The Cleveland Cavaliers have been playing solid basketball as of late, despite the fact that several players have been out of their rotation with various injuries. They’ve won 18 of their last 20 games, including 11 straight at home.
Much of the Cavs’ success has been a result of excellent fourth quarter play — a fact LeBron James touched on after Thursday morning’s shoot-around at Cleveland Clinic Courts.
“When it’s winning time we got winning players,” James told Nikki Goel of Cavs Nation. “The defense ramps up and the offensive execution steps up as well.”
Time and time again this season, the Cavs have flipped the proverbial switch in late-game scenarios, including Tuesday night’s 119-116 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks inside the BMO Harris Bradley Center. Cleveland trailed by as many as 20 points in the fourth quarter. However, with LeBron James on the bench, the Cavs managed to take the lead by way of a 19-0 run before falling in the closing seconds.
The Cavs will look to keep their momentum rolling on Thursday night when they welcome the Chicago Bulls to Quicken Loans Arena for what will be the third of four meetings between the two teams this season. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. with Fox Sports Ohio having live broadcast coverage.