James carries Cavaliers late to deny Sixers
LeBron James had his 58th career triple-double, and the Cleveland Cavaliers rallied in the fourth quarter to beat the Philadelphia 76ers 105-98 on Saturday night.
James had 30 points, 13 rebounds and 13 assists to help the Cavaliers bounce back from a loss in Indiana on Friday night that ended their 13-game winning streak.
Rookie Ben Simmons’ breakaway dunk gave Philadelphia a 96-91 lead, but the Cavaliers ended the game on a 14-2 run.
James had nine points, seven rebounds and six assists in the fourth quarter in his third triple-double of the season. .
Both starting centers missed the game. Joel Embiid sat out for Philadelphia because he hasn’t been cleared to play on back-toback nights, and Kevin Love didn’t play because of a sore left hip.
Sixers rookie Markelle Fultz is no longer experiencing soreness in his right shoulder. The No. 1 overall draft pick, who has only played in four games, will increase his on-court workouts over the next three weeks.
SPURS 104, SUNS 101 >> Bryn Forbes sank a 3-pointer with 21.5 seconds to play, and severely depleted San Antonio held off a fourthquarter rally. The Spurs left Pau Gasol and Manu Ginobili home to rest after a victory over against Boston on Friday night and had Danny Green (left groin tightness) and Kyle Anderson (left MCL sprain) out with injuries. THUNDER 102, GRIZZLIES 101 >> Russell Westbrook overcame a poor shooting night to make two game-clinching free throws with 5.2 seconds
left in overtime to lead Oklahoma City past Memphis. The Grizzlies, who led by as many as 20 in the first half, have lost three straight and 14 of 15. ROCKETS 124, TRAIL BLAZERS 117 >> James Harden scored 48 points, and Houston overcame a 14-point, fourthquarter deficit to win its ninth straight. Damian Lillard tied a franchise record with nine 3-pointers and had 35 points for Portland. LAKERS 110, HORNETS 99
>> Jordan Clarkson scored 14 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter, and Los Angeles pulled away late to beat Charlotte. Clarkson got so hot that he played the entire fourth quarter while Lonzo Ball sat out. The Hornets were clearly fatigued. Not only did they have a short bench with three key reserves out because of injuries (Cody Zeller, knee, Frank Kaminsky, ankle, Jeremy Lamb, bruised shin) but their starters played more than 40 minutes in an overtime loss to Chicago the night before. CLIPPERS 113, WIZARDS 112 >> Lou Williams hit a goahead 3-pointer with 1.2 seconds remaining, lifting Los Angels over Washington at Staples Center.
HAWKS 117, MAGIC 110 >> Ersan Ilyasova scored 26 points on 9-for-9 shooting, and Atlanta overcame Nikola Vucevic’s (triple-double — 31 points, 13 rebounds, 10 assists) to beat Orlando. Magic starting forward Aaron Gordon missed the game after suffering a concussion Friday against Denver.
BULLS 104, KNICKS 102 >> Kris Dunn made two free throws with 2.9 seconds left to give Chicago the win after New York had scored 10 straight points to tie the game. Nikola Mirotic, in just his second game of the season, had 19 points.