet, they still lost because they sent the Hawks to the line 28 times. Atlanta made the most of it by hitting 27 of those freebies and made up for an otherwise anemic attack by its standards.

It’s possible the constant fouling is a direct result of having a roster plagued with defensively-deficient players. But the Knicks need to find a way to at least cut down their personal foul totals if they want a shot at the playoffs. Their margin of error is small enough as it is. No need to give the opponent another edge.

The Triangle

Phil wants Adam Silver to stop talking about it

Welcome back, Kawhi Leonard

The Clippers and the Spurs didn't start the season playing at the level everyone expected, so it wasn't exactly surprising when two of the most exciting teams of last season bored everyone on a grind-it-out, low scoring affair. The Spurs narrowly escaped with the win after coming back from behind to take the lead for the first time with 1:44 to go in the fourth quarter.

But the bigger story was the performance by Kawhi Leonard. Leonard was fantastic in the past finals and stardom seems in his future. Unfortunately an eye infection kept him out for most of preseason and the Spurs’ first game of the season. When he finally got to play, he underwhelmed.

But against the Clippers on Monday we finally got to see the player that dazzled last year. Leonard finished the game with 26 points, 10 rebounds, three assists, three steals and a block, yet his impact can't be measured by the scoreboard. He stole the ball from Chris Paul with 52 seconds to go and the Spurs up three and assisted Manu Ginobili on the subsequent play.

Simply put, he carry the struggling Spurs to a victory on the road against a quality playoff team. For the Spurs to survive their injury woes without falling too much on the standings, they’ll need him to do that more often.

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Play of the Night

With the clock winding down in the third quarter, LeBron James punctuated a fantastic 34-point frame from the Cavs by splitting the defense on his way to an uncontested dunk. Before the game, James sarcastically apologized for not dunking much, saying "I apologize I haven't been above the rim." Then he made amends with this flush. You are forgiven, LeBron.