NBA : James leads Cavs over Jazz
LeBron James came through with 24 points, a season-high 17 rebounds and some stunning dunks to help the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Utah Jazz 82-73 Saturday night in Cleveland.
Carlos Boozer, in his first game back in Cleveland since he left nearly three years ago for more money in Utah, scored 19 points and had 14 rebounds, playing through a steady chorus of boos and derisive chants.
He clanked a pair of free throws off the rim with 27 seconds left and his team down 79-73, much to the delight of the heckling crowd.
Nuggets 131, Suns 107: At Denver, Allen Iverson scored 44 points and dished out 15 assists in leading Denver to a blowout of Phoenix.
Iverson made 16 of 22 shots from the field and Carmelo Anthony was 13 for 20 while adding 29 points.
Wizards 125, Hornets 103: At Washington, Gilbert Arenas scored 30 points, including a pair of four-point plays, and Washington defeated New Orleans to finally win a game without Caron Butler (bruised knee).
The Wizards had lost eight straight when Butler wasn’t in uniform.
Pacers 113, Hawks 90: At Indianapolis, Troy Murphy scored 22 points and Mike Dunleavy added 21 to help Indiana beat Atlanta to snap its 11-game losing streak.
The Pacers shot 53 percent from the field despite a subpar game from Jermaine O’Neal, their top scorer. O’Neal shot 2 for 12 and scored 10 points.
Kings 95, Magic 83: At Orlando, Fla., Kevin Martin scored 20 points, Ron Artest added 19 and Sacramento rallied to beat Orlando.
The Kings, trailing 62-50 with 4:47 left in the third period, went on a 17-2 run to end the quarter and ended the game on a 14-4 run to end a five-game losing streak.
Grizzlies 104, Bulls 103: At Memphis, Tenn., Mike Miller scored 25 points and Hakim Warrick added 15, including the winning free throw with 4.3 seconds left, to lead Memphis over Chicago.
The win wasn’t certain until Luol Deng missed an 8-foot hook in the lane as time ran out.
Celtics 91, Spurs 85: Paul Pierce led Boston with 30 points as the Celtics beat the Spurs for their first victory in San Antonio in more than 17 years.
Delonte West had 23 points and Al Jefferson added 20 points and 12 rebounds for the Celtics.
Bucks 97, Bobcats 91: At Milwaukee, Michael Redd scored 27 points to help Milwaukee defeat Charlotte in a matchup of two of the worst teams in the NBA.
The Bucks improved to 2-0 under new coach Larry Krystkowiak.
Jordan fined by league
Michael Jordan, part-owner of the Charlotte Bobcats, praised the versatility of Texas freshman Kevin Durant in a Tuesday interview with the Charlotte Observer. That was sufficient for the NBA to levy a $15,000 fine on the Bobcats, according to league spokesman Tim Frank.