CLEVELAND — LeBron James had 21 points and nine assists and forward Kevin Love had 21 points and 11 rebounds in the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 115-93 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday night.
The win means the Cavaliers’ coaching staff will represent the Eastern Conference at the Feb. 14 NBA All-Star Game.
Tyronn Lue will coach the East despite being named Cavs coach just last week. He is 2-1 as a head coach, but the Cavs built the best record in the East under David Blatt, who is now ineligible for the role after he was fired last Friday.
The team with the best record after Jan. 31 is selected and the Cavs clinched the best mark by the end of the month with Wednesday’s win.
Rookie guard Devin Booker scored 16 points for the Suns, who have lost their last 12 road games and 16 of their last 18 overall.
The Cavs scored the first 12 points of the third quarter to blow the game open. The Suns committed turnovers on four of their first five possessions in the quarter and went scoreless for the first three minutes of the second half, allowing the Cavs to open a 17-point lead.
Cleveland stretched the lead to 28 and was never threatened.
Guards J.R. Smith and Kyrie Irving each had two steals in the third quarter and the Suns committed nine turnovers in the quarter — nearly as many as they had in the first half (10).
Smith scored 18 points and center Timofey Mozgov had 10 off the bench. Irving finished with eight points, three assists and three turnovers.
Forward P.J. Tucker had 13 points and seven rebounds for the Suns. Forward Markieff Morris scored 13 points off the bench.
The win capped an emotional day for James, who earlier fired back at critics who have labeled him a coach killer.
“I think it does (stink) that people want to throw my name in dirt for no particular reason, because of speculation or whatever the case may be,” James said. “But you can’t worry about it too much. I got 14 guys here. I got a fan base here and a fan base all over the world that loves what I do and they respect what I do and I can’t worry about a select group of people that want to use their negative energy to take away my positive energy. I can’t allow that to happen.”
James was in a better mood by the end of the night. The scoreboard caught him dancing to the 1980s hit song “Super Freak” during a timeout late in the game. He had nothing better to do because he didn’t play in the fourth quarter of the blowout.
NOTES: F LeBron James fired back at reports that he undermined former coach David Blatt and was responsible for his firing. “People get it so misconstrued because I’m a smart basketball player and I’ve voiced my opinion about certain things,” he said. “What do you guys want me to do? Turn my brain off because I have a huge basketball IQ? If that’s what they want me to do, I’m not going to do it because I’ve got so much to give to the game.” … Tristan Thompson and Timofey Mozgov have shared the starting center job, but coach Tyronn Lue said he’s sticking with Thompson moving forward because he plays better as a starter. … Suns rookie G Devin Booker was left off the Rising Stars rosters despite leading all rookies in 3-point percentage. Booker, 19, is the youngest player in the league. … Suns F Jon Leuer missed his fifth consecutive game with back spasms. He could return Friday at New York.