Blazers hand Irving-less Cavs embarrassing, lopsided loss

In an wire-to-wire rout, the Portland Trail Blazers defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers handily Saturday night.

With a 105-76 triumph, the Blazers notched their 12th win of the season, and they did it without star point guard Damian Lillard, who sat with plantar fasciitis.

A strong first quarter - a period in which the Blazers outscored their opponent 34-12 - and minimal turnovers contributed to a favorable outcome for the home team. The Cavs finished the game with a total of 17 turnovers in what turned out to be an embarrassing game for the defending Eastern Conference champs.

Third-year shooting guard Allen Crabbe - who is averaging 10.2 points through the first 31 games of the season - had a career-high 26-point outing, while teammate Mason Plumlee chipped in with 11 points and 14 rebounds.

Three other Blazers - C.J. McCollum, Meyers Leonard and Al-Farouq Aminu - finished with double figures in scoring.

Cavs floor general Kyrie Irving sat this one out, leaving his comrades to battle the fatigue from their fierce battle against the Golden State Warriors a night earlier.

Kevin Love scored 13 points and LeBron James provided 12, with little offensive help from other Cavs.

Coming into the post-Christmas tilt, the Blazers sported a 11-20 record and a 13-seed in the Western Conference. The win over the Cavs - arguably their most resounding victory this season - should set the team up nicely as it looks ahead to a 3-game stretch against a trio of sub-500 teams to close out the calendar year.