CLEVELAND — Kyrie Irving and the Cleveland Cavaliers’ best performance of the season brought
an end to the Denver Nuggets’ seven-game winning streak.Irving scored 23 points and the Cavaliers won
back-to-back games for the first time this season with a 98-88 victory over Denver Wednesday
night.Tristan Thompson had a career-high 21 rebounds and 17 points for Cleveland, which handed Denver
its first loss since Nov. 18. The Nuggets played the third game of a six-game road trip, which began
with a 14-point win in Toronto on Sunday and a 24-point victory in Brooklyn on Tuesday.“They just
whupped us tonight,” Denver coach Brian Shaw said. “They looked like the fresher team and they were
quicker to the punch.”Randy Foye led Denver with 16 points, while J.J. Hickson had 15 points and 11
rebounds, but the Nuggets couldn’t contend with Cleveland’s balanced attack. Anderson Varejao scored a
season-high 18 points and had 13 rebounds for the Cavaliers, who recorded their largest margin of
victory this season.While the Nuggets have been one the league’s hottest teams, the Cavaliers have
struggled to adjust to new coach Mike Brown’s system. Cleveland already has lost seven games by double
figures, but a win over Chicago on Saturday and its latest victory produced some confidence.“Winning is
the thing that cures everything,” Brown said.“We came out aggressive on both ends of the floor and
that’s what coach Brown has been preaching,” Irving said. “It’s paying dividends. It starts with the way
we practice and carries over into games.”Denver trailed by 12 points in the second quarter, but finished
the first half on a 10-2 run and cut the lead to two early in the third period. The Nuggets got no
closer, however, as the Cavaliers stretched the lead to double figures. The margin reached 13 early in
the fourth.Andrew Bynum, coming off his best game of the season, had 14 points and seven rebounds in 20
minutes. The 7-footer had 20 points, 10 rebounds, and five blocked shots Saturday against the Bulls in a
97-93 win. Bynum, Thompson and Varejao combined for 41 of Cleveland’s 58 rebounds.“They were monsters in
the pick-and-roll,” Brown said. “They were monsters on the glass. They were monsters around the rim. It
was awesome to watch.”Thompson had nine rebounds in nine minutes in the first quarter. He had 11 points
and 13 rebounds in the first half.“Tristan Thompson had his season averages at halftime,” Shaw said.
“This was a good lesson for our bigs. When you’re playing against bigger guys like him and Bynum, you’ve
got to put a body on them.”Despite being 6-12, the Cavaliers haven’t fallen too far from the pack in the
Eastern Conference, where only Indiana and Miami are over .500.“That’s the good thing about being in the
East right now and I’m sure every other team feels the same, but we truly believe we haven’t played our
best basketball,” Brown said. “Contrary to what anybody believes I do feel like we’re getting
better.”Nate Robinson scored 14 points and Wilson Chandler added 13 for the Nuggets.Denver got off to a
slow start playing its third game in four nights. The Cavaliers led by seven points on several occasions
in the first quarter and stretched the lead to 12 in the second. Cleveland led 54-42 with 1:51 remaining
in the second, but Denver scored 10 of the half’s final 12 points, highlighted by Lawson’s three-point
play, a 3-pointer by Foye and four points by Darrell Arthur.Lawson’s basket accounted for his first
points of the game. He came into Wednesday averaging a team-high 20.2 points, but finished with four
points on 1-of-13 shooting.“I feel like I missed all easy shots,” said Lawson, who had 11 assists. “I
ain’t never shot 1 for 13 before in my life.”Bynum was given a flagrant foul for hitting Hickson in the
shoulder in the third quarter while the Denver forward was driving to the basket.The Nuggets had won six
of the previous seven meetings with the Cavaliers and three straight on the road.Denver reserve center
Timofey Mozgov had eight points and three rebounds in 17 minutes one night after grabbing a career-high
20 rebounds to go with 17 points against the Nets. He totaled 33 points and 35 rebounds against Brooklyn
and Toronto.NOTES: Robinson played despite re-injuring his right wrist Tuesday. X-rays after the game
were negative. Robinson shot a free throw left-handed against the Nets. … Robinson was given a
technical in the second quarter after a foul wasn’t called when he was knocked to the floor while taking
a shot. … Nuggets G Andre Miller was hit with a technical in the third quarter. … Cleveland G Dion
Waiters, who had scored at least 20 points in each of his last three games, had five points and six
assists. … Denver’s road trip continues against Boston on Friday.