Trail Blazers 119, Cavaliers 116
CLEVELAND -- The Portland Trail Blazers came into Tuesday's game against the Cleveland Cavaliers with the best overall record in the NBA, as well as the league's top road mark.
They didn't disappoint.
Fueled by point guard Damian Lillard's 3-point bomb with 0.4 seconds left, the Blazers slipped past the pesky Cavaliers 119-116 at Quicken Loans Arena.
Lillard, last season's Rookie of the Year, also outplayed Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving. Lillard finished with a game-high 36 points, eight rebounds and a season-high 10 assists.
Irving was no slouch, however. The 2011 Rookie of the Year ended with 25 points and 10 assists.
Blazers forward LaMarcus Aldridge added 26 points and a game-high 15 rebounds. He buried an 18-foot jumper, which capped an 8-0 run for the Blazers. They led 109-101 with 4:17 to play.
Irving's three-point play with 33.8 seconds remaining narrowed the Cavaliers' deficit to 116-114.
Aldridge missed a 6-foot shot in the lane with 17.9 seconds left with Cavaliers forward Alonzo Gee grabbing the rebound.
Irving penetrated to the basket and fed center Anderson Varejao with 7.1 seconds remaining to knot the score at 116.
Lillard, though ended the Cavaliers' upset bid with a 3-pointer from the top of the key for the game-winner.
Irving launched a 3-point attempt that was off the mark at the buzzer.
Cavaliers guard Dion Waiters had 25 points and five assists, while power forward Tristan Thompson added 15 points and seven rebounds. Center Andrew Bynum finished with 13 points and nine rebounds.
Guard Jarrett Jack added 12 points, five rebounds and four assists.
For the Blazers (22-4), guard Wesley Matthews had 19 points, while forward Nicolas Batum had 14 points and nine rebounds.
Lillard's eight 3-pointers were a career high, while his eight rebounds tied a career high.
The Cavaliers were dominated on the boards, 56-44.
They shot 47.1 percent from the field, compared to the Blazers' 44.6 percent.
The Cavaliers scored nine unanswered points to start the fourth and take a 97-92 lead with 9:33 to play. Six of those points came from guard Dion Waiters.
The Blazers opened up a 92-88 advantage after three quarters.
Lillard has outplayed Irving through three quarters. He had 24 points, six rebounds, seven assists and one block through three quarters.
Irving checked in with 16 points and nine assists.
The Cavaliers led 59-55 at halftime. It is the most points Cleveland scored in the first half all season. Their previous high was 56 vs. Denver on Dec. 4.
Bynum had 13 points and seven rebounds at halftime, while Waiters had all 10 of his points in the second quarter.
NOTES: Cavaliers G Dion Waiters disputed a story from Bleacher Report that cited two league sources saying he wants out of Cleveland. "That's all I've been hearing, man," Waiters said. "At the end of the day, they keep coming up with these stories I have no idea about." ... Waiters bumped knees with Cleveland C Tyler Zeller in practice Monday. He said his knee was fine, and he played against the Trail Blazers. ... Portland G Mo Williams spent three seasons in Cleveland. He was part of the Feb. 24, 2011, deal in which the Cavaliers got the draft pick from the Los Angeles Clippers that landed G Kyrie Irving.... Irving won Eastern Conference Player of the Week honors on Monday. Portland F LaMarcus Aldridge won the honor in the Western Conference for the second consecutive week. ... Irving is a fan of Blazers G Damian Lillard. "He's a great young point guard," Irving said.
