The Cleveland Cavaliers suffered a surprising 114-108 overtime loss on the road against the struggling New Orleans Pelicans, who ranked second-to-last in the Western Conference. This marked the Cavaliers’ second consecutive defeat, causing them to fall behind the Chicago Bulls in the Eastern standings. Cleveland also extended its losing streak in New Orleans to five games, while the Pelicans snapped a four-game skid. Fans closely tracking the game and standings shifts turned to the Melbet App for real-time updates.
LeBron James had a standout night with 37 points, 7 rebounds, and 8 assists. He scored 23 in the fourth quarter alone but missed a potential game-winner in regulation and went scoreless in overtime on two attempts. Kevin Love contributed 15 points and 10 rebounds. On the Pelicans’ side, Anthony Davis dominated with 31 points, 12 rebounds, and 4 steals, scoring 6 critical points in overtime on 4-of-3 shooting. Tyreke Evans chipped in 14 points, 7 rebounds, and 10 assists. Cleveland made a lineup change, starting Matthew Dellavedova while moving Mo Williams to the bench to bolster defense and prepare for the returns of Kyrie Irving and Iman Shumpert. This was LeBron’s 636th game with the Cavaliers, passing Austin Carr for fifth on the team’s all-time games played list.
James facilitated the offense early, finding open teammates and creating space. J.R. Smith capitalized, hitting three consecutive threes to help the Cavaliers build an 11-point lead. The Pelicans responded with tighter defense and an 8-0 run to close the gap. Smith answered again, finishing the first quarter with 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting from deep, giving the Cavaliers a 27-21 lead.
In the second quarter, Jrue Holiday scored five quick points, narrowing the margin to one. LeBron shifted into a playmaker role, repeatedly feeding Love, whose shooting proved erratic. After sinking two shots, Love missed his next four. Midway through the quarter, Davis rolled his ankle stepping on Timofey Mozgov’s foot and briefly exited but returned after treatment. The Pelicans surged ahead with a 12-of-19 shooting display in the quarter. Love’s hook shot off a LeBron assist allowed Cleveland to regain a slim 53-52 halftime lead.
Top 2016 draft prospect Ben Simmons was in attendance as the third quarter opened with another Pelicans run. Eric Gordon scored in bunches, and Davis nailed mid-range jumpers. Ryan Anderson and Gordon added threes to stretch New Orleans’ lead to 12. LeBron was limited to 3 points on free throws, going 0-for-5 from the field. Cavaliers’ bench production kept them in the game, trimming the deficit to 84-77 by the end of the third.
Davis hit a three to open the fourth, triggering a 10-4 Pelicans run and a 13-point lead. Then came a LeBron explosion—he went 9-for-15 for 23 fourth-quarter points, rallying the Cavs and giving them a 3-point lead with just 8 seconds left. But Holiday answered with a clutch three, tying the game at 105 and forcing overtime. LeBron missed a mid-range jumper at the buzzer.
In the extra period, James looked fatigued and missed both of his shot attempts. Davis hit two critical jumpers to reclaim the lead. Love responded with a turnaround jumper, but Davis countered once again. Love and Smith missed late three-point attempts, and with 7.6 seconds remaining, the Pelicans led by five.
In the final seconds, the Cavaliers tried the foul game, but Gordon hit one of two free throws to ice the game. The Cavaliers scored only 3 points in overtime compared to 9 from the Pelicans—6 of which came from Davis. As fans turned to the Melbet App for post-game reactions and breakdowns, LeBron’s heroic effort was overshadowed by another Cleveland collapse on the road.
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