Ty Jerome scored a career-high 29 points and made seven 3-pointers as the host Cleveland Cavaliers bounced back from their first loss of the season to rout the depleted New Orleans Pelicans 128-100 on Wednesday night.
Jerome had his career-high after scoring 27 first-half points, Georges Niang scored 20 points, Jarrett Allen added 16 points and 11 rebounds, Jaylon Tyson had 16 points and 11 rebounds, JT Thor scored 12 and Donovan Mitchell 10 as the Cavaliers completed a back-to-back that began with a 120-117 loss at Boston on Tuesday.
Rookie second-round draft choice Antonio Reeves scored a season-high 34, Brandon Boston Jr. had 14, rookie first-round pick Yves Missi scored 12 and Elfrid Payton, who was signed earlier in the day and started, scored 11 to lead the Pelicans, who lost for the ninth time in 10 games.
New Orleans played without their top eight players as leading scorer Brandon Ingram (ankle) and Trey Murphy III (hamstring management) joined Zion Williamson, Dejounte Murray, CJ McCollum, Herbert Jones, Jose Alvarado and Jordan Hawkins on the sideline.
The loss came 24 hours after a 132-91 drubbing at Dallas.
Six Cavaliers scored during a 19-5 run to start the third quarter that put Cleveland in command with an 88-60 lead.
The Cavaliers scored the first four points of the game and the closest the Pelicans got in the first quarter was 14-12 on a basket by Missi.
Jerome scored seven points as Cleveland expanded the lead to nine points before Antonio Reeves scored six points to help New Orleans trim the lead to 29-24 at the end of the period.
The Pelicans got within four points five times but could get no closer before Jerome’s 3-pointer completed a 7-0 run that gave the Cavaliers a 47-36 lead.
New Orleans scored the next five points but two more 3-pointers by Jerome helped Cleveland rebuild the lead to 10.
After a Javonte Green tip-in for the Pelicans, Jerome made three 3-pointers and the Cavaliers expanded the lead to 69-55 at halftime.
–Field Level Media
