LAST NIGHT IN THE NBA
SONICS at CAVALIERS:
LeBron James scored 31 points, Larry Hughes added 13 and Cleveland made a team- record 28 straight free throws, rolling to a 112- 85 win over Seattle. Making 19 of 19 free throws in the first 24 minutes, the Cavaliers built a 22- point halftime lead over the Sonics, who got blown out for the second game in a row. On Tuesday, Seattle was beaten 94- 69 at Memphis.
James, averaging 29 points per game, spent the final 8: 49 on the bench after his monstrous dunk put the Cavs ahead by 28. James finished 11 of 11 from the line, and the Cavs went 31 of 33 on free throws. They were a perfect 28 of 28 when Alan Henderson missed the first of two with 8: 16 left.
Donyell Marshall added 13 points and nine rebounds, and Drew Gooden had 11 points and nine boards for the Cavs, who outrebounded the Sonics 56- 21. Ray Allen scored 28 points but had little help from the Sonics, who lost forward Rashard Lewis early in the first quarter with a shoulder injury. Ronald Murray added 15 points for Seattle. CLIPPERS at WIZARDS:
Elton Brand had 31 points and 13 rebounds, and Los Angeles beat Washington 102-97, handing the Wizards their first loss of the season.
Brand’s double- double was the 181st of his career, tying him with Loy Vaught for the Clippers’ franchise record.
Corey Maggette finished with 20 points, six rebounds and three assists. Cuttino Mobley made the go- ahead basket and added 15 points and six assists for the Clippers.
Reserve Caron Butler, who missed the previous two games with a bruised left thigh, led the Wizards with 19 points. Gilbert Arenas added 18 points and 10 assists. MAVERICKS at SIXERS:
Allen Iverson scored 25 points and keyed a decisive 15- 0 run to lead Philadelphia to a 112-97 win over Dallas. Andre Iguodala scored 22 points, Kyle Korver 20 and Chris Webber had 19 points and 11 rebounds for the Sixers, who opened a season-long, fourgame homestand with their first home win. Keith Van Horn scored 19 points and Jason Terry 15 for the Mavericks. Dallas’s Dirk Nowitzki left late in the second quarter after straining his back and did not return. Nowitzki scored 14 points on 5-for-8 shooting in the first half. SPURS at BOBCATS:
Tim Duncan scored 29 points and Tony Parker added 23 to lead San Antonio to a 94-86 victory over winded Charlotte. The Bobcats, who played into overtime in three of their first four games, were clearly feeling the effects of that grind against the defending NBA champions. The Spurs led almost the entire way and the final score was closer than the game ever was.
Charlotte made several brief runs, the final one with just over three minutes to play when the Bobcats began to chip away at the Spurs’ 85- 75 lead. Although they were able to score, the Bobcats couldn’t stop the Spurs and the closest they got was 89- 84 with 1: 19 to play. JAZZ at NETS:
Vince Carter scored 21 points to lead New Jersey over Utah 91- 83. Nenad Krstic added 18 points on 7- for- 9 shooting for New Jersey, which shot 49 per cent ( 33 for 67) from the field. Richard Jefferson missed the second triple- double of his career by one rebound with 17 points, nine rebounds and 12 assists.
Andrei Kirilenko led Utah with 18 points. The Jazz shot 38 per cent from the field ( 31 for 82). GRIZZLIES at CELTICS:
Ricky Davis made a jumper as time expired, and Paul Pierce scored 29 points as Boston overcame an 18- point deficit to beat Memphis 99- 98. The Celtics lost their previous home game when Detroit’s Richard Hamilton hit a shot at the buzzer.
Davis finished with 18 points and Mark Blount added 17 for the Celtics, who were 7 for 9 from three- point range. ONLINE UPDATES . Live NBA scoreboard updates, www. waymoresports.com