When the Cleveland Cavaliers need him, LeBron James is ready to deliver.
"King James" scored 25 of his season-high 51 points in the final quarter and overtime, carrying the Cavaliers to a 132-124 road victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday night.
James -- the league's top scorer at 29.8 per game -- made 18-of-28 field goals to tie the NBA season-high for points, set by Denver's Allen Iverson on Dec. 5 last year against the Los Angeles Lakers.
PHOTO: AP
"Games are won in the fourth quarter, that's when my team looks to me to make plays," said James, who added nine assists and eight rebounds. "I don't feel pressure. I just try to go out there and make the best plays for our team. We don't want to win a game like this tonight. We don't like shoot-outs, but we will take it."
Daniel Gibson had 18 points for reigning Eastern Conference champion Cleveland (20-18) which shot 53 per cent in winning for the ninth time in the last 12 games.
Rudy Gay scored 30 points for Memphis (10-28) which lost its fifth in a row. Juan Carlos Navarro added 26 points with six three-pointers while Spanish countryman Pau Gasol had 19 points and 12 rebounds.
"LeBron is fantastic," Grizzlies head coach Marc Iavaroni said. "I think he's got more passing ability than Magic Johnson, because he can put it on a dime and with zip. It's a function of his ability to score. He allows people go get free."
After Navarro nailed a 3-pointer with 10 seconds left in regulation, James, who had 16 in the period, missed the game-winning jumper at the buzzer as the teams went into overtime tied at 113.
In the extra five-minute session, James added nine points, including a three-pointer. But it was a triple by Damon Jones with 2:35 left that put the Cavaliers ahead for good, 119-117. James followed with a jumper and added four free throws in the final minute to seal the win.
Knicks 105, Wizards 93
In New York, the home side won consecutive games for only the third time this season by downing Washington.
Jamal Crawford scored 29 points for the Knicks, who were to go for their first three-game winning streak of the season yesterday at New Jersey.
The Knicks built a 22-point lead in the first half, then turned back every push by Washington, which had its three-game winning streak snapped.
Pistons 103, Raptors 89
In Auburn Hills, Michigan, Detroit bounced back from an embarrassing loss by beating Toronto.
Richard Hamilton scored a season-high 39 points for the Pistons, who responded after scoring just 65 points in being beaten by last-placed New York in their previous game.
Hawks 104, Nuggets 93
In Atlanta, the home team held off a late rally by Denver to win.
Joe Johnson scored 22 points for the Hawks.
Denver trailed by 25 early in the third quarter but cut the lead to eight points with 1:50 left. But Allen Iverson and J.R. Smith were ejected with 38.9 seconds left and the Nuggets could get no closer.
Magic 102, Bulls 88
In Orlando, Florida, Rashard Lewis scored 26 points to help Orlando rout Chicago.
Dwight Howard added 15 points and 11 rebounds for the Magic, which had lost five of the previous six games.
76ers 111, Rockets 107
In Houston, Philadelphia rallied from 16 points down to beat Houston.
Andre Miller scored 26 points while Samuel Dalembert added 19 points and blocked a shot in the final seconds.
Warriors 105, Timberwolves 98
In Minneapolis, Baron Davis had 22 points, nine assists and a season-high five steals to lead Golden State past Minnesota.
Minnesota has lost three in a row.
Clippers 97, Suns 90
In Los Angeles, the home side knocked Phoenix out of first place in the Western Conference.
Taiwan’s Chou Tien-chen yesterday exited at the BWF World Tour Finals in China, losing in the semi-finals to China’s world No. 1 Shi Yuqi. Shi, who was named the BWF Men’s Singles Player of the Year, had a 9-4 record against Chou going into the match. He extended that record to 9-5 with a 21-14, 21-18 victory. Chou advanced to the men’s singles semi-finals on Friday by upsetting top-seeded Anders Antonsen of Denmark in a must-win match at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center Gymnasium. The 16-21, 21-18, 21-15 victory saw Chou secure his second semi-finals appearance at the tournament, despite his relatively older
‘REMARKABLE’: Gaelic football is a traditional Irish sport that blends the skills of soccer and rugby, and hurling is an ancient sport played with a wooden stick and ‘sliotar’ The Taiwan Celts Gaelic Football Club marked a milestone achievement at the Asian Gaelic Games in Bangkok on Nov. 23 and 24, with two sides advancing to the knockout stages and competing at hurling for the first time. The event brought together 68 teams from 16 clubs across Asia, with more than 800 players in men’s and women’s tournaments. Gaelic football is a traditional Irish team sport that blends the skills of soccer, rugby union and basketball. Hurling is an ancient Irish sport played with a wooden stick, called a hurley, and a small ball, or sliotar. The Taiwan Celts’ women’s team reached
LIVERPOOL WIN: The 50th Champions League goal by Mohamed Salah helped the leaders of the Premier League to keep their perfect record intact Real Madrid’s big stars on Tuesday turned on the style to revive the Spanish giant’s faltering UEFA Champions League title defense. Galacticos Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham all scored in a thrilling 3-2 win against Serie A leaders Atalanta BC. However, Madrid still had to ride their luck as Mateo Retegui fired over from in front of goal in stoppage-time when handed a golden chance to level the game. It was only Madrid’s third win in the competition’s revamped league phase and leaves the 15-time champions in the unseeded playoff positions in 18th place. “It’s a very important win. Not everyone wins
Indian teenager Gukesh Dommaraju became the youngest chess world champion on Thursday after beating the defending champion Ding Liren of China in the final match of their series in Singapore. Dommaraju, 18, secured 7.5 points against 6.5 of his Chinese rival in the contest, surpassing the achievement of Russia’s Garry Kasparov, who won the title at the age of 22. The Indian teen prodigy has long been considered a rising star in the chess world after he became a chess grandmaster at 12. He had entered the match as the youngest-ever challenger to the world crown after winning the Candidates tournament earlier
RSS