Cavs bounce back, shoot down Pelicans

LOS ANGELES (AFP) — Ty Jerome scored 29 points as the Cleveland Cavaliers bounced back from their first defeat of the season with a 128-100 rout of the New Orleans Pelicans in the National Basketball Association (NBA) on Wednesday.

The Cavs saw their 15-game unbeaten streak brought to an abrupt end by the Boston Celtics on Tuesday but dominated New Orleans with a wire-to-wire victory before their home crowd.

Cleveland were always in control against a struggling Pelicans side who slumped to their ninth loss in 10 games.

After cruising into a 69-55 halftime lead, the Cavs dropped the hammer in the third quarter, outscoring New Orleans 36-18 to open up a 32-point advantage heading into the final period before cruising to victory.

The Cavaliers had struggled from outside the arc in Tuesday’s NBA Cup defeat to Boston but enjoyed greater success from three-point range against New Orleans.

Jerome drained seven of 12 attempts from three-point distance, rattling in six of them during a remarkable second-quarter display that saw him bag 20 points.

Georges Niang also caught fire, shooting six threes to finish with 20 points.

The win saw Cleveland improve their record to 16-1 at the top of the Eastern Conference. The Pelicans fell to 4-12 and remain one place off the bottom of the Western Conference.