Cavaliers' James gets triple-double
Associated Press
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — LeBron James was shaky early and spectacular late.
James had 29 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists for his fourth triple-double of the season, lifting the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 113-101 victory over the Detroit Pistons last night.
"Every point, rebound and assist was needed," Cavs coach Mike Brown said.
The final score was relatively lopsided, but the game wasn't. There were 10 lead changes and 21 ties, the last one with 4:44 left.
The Cavs closed the game by outscoring Detroit 19-7, thanks in large part to James.
James missed 10 of 15 shots over the first three quarters and was 5 for 7 in the final one as he added four assists and three rebounds to his total for his 28th career triple-double.
"In the fourth quarter, we made our mark," he said. "That's closeout time for me."
SUNS 152, TIMBERWOLVES 114
Jason Richardson scored 27 points and Amare Stoudemire 25, then sat with the rest of the Phoenix starters as the host Suns had the highest-scoring game by an NBA team this season. The Suns had eight players in double figures.
HAWKS 108, NETS 84
Jamal Crawford hit a 30-footer at the buzzer to cap his game-breaking, 15-point second quarter and visiting Atlanta ran away from New Jersey. Crawford finished with 25 points.
NUGGETS 97, WIZARDS 87
J.R. Smith scored 13 of his 17 points in the fourth quarter, helping host Denver pull away from Washington. Carmelo Anthony led the Nuggets with 29 points and 12 rebounds.
SPURS 88, HEAT 76
Manu Ginobili scored 22 points, George Hill had 16 and visiting San Antonio wasted most of a 25-point, third-quarter lead before beating Miami.
PACERS 99, BOBCATS 94
Danny Granger scored 26 points to help host Indiana deny Charlotte what would have been a franchise-record seventh consecutive victory.
GRIZZLIES 104, BULLS 97
O.J. Mayo scored 24 points, going 4 of 5 from 3-point range, and host Memphis sent Chicago to its eighth straight loss.
LAKERS 106, KINGS 99
Kobe Bryant scored 30 points, Pau Gasol added 28 points and 11 rebounds, and visiting Los Angeles beat Sacramento.
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