Coach away as Cavs roll
LeBron James scored 40 points as part of his third triple-double in four games and the Cavaliers beat the Milwaukee Bucks, 124-117, last night in Cleveland as coach Tyronn Lue began his leave of absence to address health issues.
Lue said in a statement he had been dealing with chest pains and loss of sleep, and that tests have offered no conclusion about what the issue is. Associate head coach Larry Drew will run the team in Lue’s absence.
James scored 17 points in the third quarter and finished with 12 rebounds and 10 assists for his 16th tripledouble this season and 71st of his career.
Cavaliers All-Star forward Kevin Love returned after missing six weeks because of a broken left hand and scored 18 points in 25 minutes.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 37 points for Milwaukee, which is seventh in the Eastern Conference. Khris Middleton had 30 points.
Lue, 40, led Cleveland to the 2016 NBA championship after taking over for David Blatt midway through that season.
The Cavaliers (41-29) are third in the Eastern Conference and have endured roster shake-ups, injuries and other distractions as they try to reach the NBA Finals for the fourth straight time.
No timetable has been given for when Lue will return.
Pacers 110, Lakers 100 — Victor Oladipo sparked a decisive run and finished with 20 points, Myles Turner had 21 points and Indiana recovered from a poor start for a victory against Los Angeles in Indianapolis.
Nets 118, Grizzlies 115 — Allen Crabbe and Caris LeVert each scored 22 points and Brooklyn beat Memphis in New York.
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson had 16 points and 12 rebounds, and DeMarre Carroll scored 18 points for the Nets, who have two straight wins for the first time since Jan. 19-21.
76ers 108, Hornets 104 — Joel Embiid had 25 points and 19 rebounds and Ben Simmons had a tripledouble to lead host Philadelphia to a win against Charlotte.
Simmons had 11 points, 12 rebounds and 15 assists to help the Sixers keep alive their shot at finishing fourth in the Eastern Conference and earning homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
Knicks 110, Bulls 92 — Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 22 points and Michael Beasley added 17 as host New York defeated Chicago.
Enes Kanter had 10 points and 13 rebounds, while Troy Williams added 11 for the Knicks.
Cristiano Felicio scored a career-high 17 points for the Bulls, who were missing their top three scorers.
Heat 149, Nuggets 141 — James Johnson scored a career-high 31 points, Kelly Olynyk added 30 off the bench and host Miami set a franchise singlegame scoring record by beating Denver in double overtime.
Miami’s total was also an NBA season-high and helped the Heat get back to the No. 7 spot in the Eastern Conference standings.