The Cleveland Cavaliers are starting to build up some momentum as they go for their third straight win against the Boston Celtics on Friday. The team defeated the Denver Nuggets on the road before coming home and getting the first home win since the return of LeBron James. Now they are preparing to face a Boston Celtics team that looks much different since the last time James was in a Cavaliers jersey.
James led the way in Cleveland's second win. While it was technically taken away, James originally put up a triple double in a win over the New Orleans Pelicans. He ended up finishing with 32 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists in the game after the league took away an assist and rebound. Kevin Love matched the effort with six 3-pointers and Kyrie Irving added 32 points in the win. The team shot 49.4 percent overall looking like the team that many expected the Cavaliers to have since making a number of offseason deals. It was a big difference from the team's first four games where they only averaged 96.5 points per game.
The Cavaliers could repeat the high-scoring performance against a Boston Celtics team struggling to stop their opponents. The Celtics are giving up 106.4 points per game. They are coming off a 109-94 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder after allowing the team to score 67 points in the second half. Rajon Rondo continues to lead the team with just a little help. Marcus Thornton is out with an ankle injury while Marcus Smart is out two weeks with an ankle injury.
Cleveland is in the middle of a three-game losing streak to Boston, something the team is eager to break. Dion Waiters is expected to make his return to the court after being out with a lower back injury. James is averaging 35.8 points and 10.4 rebounds against the Celtics. However, during his first stint with the Cavaliers, the team lost 16 of 20 matchups against Boston.
