Express & Star

Cleveland let big lead slip as they suffer third loss on the bounce

The Cavaliers lost 97-95 to the Indiana Pacers

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The Cleveland Cavaliers let a 22-point lead slip as they were edged by the Indiana Pacers 97-95 – their third loss on the bounce.

The Cavs led 58-44 at half-time and looked set to stop their recent dip in form after heavy losses to the Minnesota Timberwolves and Toronto Raptors in the past week.

But Indiana hit eight unanswered points late in the fourth and LeBron James – 27 points, 11 assists – missed at the buzzer as he looked to score a winning three-pointer.

A Steph Curry-less Golden State Warriors put their loss to the LA Clippers behind them as Kevin Durant hit 26 and Draymond Green got 21 in a 108-94 win over the Milwaukee Bucks.

The damage was done in the fourth quarter, where the Warriors scored 28 and restricted the Bucks to only 12.

Donovan Mitchell got 35 points, but it was not enough as the Utah Jazz lost to the Charlotte Hornets 99-88, while John Wall hit 30 points and had nine assists as the Washington Wizards beat the Orlando Magic 125-119.

Spencer Dinwiddie was close to a triple-double with 20 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds as his Brooklyn Nets saw off the Atlanta Hawks 110-105, while Minnesota beat the New York Knicks 118-108.

Anthony Davis had 36 points as the New Orleans Pelicans beat the Portland Trail Blazers 119-113, while the Denver Nuggets beat the Memphis Grizzlies 87-78.

The Houston Rockets continued their strong performance this season, seeing off the Phoenix Suns 112-95.

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