Cavaliers hand Celtics second loss of season

NEW YORK: LeBron James provided the spark in overtime to lift the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 109-104 home win over Boston on Tuesday, just the Celtics' second loss of the season.

James scored 11 of his 38 points in overtime and tallied 13 assists as the Cavs won their third in a row and dropped the Celtics to 11-2 on the season.

"It's definitely a big win," James said after the first of two meeting between the teams in a span of six days. "We were down and we were up and we found a way to win, so it was big."

But James was not getting carried away with the win over the red-hot Celtics.

"We just want to get wins and continue to win," he said. "It's November and there are no statement wins in November."

Boston's Ray Allen scored 29 points but missed two free throws with 23.1 seconds remaining in regulation with the game tied.

James missed a chance to win in regulation but took over in the extra five minutes.

"He was great, he was fantastic," said Boston coach Doc Rivers. "He made big shots and that's who he is. He's just a fantastic player."

Drew Gooden was 8-for-8 from the field in the third quarter and finished with a season-high 24 points for Cleveland, while Zydrunas Igauskas had 15 points and 14 rebounds.

Kevin Garnett scored 19 points and Paul Pierce 16 for the Celtics, who host the Cavaliers on Sunday.

In Miami, Ricky Davis and Jason Williams responded to being yanked from the starting lineup with strong games off the bench to lead struggling Miami past Charlotte 110-90.

Davis equaled a season high with 23 points, while Williams totaled 11 points and eight assists.

Rookie reserve Daequan Cook added a season-high 19 points while missing only two shots. The Heat shot a season-high 58 percent, and their point total was also a season best.

Miami, still last in the Southeast Division, improved to 2-5 at home. The Heat snapped a four-game losing streak against Charlotte, including two losses this season.

At East Rutherford, New Jersey, Pau Gasol scored 22 points and Juan Carlos Navarro had 16 points and 11 rebounds as Memphis posted consecutive wins for the first time this season, beating the New Jersey Nets 110-103.

Mike Miller hit his first five shots and finished with 19 points for Memphis, while Damon Stoudamire added 13 and Kyle Lowery had 10, including a clutch layup with 1:42 to play after New Jersey cut an early 18-point deficit to 99-98.

Vince Carter scored a season-high 32 points and Jason Kidd added 12 points, 12 assists and 15 rebounds in posting his 91st career triple-double. Richard Jefferson added 27 points for the Nets.

Agencies

(China Daily 11/29/2007 page24)