The visiting Atlanta Hawks had no answers Monday night for LeBron James (34 points in three quarters of action) and Kyrie Irving (a game-high 35 points), as they fell to the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers 109-94.
The Cavs locked up the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference with their 57th win of the season.
Irving bounced back nicely from a horrible performance in Chicago last weekend.
Per the Akron Beacon Journal:
(LBJ’s) averaging 28.4 points, 8 rebounds and 8.5 assists since the Cavs’ loss at Miami. He’s shooting 63 percent overall and nearly 52 percent from 3-point range. […] “This isn’t the first time since I’ve been with him that he’s really locked in and focused and starting to find his rhythm going into the postseason,” (James) Jones said. “There’s a clock that goes off in his body. It starts to wake up and round into form.”
James was sensational in the third quarter, scoring 19 of his 34 points on 7 of 8 shooting. It was clear this is the game James and (Tyronn) Lue wanted. He played 22 of 24 minutes in the first half and 32 of 36 minutes through three quarters. When he was done, he had staked the Cavs to a 15-point lead. Kyrie Irving finished off the Hawks from there in a game they had to win just to give guys the chance to rest Wednesday. […] “Zero dark thirty. It’s about that time,” Tristan Thompson said, referring to James’ postseason preparation. “You see it every year. It’s about to go down. Let’s do it.”
Irving texted James following Saturday’s loss at the Bulls and admitted he needed to be better. He was caught dribbling too much again and turned the ball over three times in the fourth quarter Saturday. […] He had six more turnovers on Monday, but scored 13 of his 35 points in the fourth quarter while turning it over only once while James rested. Irving’s numbers this season are down everywhere. This has been a trying season for him both personally and professionally. He became a father last summer and was dragged back into social media headlines recently following a dust-up over an ex-girlfriend. Not to mention the knee surgery, rehab and late start to the season.
