No headband, no problem: James helps Cavs rout Mavericks

DALLAS — Even without his trademark headband, LeBron James had 27 points and took over sole possession of the Cavaliers’ career assists record as Cleveland beat the Dallas Mavericks 127-94 on Tuesday night.

James was one of four players with more than 20 points for the Central Division-leading Cavaliers, who have won 12 of their last 13 games against Western Conference opponents and broke a 14-game losing streak in Texas.

Kyrie Irving scored 22 points, while Kevin Love had 21 points and 14 rebounds. J.R. Smith also scored 21 points and Timofey Mozgov, the other starter, had 17.

Chandler Parsons led Dallas with 18 points, while Monta Ellis had 17 and Amare Stoudemire 15. Dirk Nowitzki scored 13 points on only 3-of-10 shooting.

James first took off his headband in the second quarter of Cleveland’s home game Saturday and never put it back on against Phoenix, saying afterward, “It just happened.”

While James never slipped on a headband No. 23 was still easily recognized by how he played. He finished 10-of-14 shooting with seven rebounds and eight assists.

SPURS 117, RAPTORS 107

In San Antonio, Texas, Kawhi Leonard had 24 points, 11 rebounds and matched a career high with five steals, and the Spurs withstood a second-half letdown to beat Toronto for its sixth straight victory.

Tony Parker added 23 points and nine assists, and Danny Green was 5 for 6 on 3-pointers in scoring 19 points for San Antonio.

Toronto lost its fourth straight despite 32 points from Kyle Lowry and 21 for DeMar DeRozan. Amir Johnson had 16 points and 14 rebounds.

Tim Duncan made the game’s first basket on a follow of his own blocked shot 19 seconds in, after failing to make a field goal for the first time in his career in San Antonio’s previous game. He finished with 12 points and 13 rebounds in 36 minutes before leaving with about a minute remaining, clutching his elbow after teammate Tiago Splitter fell into him under the basket.

PACERS 118, MAGIC 86

In Indianapolis, Reserve Rodney Stuckey had 34 points, six rebounds and seven assists, and Indiana beat Orlando for its sixth straight victory.

Damjan Rudez scored 17 points, and Luis Scola added 15 points and 10 rebounds for the surging Pacers (29-34), who moved into sole possession of seventh place in the Eastern Conference.

Tobias Harris had 22 points and six rebounds, and Elfrid Payton finished with 14 points for the Magic, who have lost five of seven games.

Stuckey made two of his careerbest six 3-pointers in an 18-0 run in the first half. Indiana used a 9-3 run in the fourth quarter to pull away, with Solomon Hill’s two-handed dunk to give the Pacers a 93-73 lead with 9:52 remaining.

PELICANS 111, NETS 91

In New York, Alexis Ajinca and Quincy Pondexter each scored 17 points and New Orleans moved within percentage points of eighth place in the Western Conference by beating Brooklyn.

Omer Asik had 12 points and 15 rebounds for the Pelicans in their third straight victory. Anthony Davis scored 15 points, a night after tying his career high with 43 in a win at Milwaukee.

Brook Lopez had 15 points and nine rebounds for the Nets, who broke to an early double-digit lead before losing their fourth straight.

Ajinca had 11 points during a four-minute stretch of the second quarter as the Pelicans took a 55-46 lead into halftime. They are 2 percentage points behind Oklahoma City for the West’s final playoff spot.

JAZZ 87, KNICKS 82

In Salt Lake City, Derrick Favors had 29 points and 12 rebounds, and the Jazz beat New York to tie a season high with their third straight victory.

Both teams struggled to score as the Jazz were without leading scorer Gordon Hayward (back) and the Knicks have been injuryplagued all season. New York missed Tim Hardaway Jr. (back) for the second consecutive game.

Reserve Rodney Hood scored 17 points for the Jazz, while Rudy Gobert added 10 points, 14 rebounds, four blocks and three steals. Hood and Favors carried the offensive load in the fourth after the Knicks took a two-point lead.

Alexey Shved scored 21 points and had a career-high 10 rebounds for the Knicks. Andrea Bargnani finished with 20 points.