The Cleveland Cavaliers set a franchise record with their 22nd consecutive road loss Tuesday night, taking a 112-95 beating from the Boston Celtics, who welcomed back center Kendrick Perkins.
The Cavaliers have not won on the road since Nov. 9 at New Jersey. They surpassed the previous team mark of 21 straight road losses set from Jan. 13-April 14, 2003 – just months before they drafted LeBron James.
Cleveland has also lost 18 straight games overall and 28 of their last 29 contests. Their only win since Nov. 27 is a home overtime triumph vs. New York on Dec. 18.
Meanwhile, Perkins returned to Boston's lineup two weeks ahead of schedule. He had been sidelined since suffering a torn ACL in Game 6 of the NBA Finals in June and had seven points and six rebounds in his season debut.
Paul Pierce scored 24 points - all in the first half - and Ray Allen added 18 for Boston.
Pierce took control at the end of the first quarter, scoring the final 13 points for the Celtics to turn a 23-21 deficit into a 34-26 lead. He scored 17 points in the period.
The Celtics extended the lead to 22 points at halftime and were never threatened again.
Christian Eyenga scored 15 points and J.J. Hickson had 12 and 17 rebounds for the Cavs.
Cleveland | Boston | |
Christian Eyenga 15 | Scoring | Paul Pierce 24 |
Ramon Sessions 7 | Assists | Rajon Rondo 10 |
J.J. Hickson 17 | Rebounds | Semih Erden 8 |
Ramon Sessions 6 | Free Throws Made | Paul Pierce 6 |
Ryan Hollins 1 | Steals | Rajon Rondo 4 |
J.J. Hickson 4 | Blocks | Semih Erden 2 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
Cleveland | 95 | 46.2 | 5-11 | 16-25 | 25 | 45 | 8 | 1 | 16 |
Boston | 112 | 50.0 | 11-24 | 17-25 | 29 | 43 | 5 | 8 | 9 |