CANTON, Ohio -- Three Cavaliers suited up for the Canton Charge on Wednesday, but it was an old standby who lifted them to victory.
Forward Kevin Jones scored a team-high 24 points, including 10-of-10 shooting on free throws, as the Charge held off the visiting Tulsa 66ers with a 94-91 overtime win in NBA D-League play.
Jones, a member of the Cavs and regular assignee in Canton last season, also grabbed nine rebounds.
"I think that's the first time I haven't missed a free throw in a game,” Jones said. “I've just been working on it. After practice, I've just been working on my shooting, trying to get better and the more I can hit free throws, the more I can help my team in late game situations."
Cavs rookie swingman Sergey Karasev added 16 points on 6-of-12 shooting in his Charge debut. Karsev was selected with the No. 19 overall pick in the NBA Draft.
The Cavs also assigned center Henry Sims (12 points, nine boards) and swingman Carrick Felix (five points) to Canton in time for Wednesday’s game.
The Charge (6-1) also received 17 points and a team-high 12 rebounds from Arinze Onuaku.
"It's very challenging because you go to work with your players and you have your offense and defensive system in place, and when you add three guys on the fly, it's hard to pick up and go with the flow,” said Charge coach Steve Hetzel. “That's the beauty of our team: we have a great group of guys that embraces (Felix, Karasev and Sims) right away. If we defend, we can get through the bumps of the continuity.
“We welcome them down here, that's what the D-League is. If the Cavs trust us with them, then we want to make sure we're giving them the best opportunity.”
Meanwhile, when Jones was asked about his odds of getting an NBA call-up, he said: “I feel I have a good shot.”
Former University of Arizona forward Grant Jerrett paced the 66ers (1-7) with a game-high 27 points.
The Charge return to action Friday vs. the Erie BayHawks. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Canton Memorial Civic Center.
Twitter: @SamAmicoFSO
