CLEVELAND: The showdown between Kyrie Irving and Chris Paul never happened, but the Cavaliers found other heroes to lift them to a 99-92 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night.
Irving was surprisingly ruled out with a concussion shortly before tip-off. He took a knee to his head Tuesday in the fourth quarter against the Miami Heat and was bothered by a headache during pregame activities Wednesday. He was tested for a concussion and subsequently diagnosed with one.
“His head felt like it was on fire,” Cavs coach Byron Scott said. “We gave him a concussion test, and we’ll continue to evaluate him every day to see how he’s doing. He says he’s doing fine. He feels good, but our policy is never to put a player at risk when we feel anything is going on with him.”
There is no timeline for Irving’s return. His status is day-to-day.
In Irving’s absence, guards Ramon Sessions and Daniel Gibson stepped up. They both made clutch shots and played solid defense against Paul, who had 16 points.
“Obviously you can feel sorry for yourself,” Scott said of his team’s response to Irving being sidelined. “You can say, ‘One of our best players is out’ and go into the tank, or you can respond like we did.”
Sessions started in place of Irving and scored seven of his season-high 24 points in the fourth quarter. He also had a season-high 13 assists. His aggressive play paid off because he was able to consistently drive to the basket and create high-percentage shots.
“The floor was just open,” Sessions said. “Guys were setting good screens. It was one of those nights where my teammates just helped me out a lot.”
Gibson also started after missing the previous five games with a soft tissue infection in his neck. He gave the Cavs the lead for good by nailing a 3-pointer from the wing with 1:20 left in the fourth quarter.
“I’ve been champing at the bit, hoping and waiting to get back out on the floor,” said Gibson, who scored eight points in the fourth quarter. “They finally cleared me to go, and I was just excited. Coach told me I was gonna start, and I just went out there and had fun. I had no problems [with my neck]. I got hit with a couple of screens, felt it here and there, but nothing that’s gonna stop me from playing.”
Forward Antawn Jamison also played a major role for the Cavs. He scored a team-high 27 points, including seven in the fourth quarter, and grabbed eight rebounds.
Cavs center Anderson Varejao left the game with a bruised back with 9:32 left in the third quarter after he collided with forward Blake Griffin, who led the Clippers with 25 points and 15 rebounds. Varejao, though, returned in the fourth quarter and finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds.
After Gibson made the pivotal 3-pointer, Sessions made two free throws with 56.7 seconds left in the fourth quarter to give the Cavs a five-point cushion. Former Cavs guard Mo Williams missed a wide-open layup with 1:11 remaining, but Paul made two free throws to trim the Clippers’ deficit to three points with 53.1 seconds left.
But Varejao came through. Moments after falling on his injured back, he made a jump shot on an assist from guard Alonzo Gee with 29.4 seconds left.
Clippers forward Caron Butler had 21 points, but he missed a 3-pointer that could have tied the score with 9.8 seconds left. In the final 9.2 seconds, Gee and Gibson made two free throws apiece to help the Cavs hang on. The short-handed Cavs started their nine-game homestand with a key victory in a heated battle.
“It was definitely a physical game,” Sessions said. “But I felt like we manned up and got a good win.”
Irving must now wait until next season to face Paul, one of Scott’s greatest pupils. But the Cavs’ ability to preserve their dominance against the Clippers at Quicken Loans Arena proved to be rewarding even without the much-anticipated matchup between two standout point guards. They Cavs have won their past 10 home games against the Clippers.
Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Browns blog at http://browns.ohio.com. Follow the Browns on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ABJ_Browns and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/browns.abj.
