NBA wrap: Kyle Korver leads Cavs’ leftovers to win; Dwyane Wade saves day in return to Miami | NBA

February 10, 2018 John NBA 0

Cleveland was in a weird spot Friday. The Cavaliers were excited to have four newly acquired players on the roster, but they couldn’t use any of them, so they had to make the best with what they had.

What they had were a total of 10 players suit up, two of whom were on two-way contracts. 

Yet they came away with a 123-107 victory and did so by going back to what has made them so good in recent years. They shot the ball extremely well and Kyle Korver led the way.

The 36-year-old shooting guard scored a season-high 30 points on 9-of-16 shooting and 7-of-13 shooting from beyond the arc. His performance led a group of misfits with Ante Zizic, London Perrantes, John Holland and Cedi Osman to a win many thought would be impossible — even against the lowly Hawks.

It helped that LeBron James had a triple-double with 22 points, 17 assists and 12 rebounds, but Korver’s performance is what really gave the Cavaliers an extra boost. Cleveland needed a boost while it waits for reinforcements acquired before Thursday’s trade deadline. 

“It can be good for us offensively and defensively, starting all over and breaking everything down from scratch will be good for this team,” Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue told reporters after the game, via ESPN. “Even guys who have been here, I think it will be good. It will take some time to do that but we’ve got the All-Star break coming up… We’ll try to get those guys up to speed as quickly as possible.”

The Cavaliers not only have new players coming in, but they have six players going out as well. One of those players went out on more of a friendly deal as Dwyane Wade was sent home to Miami. It was bittersweet for James to see one of his best friends go, but to see the reception Wade got before the 91-85 win over the Bucks alleviated much of the pain.

Just to seal the deal though, Wade had to do what he does best for the Heat: help his team bring home a win. The 36-year-old guard may have scored just three points in 22 minutes, but his block on Eric Bledsoe up four with less than 35 seconds to go could not have been sweeter for Wade or the fans who love him so much. 

Studs of the Night

Rockets center Clint Capela just keeps on truckin’. The 23-year-old center had 23 points, 25 rebounds and two blocks in Houston’s 130-104 win over the Nuggets.

The Pacers tallied a 97-91 upset over the Celtics and a big reason was Victor Oladipo. The former Indiana Hoosier scored 35 points with 10 rebounds and five steals.

Dud of the Night

Miam’s Goran Dragic was selected as an All-Star but Friday’s performance wasn’t very good. He went 1 for 11 from the floor with six points and three assists in 27 minutes of playing time in the Heat’s win over the Bucks.

Highlight

Jazz rookie Donovan Mitchell is competing in the dunk contest next week and showed why Friday in a 106-94 win over the Hornets. 

What’s Next 

Spurs (35-21) at Warriors (42-13) 7:30 p.m. ET — The Warriors have more talent and depth than the Spurs, but San Antonio always finds a way to compete, especially in nationally televised games. Dejounte Murray and Kyle Anderson have emerged as legitimate role players with injuries early in the season to Tony Parker and Kawhi Leonard. Their development will only make the Spurs more difficult to beat when they’re at full strength.

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