LeBron rips jersey, Knicks
CLEVELAND – The jersey was too tight and so was the score. LeBron James took care of both. James scored 23 points and did some quick tailoring on Cleveland’s body-hugging, sleeved uniforms, Mo Williams added 22 and the Cavaliers won their fourth straight, 96-86 over the New York Knicks on Wednesday night.
James made a 3-pointer and dunked off a nice pass from Williams while scoring 11 in the fourth quarter, when the Cavs outscored the Knicks 26-17.
Tristan Thompson grabbed 13 rebounds and Kevin Love had 12 for Cleveland, which hasn’t lost since opening night in Chicago. The Cavs didn’t have their same ball movement, and they fell behind 15 in the first quarter before finding their groove in the second half, outscoring New York, 58-40.
Frustrated with his shot in the first half, an irritated James ripped the sleeves on Cleveland’s new, black jerseys. The four-time MVP, who has complained in the past that the retro-looking tops are too snug on his arms and shoulders, tore his jersey in the midst of a 4-of-11 shooting performance in the opening 24 minutes.
“I was just frustrated with myself,” he said. “I was just off rhythm and the jersey is the only thing I can go to. I couldn’t do nothing to my face. I couldn’t make a bucket so I had to take it out on something.”
In Oakland, Stephen Curry scored 31 points, including the go-ahead 3-pointer with just over a minute to go that led the defending champion Golden State Warriors to their fifth straight win to open the season, 112-108, over the Los Angeles Clippers.
Harrison Barnes added 17 points and sparked the big run that helped Golden State overcome a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter to knock off perhaps its most hated rival.
Chris Paul scored 24 points and Blake Griffin added 23 for the Clippers, who also had won their first four games of the season to give extra meaning to this early season matchup.
An offseason war of words that has been waged between Clippers coach Doc Rivers and several Warriors about what role luck played in their championship last season only added to the drama.
The Warriors faced their biggest deficit of the season when they trailed by 10 early in the fourth quarter before rallying behind their small-ball lineup.
Barnes hit a pair of 3-pointers and scored 10 straight Golden State points to start the spurt. Curry then made his first two baskets of the second half – both from long range – to give the Warriors the lead. He raised his arms to the crowd after a 27-footer made it 103-99.
The Clippers did not go away and went ahead 106-105 when DeAndre Jordan made one of two free throws with 1:16 to play. Curry answered with his seventh 3-pointer of the night to give the Warriors the lead for good as they became the fifth team to start consecutive seasons with five straight wins.
The reigning MVP has played a big role. Curry has scored 179 points, the most through five games since Michael Jordan had 182 in 1991-92.
In Oklahoma, DeMar DeRozan scored 10 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter, and the undefeated Toronto Raptors overcame an eightpoint deficit in the final six minutes to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder, 103-98, and notch their fifth straight win.
Toronto shot 42 percent but fought through that for its best win yet.
In other results, Indiana nipped Boston, 100-98; Washington subdued San Antonio, 10299; Atlanta ripped Brooklyn, 101-87; Houston thwarted Orlando, 119-114; Milwaukee tripped Philadelphia, 91-88; Phoenix routed Sacramento, 118-97; and Portland smothered Utah, 108-92.