SportsDirect Inc. Ad
SportsDirect Inc. Ad
SportsDirect Inc. Ad
National Basketball Association
Sacramento 116, Cleveland 112
When: 7:00 PM ET, Wednesday, January 25, 2017
Where: Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
Officials: #8 Marc Davis, #68 Jacyn Goble, #18 Matt Boland
Attendance: 20562

CLEVELAND -- General Manager David Griffin believes the Cleveland Cavaliers are complacent and not even LeBron James' biting criticism this week could snap them out of it.

The defending champions might remain atop the Eastern Conference, but are mired in their most difficult stretch in two years.

Arron Afflalo's 3-pointer from the wing gave the Sacramento Kings a 116-112 overtime victory against Cleveland on Wednesday, sending the Cavs to their sixth loss in their last eight games.

"It seems like when you're losing, you're not playing well, every ball bounces the other team's way, every mistake you pay for it," Cavs coach Tyronn Lue said. "That's what's happening right now, so we've got to dig ourselves out of it."

James recorded his second triple-double in as many games with 24 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists, but he missed a deep 3-pointer with 10 seconds left that could've tied the game.

Kyle Korver's 3-pointer with 7:43 to play in regulation put the Cavs ahead 97-87, but the Kings scored the game's next 11 points to take the lead in what has been a recurring problem for the Cavs this season.

James called out the organization and his teammates following Monday's loss at New Orleans, questioning whether the organization was satisfied with only one championship and calling the roster "top heavy."

Kevin Love scored 21 points and grabbed 16 rebounds Wednesday and Kyrie Irving scored 20 points, but the Cavs shot 17 of 34 from the free-throw line. Foul shooting was also their problem in Saturday's loss at San Antonio when they made 12 of 22.

DeMarcus Cousins registered 28 points, 11 rebounds, nine assists and three steals for the Kings, who won for the second time in as many games after losing five straight. Afflalo scored 14 and Darren Collison scored 23 points.

"The last three games we've really played at a nice level for where we are," Kings coach Dave Joerger said. "We're taking some shots, we're being resilient and we're fighting back at tough times in the game."

Collison's layup with 35 seconds left in overtime gave the Kings a 112-111 lead before Love split a pair of free throws with 30.8 seconds left to tie the game at 112.

Afflalo countered with what turned out to be the game-winning 3-pointer when James launched a questionable 3 off an inbounds pass from 34 feet.

The Cavs had a chance to win it at the end of regulation when James tried inbounding to Love at half court coming out of a timeout, but Cousins was grabbing Love by the jersey and never let him get the ball. The officials did not call a foul as Cousins grabbed the steal and heaved a 38-footer that missed, sending the game to overtime.

"A total, complete team effort," Cousins said. "Anybody that stepped on the floor out there today played some type of part in this win. ... I can say that this is our first complete, full game of the season."

Griffin was forced to meet with the media prior to the game to address James' criticisms. Griffin acknowledged he didn't like the way James handled himself, but the two met prior to Wednesday's game to clear the air.

"It wouldn't have been my preferred method," Griffin said. "It certainly wasn't appropriate from a teammate perspective. But it is what it is."

The Cavs have lost their last three games. They lost to the Spurs in overtime at home Saturday when San Antonio was without a pair of starters. They lost at New Orleans on Monday when the Pelicans were without Anthony Davis. Now this. The last two losses came against teams with a combined mark of 36-55.

James was much more subdued after Wednesday's loss.

"Just try to get better. We gotta get better, that's all," James said. "We had our opportunities. It don't matter who we go against, if they're sub-.500 or plus-.500, we know we're going to get everybody's best, so we just gotta be better."

NOTES: F LeBron James did not want to address a report that the New York Knicks approached Cleveland about trading his good friend Carmelo Anthony to the Cavs in exchange for Kevin Love. "I have no reaction," he said. "We got 14 guys in here. We need to be ready every night, who we got in here we gotta play. We can't play fantasy basketball. We got who we got and we gotta go out and play." ... Cavs GM David Griffin also declined comment on the trade rumor. ... Cavs F Richard Jefferson was excused from the team for personal reasons. There is no timetable for his return. ... Cleveland C Chris "Birdman" Andersen is walking without crutches or a brace following surgery to repair his torn ACL. Andersen, who turns 39 this summer, said he intends to play next season and then retire. "I'm not going out on an injury," Andersen said. ... Kings F Omri Casspi (right calf tendon strain) missed his sixth consecutive game. Joerger doesn't know how long Casspi will be out.
Top Game Performances
 
Sacramento   Cleveland
DeMarcus Cousins 28 Scoring LeBron James 24
DeMarcus Cousins 9 Assists LeBron James 11
DeMarcus Cousins 11 Rebounds Kevin Love 16
DeMarcus Cousins 6 Free Throws Made LeBron James 8
Garrett Temple 4 Steals Kay Felder 2
Willie Cauley-Stein 1 Blocks Kyrie Irving 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Sacramento 116 45.3 11-31 19-22 29 47 3 13 12
Cleveland 112 48.8 15-38 17-34 29 47 6 9 18
Upcoming Games
  • Cleveland will play their next game at home against Brooklyn. The Cavaliers have a W/L % of .700 after a win and .643 after a loss.
  • Sacramento will play their next game on the road against Indiana. The Kings have a W/L % of .353 after a win and .429 after a loss.