Kyrie Irving has proven multiple times this season that he can be an unrelenting scorer when he needs to be.
Against the Magic, the Cleveland Cavaliers’ young point guard showed he can also do some damage when he’s creating opportunities for his teammates.
Marreese Speights scored 18 points, Alonzo Gee added 17 and the Cavaliers used a big fourth quarter to run past the Magic 118-94 on Saturday night.
Irving chipped in with 12 points, but had a game-high nine assists in just three quarters of work for Cleveland, which has won two straight overall and snapped a six-game losing streak in Orlando.
”Coming out in the second half we knew the things we needed to do, especially on the defensive end,” Irving said. ”That has to be our identity, first and foremost. Our defense has to lead to our offense and that’s what he did.”
Arron Afflalo scored 16 points for the Magic in their first home game since a trade deadline deal last week that saw the departure of four players, including sixth man J.J. Redick. Two of their three new additions, Tobias Harris and Beno Udrih, finished in double figures with 14 and 10 points, respectively.
— Reported by Kyle Hightower of the Associated Press
