Cleveland Cavaliers Beat Bobcats In MLK Day Game

Kyrie Irving scored 25 points and dished seven assists as his Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Charlotte Bobcats in a Monday afternoon matinee in North Carolina. The two teams met as part of eight early games the NBA put on as a tribute on the day celebrating the life of Dr. Martin Luther King.

Cleveland nearly gave the game away as the Bobcats led 94-93 in the final minutes, but Anderson Varejao came up in the clutch before free-throws from Kyrie Irving and Daniel Gibson sealed the deal as the Cavs finished the game on a 9-0 run.

Irving's 25 points, the second-highest total the rookie's scored in his brief NBA career, came on 9-of-16 shooting from the field. His seven assists tied a career high as well, but it was his backup off the bench that led the Cavs in assists on Monday. Ramon Sessions played less than 22 minutes, but dished nine assists to counteract his four-point performance as a catalyst off the bench.

The Bobcats were led by point guard play, too, as D.J. Augustin scored 24 points and dished eight assists to his Charlotte teammates. Rookie Kemba Walker didn't give him much help in the backcourt, however, as Irving's rookie-classmate missed 15 shots on his way to 14 points in the loss.

For more on the Cleveland Cavaliers, go to Fear The Sword. For an opposing point of view, head on over to Rufus on Fire. You can also head over to SB Nation's main NBA hub at SBNation.com/NBA.

Cavaliers Vs. Bobcats: Game Time, TV Schedule And More

Though the Cleveland Cavaliers haven't had a great road trip, they've picked up a couple of wins and have played some close games in six-straight contests as the visitors. They did pick up wins over the Phoenix Suns and the Minnesota Timberwolves, while dropping games to Portland, Toronto, Utah and Los Angeles. Now, they'll wrap up the road trip with a game against the Charlotte Bobcats on Monday, before returning home for two games.

Cleveland did beat Charlotte earlier this month, netting a 115-101 win on Jan. 3 at home. Now they'll take the Bobcats on in North Carolina, but the Bobcats don't exactly have a strong record at home to make the matchup intimidating. They're sitting at just 3-10 on the season, with a 2-5 record at home. They may be emboldened by their last outing though, a high-scoring 112-100 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Saturday.

Game Date/Time: Monday, Jan. 16, 2:00 p.m. ET

Location: Time Warner Cable Arena, Charlotte, NC

TV Schedule: FSCR

Radio: WTAM 1100

For more on the Cleveland Cavaliers, go to Fear The Sword. For an opposing point of view, head on over to Rufus on Fire. You can also head over to SB Nation's main NBA hub at SBNation.com/NBA.

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