Final Dime: Bobcats 94, Cavaliers 87

LeBron James led the Cavaliers with 25 points on Friday. Kent Smith NBAE/Getty Images

The new-look Bobcats snapped a seven-game skid to the Cavaliers and beat up their third straight opponent, topping Cleveland – 94-87 – on Friday night at Time Warner Cable Arena.

The Cavaliers came into the affair as the hottest first-quarter club in the NBA, notching almost 31 points in the period. But the Wine and Gold didn’t score point No. 31 until the 7:50 mark of the second quarter, struggling to find their flow offensively and allowing the Bobcats to shoot 57 percent in the first half.

“We had a lot of issues defensively,” lamented Coach Mike Brown. “We went to double-team and we didn’t double-team the right way. We didn’t communicate well and they made us pay.”

With Shaquille O’Neal in the lineup for the first time in almost two weeks, the Cavaliers looked slightly out-of-sorts from the opening tip. They tied the game at 17-apiece but never mounted a serious threat from that point forward.

LeBron battled foul trouble early and was limited to just 25 frustrating points, going 10-for-19 from the floor and just 3-of-4 from the stripe. As a team, Cleveland made just 17 trips to the line – hitting only nine tosses – while Charlotte was 18-for-30.

“With our full lineup, we haven’t really had much practice time,” said James, who added six boards and four assists. “I don’t think we’ve had enough games with him in the lineup, with coach figuring out the adjustments and figuring out the best lineup for us to play. It’s still an adjustment period.”

Mo Williams kept the Cavaliers in contention for much of the night, scoring 14 of his 22 points in the first half. Shaq was the only other Cavalier in double-figures – adding 11 points, eight boards and a blocked shot in 30 minutes of action.

The Cavaliers turned the ball over 17 times, including a pair of critical miscues once they had cut Charlotte’s lead to seven with 3:41 to play. Likely due to their comeback from a huge hole, Cleveland managed just seven points in the final six minutes of the game.

Mike Brown’s men won’t have much time to stew over the loss as they welcome Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks to The Q for the second stanza of their weekend back-to-back.

2. With Friday night’s loss, the Bobcats snapped a seven-game losing streak to the Cavaliers. Cleveland had beaten Charlotte the last two trips to Tobacco Road as well.

3. The Cavaliers are now 9-3 in the month of November, with one game remaining. Last season, Cleveland went 13-2 (.867) in November, equaling the franchise best for victories in a month.

4. Mo Williams is again one of the league’s top marksman from the line this year – going 42-of-46 (.933). Mo is currently the top free-throw shooter – percentage-wise – in team history at .912. Mark Price (.906) and Terrell Brandon (.868) are ranked two, three.

5. On Friday night in Charlotte, Zydrunas Ilgauskas tied Cavaliers’ GM Danny Ferry as the all-time leader in games-played for the Cavaliers. On Saturday night, the Large Lithuanian will break the record – playing in game number 723.

6. By now, everyone’s heard of LeBron, the former football player. On game nights, he protects himself like one – decked out entirely in the Nike Pro-Combat gear on his arms and under his uniform.

“One of the worst injuries you could get is a knee in the thigh or the quad,” said James. “It’s one of the worst nagging injuries you can get. Or an elbow in the rib cage. And Pro Combat definitely, definitely helps on that impact. It doesn’t take all the punishment away, but it definitely helps.”

7. Shaquille O’Neal – a recent local hero in North Carolina after paying for the funeral of five-year-old Shaniya Davis – played in his first game back after six games off with an injured shoulder. Shaq, who finished with 11 points and eight boards, received a well-deserved ovation when he was introduced.

8. The Cavaliers came into Friday night’s game as the league’s top three-point team at .448 from long-distance. That’s 55 percentage points higher than last year. That mark took a hit in Friday’s loss as they shot just 21 percent (6-of-28).

9. Speaking of football, Mo Williams – who dropped 22 points in Friday’s loss the Bobcats – might have been inspired by his Alabama Crimson Tide’s big 26-21 win over Auburn. Mo and Alabama native, Jamario Moon, were watching the contest intensely in the pregame locker room.

10. LeBron’s early foul trouble led to a couple appearances by players who’ve been scarcely seen of late. Delonte West, who last played against Philly last Saturday, checked in 2:28 to play in the second quarter and closed out the half when James picked up his third foul. When No. 23 picked up his fourth, Mike Brown went with rookie Danny Green to close out the third. To start the fourth quarter, Green hit his first bucket as a pro to open the scoring.