The Cavaliers picked up their 13th straight win with a 101-95 victory over the Kings on Wednesday, and make no mistake, it’s because LeBron James is still the best basketball player on planet flat Earth.
NBA scores 2017: LeBron James, Kevin Durant, DeMarcus Cousins and Victor Oladipo stole Wednesday night
NBA Wednesday started slow. And then things started to get interesting.
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The King had 32 points on 12-of-18 shooting to go with 11 rebounds, nine assists, three steals and two blocks, and hit five threes, including the game-sealing shot over a hometown friend, Jakarr Sampson.
Just look at Sampson’s arm droop.
The Cavaliers are in mid-season form, and it’s not even mid-season yet. Cleveland’s rattled off 13 in a row, and that’s without a legitimate starting point guard. Isaiah Thomas is expected to return from his hip injury either this month or in January. Derrick Rose left the team after an ankle injury but has returned, apologized and will likely come off the bench in the near future.
And after adding eight new faces to the team over the summer, the Cavaliers seem to have settled into the team the world expected them to be — the team that has been to three straight NBA Finals and is poised to return for a fourth.
Their championship odds, the 13-game winning streak and everything in-between starts and ends with James, a 15-year veteran playing like he’s in his prime. That’s because LeBron’s best years have extended to age 33, and if he continues his pace, there’s no telling how long he could go.
Oladipomania
Victor Oladipo is here, ladies and gents. The world thought he was just an exorbitant contract thrown into the Paul George-to-Oklahoma City trade to make the numbers work. But Oladipo has been everything and more for the Pacers, who now have a 14-11 record when most had them written off before the season started.
Indiana’s electrifying new guard finished with 27 points on 10-of-20 shooting and eight rebounds to lead the Pacers to a two-point win over the Bulls. And it was Oladipo who hit the go-ahead pull-up three-pointer put Indy up late in the fourth.
Kevin Durant’s takeover
Stephen Curry is out with an ankle injury. Draymond Green didn’t play with a sore shoulder. No problem.
Kevin Durant took over. Without his two leaders, Durant posted a triple double with 35 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. It was his third career 30-point triple double, according to ESPN Stats & Info, and his 16-point first quarter was the hottest start of any Warrior this season.
Maybe Steve Kerr should sit Steph and Dray more often.
Some cool things you missed
DeMarcus Cousins had an incredible night:
Dennis Smith Jr. is no pushover, just ask Kyrie Irving:
Mason Plumlee tried really hard to flop against DeMarcus Cousins, but the refs weren’t having it:
The Bulls didn’t know what play they wanted to run at the end of the game:
“That was the big thing down the stretch,” Bulls guard Kris Dunn said. “We didn’t know what play we wanted to run.”
Yikes.
Oh yeah, and Taj Gibson’s full-court heave created Jimmy Butler’s great reaction GIF.
Wednesday night’s NBA scores
Pacers 98, Bulls 96
Cavaliers 101, Kings 95
Timberwolves 113, Clippers 107
Beware THE LOOK from players shooting corner threes
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