Cleveland, Ohio: Cleveland pushed their winning streak to 12 games with an easy 105-94 victory on Thursday over a Los Angeles Clippers team that lost both the game and their composure.
The Cavaliers took over the lead of the NBA Central Division, leapfrogging Chicago,
Among other games, Portland cruised past Phoenix to push their lead in the Northwest Division back out to 8-1/2 games.
Cleveland’s Kevin Love had 24 points and LeBron James scored 23. Both were able to rest throughout the fourth quarter after the Cavaliers built a 32-point lead in the third.
Cleveland were seven games behind Chicago when the current winning streak began and are now half a game ahead.
The Clippers were whistled for five technical fouls, including four in a third quarter when they lost their California cool and forward Matt Barnes was ejected.
Blake Griffin scored 16 points for Los Angeles.
Portland’s LaMarcus Aldridge had 19 points and 13 rebounds for his team-record 220th double-double, helping the Trail Blazers defeat Phoenix 108-87.
Nicolas Batum scored 20 points for the Blazers, while Robin Lopez had 12 rebounds in only his second game after recovering from a broken hand.
Markieff Morris had 18 points for the Suns, who dropped their third in a row.
Charlotte beat Washington for the second time this week, winning 94-87, with Gerald Henderson scoring 27 points for the Hornets.
Dallas used a 22-6 run in the second quarter to break open a tied game and went on to beat Sacramento 101-78.
