The Cleveland Cavaliers did not get the easy game that was expected out of a late-weekend matchup with the Dallas Mavericks, but they managed to get the job done, winning their third straight game and now eight of their last 10 games coming into the postseason.
The Cavs surprisingly failed to reach 100 points and were booed by their own home crowd, as they held the ball in the last possession of the game to run out the clock. Despite having the win locked up, fans inside the arena were hoping for free chicken nuggets courtesy of McDonald’s if the team reached triple digits in scoring.
“We were laughing about that because they were a little upset,” forward Kevin Love said. “We couldn’t make it a happy Easter, just Easter. Sorry, we didn’t get nuggets. Go home and eat.”
“Sometimes you have to win ugly,” Love added. “Tonight was one of those nights.”
Sunday was an uncharacteristic Easter for the Cavs, as LeBron James tied for a team-high of 16 points and went a mere 5-of-21 from the field, while Love trailed closely after with 13 of his own on 4-of-13 shooting — oddly registering no assists for the game.
Yet the win helped the Cavs remain a half game above the Philadelphia 76ers for third place, with a tough week ahead, facing the Toronto Raptors, the Washington Wizards, and the Sixers in an all-important matchup — games against playoff teams that will absolutely test the mettle of the defending Eastern Conference champions going into the playoffs.
