Cavaliers get hot from behind the arc in convincing win over Clippers
When it rains, it pours. At the Staples Center on Sunday afternoon, it was monsoon season.
The Cleveland Cavaliers were soaking wet from behind the arc, knocking down 18 3-pointers on 37 attempts (48.6 percent) as they cruised to a 114-90 victory over the hometown Los Angeles Clippers.
Cleveland's 3-point Shooting vs. Los Angeles
LeBron James led all scorers with 27 points on an efficient 9-of-15 shooting. He also chipped in six rebounds, five assists, and three makes of his own from the perimeter.
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"The King" hasn't shied away from expressing his frustrations with the Cavaliers as of late, most notably through a series of auspicious tweets. He's even gone as far as saying his team isn't ready for the postseason, despite holding the top record in the Eastern Conference.
What fans got on Sunday, though, was a James who lived in the moment and openly enjoyed the beatdown Cleveland put on an elite Clippers team.
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Head coach Tyronn Lue's second unit has been an area of weakness for the better part of the 2015-16 campaign, so when players like Tristan Thompson (10 points and 11 rebounds) and newly-acquired Channing Frye (15 points on five 3-pointers) have big outings like they did on Sunday, it makes a world of difference.
Kyrie Irving and J.R. Smith each had 17 points in the starting lineup, while Kevin Love barely missed out on his 28th double-double, scoring 12 points and grabbing nine boards.
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The win was Cleveland's third in a row, and sixth in its last seven games. At 47-18, its lead atop the East grows to 2 1/2 games over the Toronto Raptors.
The Cavaliers return to action on Monday when they face the Utah Jazz at Vivint Smart Home Arena.