Kings add to LeBron, Cavaliers woes
CLEVELAND – The criticism quieted. The problems persist.
LeBron James and the NBA champions are a mess right now.
Arron Afflalo dropped a 3- pointer with 17.3 seconds left in overtime as the Sacramento Kings rallied for 116- 112 win Wednesday night over the slumping Cleveland Cavaliers, who lost for the sixth time in eight games and are dealing with a major distraction after James challenged the team’s commitment to winning and demanded roster changes.
Following the latest troubling loss, James quickly dressed and answered a handful of questions before heading home. “We gotta get better,” he said. “That’s all.” James recorded his second straight tripledouble, finishing with 24 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists. Kevin Love had 21 points and 16 rebounds and Kyrie Irving scored 20, but it wasn’t enough as the Cavs didn’t play with poise down the stretch and missed 17 of 34 free throws.
DeMarcus Cousins had 28 points and 10 rebounds for the Kings, who trailed by five with 2:30 in overtime before battling back. Darren Collison added 23 points for Sacramento, which also trailed by 10 in the fourth quarter.
“Never a doubt,” Kings coach Dave Joerger said with a laugh.
Elsewhere, Golden State bounced back from a shock Miami loss with a 113-103 romp over Charlotte, Dallas trounced New York, 103-95; Oklahoma held off New Orleans, 114- 105; Boston outplayed Houston, 120-109; Miami rallied to beat Brooklyn, 109- 106; Atlanta subdued Chicago, 119- 114; Philadelphia stopped Milwaukee, 114-109; Memphis edged Toronto, 101-99; and the Portland Trail Blazers whipped the Los Angeles Lakers, 105-98.
Back in Cleveland, things weren’t so funny down the hall in Cleveland’s locker room. James, who typically takes up to an hour to get showered and dressed, was already packing some belongings and a late-night, take-home meal into a bag when the media was allowed to enter.
James wore a “Klutch Or Nowhere” shirt, a nod to business partner Rich Paul’s sports management group, and a baseball cap for “Uninterrupted,” his sports multimedia site. He wasn’t in a talkative mood after the Cavs let a win slip away on their home floor and fell to 5-7 in January.