James breaks Jordan’s scoring record as Cavaliers’ beat Pelicans
Double digits in the star’s 867th straight game
LeBron James scored in double digits in his 867th straight game, breaking the record he shared with Michael Jordan, and the Cleveland Cavaliers rallied to beat the New Orleans Pelicans 107-102 on Friday night to avoid slipping in the standings.
James finished with 27 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds, adding another stellar performance to his MVP-worthy 15th NBA season. He finally put the Pelicans away by scoring eight straight in the waning moments of the fourth quarter.
Jordan Clarkson added 23 points and Tristan Thompson had 14 rebounds in 21 minutes for the Cavs, who have won seven of eight. A loss would have dropped the three-time defending Eastern Conference champions from third to fifth with only a handful of games left in the regular season.
Jrue Holiday scored 25 and Nikola Mirotic 20 for New Orleans. Pelicans star Anthony Davis scored just 16 — 12 below his average — on 6-of-19 shooting as he was harassed by Thompson and Larry Nance Jr. Gerald Green made a 3-pointer at the buzzer and Houston rallied from a 21-point, secondhalf deficit to beat Phoenix.
The win was Houston’s 11th straight and extended Phoenix’s skid to 14 games.
Houston rested Chris Paul, Eric Gordon and Nene after clinching the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference on Thursday with Golden State’s loss to Milwaukee. The Rockets that did play looked uninspired early against the team with the NBA’s worst record, and Houston trailed by 17 at halftime.
James Harden had 28 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds. P.J. Tucker added 18 points and made a career-high five 3-pointers.
Josh Jackson had 27 points for the Suns, who haven’t won since Feb. 28, and Troy Daniels added 23.