LeBron James had 34 points, seven rebounds and five assists in 39 minutes in the Cleveland Cavaliers' 108-98 home win over the Oklahoma City Thunder.

"We've improved, mentally more than anything," LeBron James said.

The Cavaliers have won six straight games.

"We're a confident bunch, but for us, we're a humble bunch," James said. "It's one game, against a very experienced team, a very talented team, very good team that's been together for a while and it shows that we can match up with that caliber team."

"I felt the atmosphere was a playoff atmosphere," Blatt added. "I'm glad we responded well to that kind of matchup."

Several unnamed players on the Cleveland Cavaliers came to the realization that their roster was not built to get any further than the second round before they made a series of trades in January.

One player said the frustration of an "unbalanced roster probably contributed" to the players' poor body language and effort level.

Another said "it was never Coach [David] Blatt's fault."

The Cavaliers had just two functional big men following Anderson Varejao's injury, but Timofey Mozgov has made a huge difference.

The backcourt was also improved with J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert.

Jeremy Lin was a healthy scratch, DNP-CD during the Los Angeles Lakers' loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Friday.

Jordan Clarkson got the start at point guard, with Ronnie Price backing him up.

"He just looked like he was very poised and the moment wasn't too big for him," Byron Scott said of Clarkson.

"I know what Jeremy can do, so the next game it might be different."

Lin left the locker room after talking to one reporter while a majority of them were still interviewing Scott outside the door.

Timofey Mozgov has averaged 10.3 points, 9.3 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in seven games since being traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Cavaliers lost their first three games with Mozgov, but have since won four in a row and LeBron James believes they're now "clicking."

Mozgov's biggest impact is on defense protecting the rim.

"It's funny, I was talking to my friend the other day and I said he's probably the best, as far as big, true big," James said. "You know, Chris Bosh is a great big, Kevin Love is a great big. But I'm talking about a true, 7-foot, big guy. He's probably the best one I've played with since Z (Zydrunas Ilgauskas).

"They have different skill sets, but they both have skill. They know how to play. Some times you get a lot of bigs that are just big. He knows how to play and it's great to have him out there."

Anderson Varejao brings a lot of intangibles to the Cavaliers, but he has never been a real rim protector.

"Having a big guy to protect the rim like that is huge," James said. "It helps Kevin out, it helps us guards, knowing that if we get beat you're going to have someone protecting the rim. And he's big at all times.

"Every time you drive you know he's going to be there. Either you're going to have to make a tough shot, he's going to block a shot, he's going to change a shot or foul you. To have that kind of protection is huge for us."

Dion Waiters was averaging 14.4 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game over his first five with the Oklahoma City Thunder before Tuesday's game.

“They brought me in since Day One with love,” Waiters said. “It seems like I’ve been here forever. It seems like I’ve been playing with them forever, too. When I came here, we clicked right away.”

Waiters was in and out of the Cleveland Cavaliers starting lineup during his first two NBA seasons and then became an afterthought with the arrival of LeBron James and Kevin Love.

“Listen, they give me the ball," said Waiters. "Like, I touch the ball. Like, I actually, like, you know, touch the ball.”

Waiters is given more freedom with the Thunder.

“I’m able to feel the game out, knowing when to take the shot, when not to,” Waiters said. “Like I said, we got a great group of guys on this team who’s very unselfish and they want you to be successful. So I think I came into a great situation.”

Derrick Rose expressed frustration after the Chicago Bulls suffered their sixth loss in eight games.

"Everybody has to be on the same page," Rose said. "Until then, we're going to continue to get our ass kicked."

Rose was asked who was not on the same page.

"It's just the whole team," he said.

The Bulls aren't playing with the same type of intensity they have typically shown under Tom Thibodeau.

"I think communication is huge," Rose said. "We're quiet when we're out there, and it's leading to them getting easy baskets. We got to give a better effort. It seems like we're not even competing, and it's f---ing irritating."

Joel Embiid now weighs close to 300 pounds, representing a substantial gain from his 250 pounds while at Kansas last year.

Embiid's work ethic is being question by some within the Philadelphia 76ers.

Embiid had a blowup with assistant strength and conditioning coach James Davis, which is one of the reasons he was sent home during the team's recent West Coast road trip.

"He's a young, 20-year-old kid who is trying to figure his way into being a professional basketball player and learning life," Luc Mbah a Moute said.

Because of his foot injury, his conditioning has been limited. Embiid can only do things such as use the antigravity treadmill and take long walks to generate a rapid heart rate.

The Sixers are trying to address the added weight. Embiid, however, hasn't always been a willing workout participant, according to sources. He's even blown off conditioning drills, one source added.

The Oklahoma City Thunder were working towards a Brook Lopez trade this week before the Brooklyn Nets decided to keep him for now.

Kevin Durant was asked if he believes the Thunder need more post scoring.

"We put up a lot of points," said Durant. "That's what we do. No matter where it comes from, we score a lot. Adding a good player to your team always helps, but I like what have in here. We put up points. That's not our problem."

The Thunder would have traded away Kendrick Perkins as part of the deal for Lopez.

Dirk Nowitzki is shooting just 46.4 percent from the floor and 34.1 percent on three-point attempts after a strong start to the season.

In December, Nowitzki shot 43.5 percent overall and 27.8 percent from three. 

According to NBA.com, Nowitzki is hitting 47.7 percent of his "open" two point shots that are greater than 10 feet from the basket -- midrange jumpers, essentially. NBA.com defines open as the closest defender 4-6 feet away. For comparison, Nowitzki shot 51.8 percent on those shots last season.

Danny Ainge continues to stockpile draft picks for the Boston Celtics, but he admits he's attempting a similar strategy as the one that eventually netted Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen in 2007.

“I think you have to build through the draft, but like last time we built through the draft and we developed players and we were able to trade to get some veteran guys in that were ready to win that were more compatible with Paul (Pierce) at the time, but we did it through the draft. That’s how I look at it and right now we’ll do the same thing; we’ll draft players, we’ll develop players and we’ll look for opportunities to take steps forward.”

Ainge doesn't believe it's possible for the Celtics to have too many draft picks.

“No, because draft picks are always tradable; players are not. Draft picks are always assets until sometimes they’re drafted, until they become players, or until they become paid. I don’t believe so, no.”