awhi Leonard scored 25 points to help the San Antonio Spurs dismantle the ailing Cleveland Cavaliers 103-74 on Monday night in a showdown that turned into a major letdown for the defending NBA champions.
LaMarcus Aldridge and Pau Gasol added 14 points apiece for the Spurs, who won their fifth straight.
Cleveland (47-26) dropped its second in a row, set a season low for points and fell a half-game behind Boston (48-26) for the top seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Cavaliers star LeBron James was injured late in the third quarter after taking an elbow to the base of his neck. He remained on the bench for a while receiving medical attention, then headed toward the locker room and didn't return to the game.
James finished with 17 points, eight rebounds and eight assists in 29 minutes. Kyle Korver (foot) and Iman Shumpert (knee) sat out with injuries for Cleveland.
San Antonio (57-16) is two games behind Golden State for the league's best record entering a home showdown with the Warriors on Wednesday.
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