James, Love Lead Cavaliers To 119-99 Rout Of Nets

CLEVELAND (CBSNewYork/AP) — LeBron James scored 19 points, Kevin Love added 14 points and 15 rebounds, and the Cleveland Cavaliers rolled past the Brooklyn Nets, 119-99 on Friday night.

Cleveland, which has won four straight and nine of 10, hosts Golden State on Christmas in a rematch of the last two NBA Finals. The defending champion Cavaliers (22-6) never trailed against the Nets and built a 46-point lead in the third quarter.

The lopsided margin gave the Cavaliers a chance to rest their stars heading into Sunday's showdown. James, Love and Kyrie Irving, who had 13 points and 10 assists, were all removed with 3:57 remaining in the third quarter and Cleveland leading 90-48.

Tristan Thompson, who had 16 points and 11 rebounds, was also taken out late in the third.

Love returned after missing two games because of a bruised left knee.

Brook Lopez scored 16 points for the Nets, whose first possession of the game ended when Justin Hamilton's pass sailed into the third row of the seats. They have lost five straight, including games on back-to-back nights against the Warriors and Cavaliers.

Cleveland's only loss in its last 10 games came when coach Tyronn Lue chose to rest James, Love and Irving against Memphis on Dec. 14, a 93-85 defeat.

Cavaliers starting guard J.R. Smith could be sidelined until the end of the regular season following surgery Friday for a broken right thumb.

Mike Dunleavy scored a season-high 14 points for Cleveland. Spencer Dinwiddie scored 13 points while Sean Kilpatrick added 12 for the Nets, who are 1-14 on the road and have lost 11 straight away from home.

TIP-INS

Nets: F Anthony Bennett was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2013 draft by the Cavaliers, but only spent one year with them. He's averaging 4.7 points and 3.6 rebounds for Brooklyn, his fourth NBA team. ... G Joe Harris, drafted by Cleveland in 2014, is averaging 9.8 points. ... F Trevor Booker was given the night off to rest.

Cavaliers: G DeAndre Liggins started for the second straight game in place of Smith and scored three points. Smith's injury is also expected to result in more playing time for Dunleavy, who came into Friday averaging 4.3 points. ... Cleveland is 9-0 against the Atlantic Division.

UP NEXT

Nets: Host Charlotte on Monday. The Hornets have won five straight over Brooklyn.

Cavaliers: After hosting the Warriors on Sunday, the teams meet again at Golden State on Jan. 16.

(TM and © Copyright 2016 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2016 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)