Cavaliers beat Rockets in Yao Ming return
LeBron James scored 32 points and the Cleveland Cavaliers held off the visiting Houston Rockets 91-85 on Monday night to spoil Yao Ming’s first game back from a leg injury.
James added 12 rebounds and eight assists.
Yao returned to action after missing 32 games while recovering from a broken bone under his right knee. He finished with 16 points, 11 rebounds, two blocks and five turnovers.
Magic 99, Bucks 81: At Orlando, Fla., Hedo Turkoglu had a season-high 25 points and Trevor Ariza added 20 as Orlando beat Milwaukee.
Dwight Howard had 10 points and nine rebounds for the Magic.
Warriors 111, Pistons 93: At Auburn Hills, Mich., Jason Richardson scored a season-high 29 points in front of his home fans, helping Golden State end a six-game losing streak with a victory over Detroit.
Heat 88, Hawks 81: At Miami, the Heat got above .500 for the first time in nearly four months by beating Atlanta.
Eddie Jones had 14 of his season-high 21 points in the final quarter and Shaquille O’Neal added 14 points and nine rebounds.
Jazz 120, Bobcats 95: At Salt Lake City, Mehmet Okur scored 32 points as Utah defeated Charlotte.
In just 31 minutes of play, Okur tied a career high with 13 field goals in 15 attempts, most of them on perimeter jump shots.
Spurs 88, Clippers 74: At Los Angeles, San Antonio extended its season-high winning streak to nine games when Manu Ginobili scored 16 points and Tim Duncan had 12 rebounds in an victory over Los Angeles.
Off the court
Dwyane Wade said he has decided to delay surgery and rehabilitate his dislocated left shoulder with the goal of returning to help the Miami Heat defend their league title. … Sacramento Kings forward Ron Artest was arrested after a woman called 911 from his home saying she had been assaulted. Placer County sheriff’s deputies responded about 9:30 a.m. to Artest’s five-acre estate in the Sacramento, Calif., suburb of Loomis, where they found a woman who had suffered injuries, officials said. She declined medical attention.