David Richard/USA TODAY SportsKawhi Leonard's tough defense helped the San Antonio Spurs come away with a win against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.The San Antonio Spurs beat the Cleveland Cavaliers for the 10th straight time Wednesday. Here are the top stats you need to know about the game.
Rare un-clutch turnover for James
LeBron James turned the ball over with just under two seconds left and the Cavaliers down by two points. It was the first time James had a turnover in the final five seconds of a one-possession game since January 4, 2009 against the Wizards.
James finished with five turnovers on the night, his second-highest total of the season. The only game when he had more was in the season-opening loss to the New York Knicks when he coughed it up eight times.
LeBron James by Primary Defender
Wednesday vs Spurs
Leonard shuts down James
Kawhi Leonard was tasked with guarding James for most of the game. Leonard held James to 3-of-11 shooting and an average field-goal attempt distance of 13 feet. Against all other defenders, James shot 3-of-6 with an average attempt distance of under seven feet.
Defense was the difference
The Cavaliers entered the game as one of the worst teams in defensive efficiency and they struggled to close out on Spurs shooters Wednesday. Cleveland contested just 16 percent of Spurs jumpers, while San Antonio contested 61 percent of the Cavaliers jump shots.
Contested jump shots are pull-up or catch-and-shoot jumpers in which the defender was within four feet of the shooter.
The Spurs adjusted at halftime to stop the Cavaliers transition offense. In the first half Cleveland scored 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting in transition. In the second half, the Cavs were held to five points in transition.
The Cavaliers had the best offensive efficiency in the league over the previous 10 days but they ran into a defensive juggernaut. The Cavs were held 26 points per 100 possessions below their average over their previous four games. The game was played closer to the Spurs tempo, as the Cavalierss had five fewer possessions than they averaged in their previous four games.