James’ triple-double keeps Cavs cooking
LeBron James had 27 points, 16 rebounds and 13 assists, J.R. Smith made the tiebreaking free throw with 48 seconds left and the Cavaliers extended their winning streak to seven with a 100-99 victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Friday night in Cleveland.
James had season highs in rebounds and assists in his 57th career triple-double.
After Smith split a pair from the line, both teams missed 3-point attempts and Charlotte called time with 11.1 seconds left. Jeremy Lamb missed a 3-pointer after the Hornets inbounded at midcourt and the rebound was tapped out to Kemba Walker, but his 3-point attempt fell well short. PISTONS 99, THUNDER 98 >> Andre Drummond had 17 points and 14 rebounds as visiting Detroit overcame a 15-point deficit.
Russell Westbrook had his sixth triple-double of the season for Oklahoma City with 27 points, 11 assists and 11 rebounds.
The Thunder had the final possession, but Westbrook’s 26-footer bounced off the rim.
CELTICS 118, MAGIC 103 >> Kyrie Irving scored 17 of his 30 points in a blistering first half and host Boston jumped to an early lead before coasting to victory.
One game after ending their streak of 16 consecutive victories, the Celtics scored 40 points in the first quarter and 73 by halftime — both season highs — to send the Magic to their seventh straight loss. HAWKS 116, KNICKS 104 >> Dennis Schroder scored 26 points and host Atlanta used a 30-point third quarter to snap a three-game losing streak.
The Hawks won just their second home game by outhustling New York with a 24-5 advantage in secondchance points. Kristaps Porzingis had 28 points, and Courtney Lee added 26 for the Knicks. TRAIL BLAZERS 127, NETS 125 >> Damian Lillard scored 34 points, Jusuf Nurkic had 29 and visiting Portland overcame a late six-point deficit to beat Brooklyn. Spencer Dinwiddie had 23 for the Nets. PACERS 107, RAPTORS 104 >> Victor Oladipo scored 21 points, Bojan Bogdonavic added 19 and host Indiana won its fifth straight. HEAT 109, T’WOLVES 97 >> Wayne Ellington scored 21 points and made six 3-pointers off the bench as visiting Miami rode a season-best shooting performance from behind the arc. Miami hit 19 3-pointers on a season-high 39 attempts. NUGGETS 104, GRIZZLIES 92 >> Nikolo Jokic scored 14 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter and had 13 rebounds and eight assists to lead host Denver. PELICANS 115, SUNS 91 >> Anthony Davis had 23 points and nine rebounds, DeMarcus Cousins had 19 points and 10 boards and visiting New Orleans won its third straight. ROSE EVALUATING FUTURE >> Derrick Rose’s injuries may have pushed him to a breaking point.
The former league MVP, who has been trying to revive his career with the Cavaliers, left the team earlier this week to handle a personal matter. A team spokesman said Friday that Rose has been excused since Wednesday and that there is no timetable for his return. The team did not offer any other details about Rose’s absence.
ESPN reported that Rose is taking personal time “to evaluate his future in the NBA.” A team source told ESPN that Rose’s numerous injuries are “taking a toll on him mentally.”
Rose has played in just seven games this season because of a left ankle injury. His career has been slowed by knee injuries.