Ty Jerome scored 29 points and the Cavs got back on track after their first loss of the season with a 128-100 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday night. Successes also for Milwaukee and Thunder, while another knockout arrives for the 76ers.
The Cavs, who saw their 15-game unbeaten streak abruptly ended by the Boston Celtics on Tuesday, shook off the setback and dominated New Orleans with a comfortable victory in front of their home crowd.
Cleveland was always in control against a team, the Pelicans, in difficulty and who suffered their ninth defeat in 10 games.
After taking a 69-55 lead at halftime, the Cavs surged in the third quarter, outscoring New Orleans 36-18 and taking a 32-point lead into the final quarter.
The Cavaliers struggled from beyond the arc in Tuesday’s NBA Cup loss to Boston, but had more success from three-point range against New Orleans.
Ty Jerome made 7 of 12 three-point attempts, 6 of them during a remarkable second quarter that allowed him to score 20 points. Georges Niang was also on fire, making six three-pointers and finishing with 20 points.
With this victory, Cleveland improved its record to 16-1 at the top of the Eastern Conference. The Pelicans fell to 4-12 and remain just one point away from the bottom of the Western Conference.
Atkinson on Jerome: “A superstar performance”
Kenny Atkinson, Cleveland coach, commented on Jerome’s performance in the second quarter, which sent the home crowd into raptures.
“It was amazing – these moments don’t happen often in the NBA“Atkinson said.”It was a superstar performance, honestly – that’s a rare thing. It was good for the audience, for the band and for Ty“.
The others: Giannis scores 40, Embiid 35, Gilgeous-Alexander 28
Elsewhere on Wednesday, Giannis Antetokounmpo had his third 40-point game of the season, scoring 41 points with nine rebounds and eight assists as the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Chicago Bulls 122-106.
Antetokounmpo was supported by Brook Lopez’s 21 points and Damian Lillard’s 20, as Milwaukee moved to 6-9 points on the season, climbing to 10th place in the Eastern Conference.
In Memphis, Joel Embiid shook off recent off-court controversy to score 35 points, but it wasn’t enough to stop the Philadelphia 76ers as they fell 117-111 to the Grizzlies.
Embiid was reportedly scolded by teammate Tyrese Maxey for his tardiness during a tense locker room discussion following the Sixers’ loss to Miami on Monday.
Embiid responded with a season-high 35 points in what turned out to be a defeat. The Sixers went to 2-12 and remained at the bottom of the Eastern Conference.
The Oklahoma City Thunder, second in the Western Conference, continued their pursuit of leaders Golden State by defeating the Portland Trail Blazers 109-99.
Jalen Williams led the Thunder with 30 points, while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 28 points.
