There isn’t much to nitpick on a team that entered the night tied for the best mark in the Eastern Conference, but one of coach Tyronn Lue’s legitimate concerns has been the Cavaliers’ dismal play in fourth quarters.
It was a point of emphasis again Friday in the Cavs’ 105-94 victory over the Washington Wizards at Verizon Center. The Cavs limited the Wizards to 19 points in the fourth quarter on 37 percent shooting after opponents had scorched them during the early part of the season.
LeBron James finished with 27 points, 10 rebounds and five assists while becoming the youngest player in history to score 27,000 points. Kevin Love had 14 points and 16 rebounds (10 rebounds in the third quarter) and Kyrie Irving scored 29 points on another big night for the Big Three.
James eclipsed 27,000 points at 31 years, 317 days. He has routinely broken all of Kobe Bryant’s scoring milestones and did so again Friday. Bryant reached 27,000 in 32 years, 160 days.
Irving, meanwhile, moved into ninth place on the Cavs’ all-time scoring list, moving past Campy Russell (6,588 points).
John Wall scored 28 points, but 23 of them came in the first half. The Wizards were playing without Bradley Beal, who missed the game with a sore right hamstring.
The Orlando Magic enjoyed a 37-point fourth quarter earlier this season, the Houston Rockets scored 36 in the fourth and the Boston Celtics hammered the Cavs for 39 in the fourth. All of those games were still Cavs victories.
The Atlanta Hawks scored 26 points and shot 52 percent in the fourth quarter of the Cavs’ lone defeat, prompting Lue to consider changes to his fourth-quarter lineup.
“We’ve got to try to mix some defensive guys in that unit to try to help them out,” Lue said before the game. “We’ve got an older second unit. RJ, Channing, Dunleavy, those guys are giving effort. But we’ve got to try to tweak a few things and find a way to try to get a couple defensive guys in that lineup.”
Lue stuck with primarily his same fourth-quarter unit Friday, headlined by James but included reserves like Mike Dunleavy, Channing Frye and Richard Jefferson.
The Wizards shot 63 percent in the first quarter, thanks in part to six Cavs turnovers that led to transition opportunities. As the Cavs secured the ball better and tightened down defensively, the Wizards’ shooting percentage consistently dipped throughout the night.
The win comes one day after the team celebrated its championship last season at the White House, officially marking the final celebration for last season and pivoting the sole focus of this team into this season.
“It’s something that, me personally, I will never forget,” Lue said. “And hopefully for the guys, they feel the same way. I mean I know everyone enjoyed themselves (Thursday), had a real great time. A lot of guys were humbled by the experience.
“When you get a chance to meet the president of the United States and he knows your first name and knows your stats and how you play and who you are as a person, it just means a lot. And guys can’t take these moments and situations for granted. It means a lot.”