Cavaliers' three-point barrage helps cool off hot Hornets

Channing Frye scored five of Cleveland's 14 three pointers as the Cavaliers broke an NBA three-point shooting record in a 100-93 win over the Charlotte Hornets.

Frye on Sunday sparked the reigning champion Cavaliers by coming off the bench to score 20 points as Cleveland became the first team in league history to make at least 10 three pointers in their first nine games.

LeBron James helped put the game out of reach with a clutch three pointer in the final minute that extended the host Cavs' lead to nine and sent the Hornets to their second consecutive defeat.

James finished with 19 points, seven rebounds and passed for eight assists in front of a crowd of 20,500 at Quicken Loans Arena.

Cleveland broke an NBA three-point shooting mark set by the Houston Rockets, who made at least 10 three-pointers in their first eight games to open the 2014-15 season.

Kyrie Irving tallied 19 points, while Kevin Love scored 17 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for Cleveland. Reserve Iman Shumpert scored 15 points.

The Cavs trailed 72-71 entering the fourth, but Shumpert and Frye made three-pointers to give Cleveland the lead.

Frye's second three-pointer of the quarter extended the lead to 89-80 with 5:43 to play, and he followed it up with a mid-range jumper to push the lead to double figures.

Eleven of Frye's 20 points came in the fourth quarter. Shumpert matched his season-high with 15 points off the bench.

"Shumpert shot the ball well, which you're going to have to live with on their team," Hornets coach Steve Clifford said.

"But Frye can't get those shots if you're going to win. He's a professional scorer and has been for a long time. LeBron kept looking for him, and we didn't react." 

Charlotte's Kemba Walker stretched his streak of scoring at least 20 points in a game to eight as he finished with 21.

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist returned from a strained back to score 11 points and grab 10 rebounds.

After starting the year 6-1, the Hornets have lost their last two games to Toronto and Cleveland.

The Hornets led 72-71 entering the final quarter when Shumpert and Frye made three-pointers to give the Cavs the lead.

Frye's second three-pointer of the fourth extended the lead to 89-80 with just under six minutes to play and followed it up with a mid-range jumper to push the lead to double figures.

Eleven of Frye's 20 points came in the final quarter.

The Cavaliers began the day ranked second in the league in three-pointers made, averaging 13.1 per game.

- Wiggins explodes for 47 -

In Minneapolis, Canadian Andrew Wiggins scored a career-high 47 points, and Karl-Anthony Towns added 22 points and 12 rebounds as the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Los Angeles Lakers 125-99.

"He's smart. He's driven. I think sometimes mistakenly people take him as laid back. He's competitive. I think he's just scratching the surface. I think he can do a lot more," Minnesota coach Tom Thibodeau said of Wiggins.

Ricky Rubio had season highs with 10 points and 10 assists, while Nemanja Bjelica scored a career-high 24 with five three-pointers in a rare start for Minnesota.

Lou Williams had 17 points off the bench to lead the Lakers, who were coming off a win at New Orleans. It was the eighth time in 11 games a reserve led the team in scoring. Julius Randle had 14 points and a team-high six rebounds for Los Angeles.

In Oakland, Klay Thompson saved nine of his season-high 30 points for a late run as the Golden State Warriors survived a scare from the Phoenix Suns to post a 133-120 win.

Stephen Curry matched Thompson's point total, and Kevin Durant added 29 as a rested Golden State team had to extend itself to beat a Phoenix club that played the night before and travelled in for the contest.

Source: AFP