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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Sunday, November 16, 2008

LeBron sparks Cavs' win

Associated Press

CLEVELAND — LeBron James calls the fourth quarter "winning time."

The Cleveland Cavaliers superstar proved that yet again last night.

James scored 16 of his 38 points in the final period, leading a second-half rally that gave the Cavaliers their seventh straight victory, 105-93 over the short-handed Utah Jazz.

"That's when games are decided," said James, who was 6-of-10 from the field in the final 12 minutes. "Especially when it's a close game and tonight was a close game."

Carlos Boozer led Utah with 17 points. The Jazz, in the finale of a five-game Eastern trip, were without starters Deron Williams and Mehmet Okur, and top reserves Andrei Kirilenko and Matt Harpring.

Despite those obstacles, Utah shot 53 percent in the first half and built a 62-52 lead early in the third quarter.

Cleveland, which is 6-0 at home, tied the score at 69 later in the quarter on Delonte West's 3-pointer and finally took the lead for good, 76-74, on James' two free throws with 30 seconds left in the period.

"We didn't even get close enough to guard (James) at times," Utah coach Jerry Sloan said. "You have to compete against the guy. If you say, 'I'm not going to touch him,' you'll be saying that 20 years from now. You might as well get an autograph and go home."

Celtics 102, Bucks 97: Paul Pierce scored 28 points, Ray Allen added 27 and the pair accounted for all nine points in overtime, lifting Boston over host Milwaukee. Allen and Pierce were without Kevin Garnett down the stretch after he fouled out midway through overtime, but still managed to give the Celtics their sixth straight win over Milwaukee.

Nets 119, Hawks 107: Devin Harris scored 33 points, Vince Carter had 29 and New Jersey beat host Atlanta to complete a sweep of the two-day, home-and-home series. Joe Johnson scored 31 points for Atlanta, which has lost three straight after a 6-0 start.

Warriors 121, Clippers 103: Undrafted rookie Anthony Morrow had 37 points and 10 rebounds in his first NBA start, and Golden State beat host Los Angeles in the first meeting between Baron Davis and Corey Maggette since they switched teams as free agents this summer. Davis finished with 25 points and 11 assists for the Clippers. Maggette had 17 points.

76ers 110, Thunder 85: Thaddeus Young scored 23 points, Elton Brand and Andre Iguodala added 15 apiece, and host Philadelphia cruised past struggling Oklahoma City. Jeff Green scored 21 points and Kevin Durant added 13 for Oklahoma City.

Rockets 91, Hornets 82: Yao Ming scored 21 points, Tracy McGrady added 18 points and nine rebounds, and host Houston beat New Orleans. Houston led by 12 at the half and shot 53 percent (8-for-15) in the third quarter to take a 70-53 lead to the fourth. Chris Paul had 12 points and 12 assists for the Hornets.

Bulls 104, Pacers 91: Derrick Rose scored 23 points and host Chicago used a fourth-quarter surge to beat Indiana. Rose, the top pick in the June draft, scored 12 points in the third quarter, helping the Bulls build an eight-point lead. T.J. Ford led the Pacers with 16 points.

Trail Blazers 88, Timberwolves 83: Brandon Roy scored 24 points, including a driving layup and a fast-break dunk that put away the game, lifting Portland over host Minnesota. Greg Oden added 13 points, eight rebounds and three blocks in 23 minutes for the Blazers. Al Jefferson had 26 points and six rebounds for the Timberwolves.