Hickson has big game as Cavs take down Wolves

By Sam Amico, for NBA.com
Posted Wednesday January 27, 2010 11:00PM

CLEVELAND (NBA exclusive) -- At first, the Cleveland Cavaliers seemed to approach their 109-95 win over the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday as if it were a scrimmage.

That's not to say the team with the NBA's best record didn't care. It's just that the Cavs (36-11) had a hard time getting motivated for a young opponent that has one eye on the draft lottery.

Still, this game included LeBron James, and whenever that happens, you know even the most mundane evenings can resemble a rock concert.

Tuesday's LeBron moment came late in the first quarter, when he threw an errant pass into the arms of Corey Brewer. The Wolves swingman grabbed the ball and dribbled quickly down the floor for what appeared to be an easy layup.

You have to know what happened next, as James did what he always does. He rose to the occasion -- and high enough to sneak up behind Brewer and swat the shot into oblivion.

Interestingly, Brewer seemed to respect the block as much as the frenzied Cleveland crowd. After the play, Brewer just turned around, smiled, and shook his head. He, too, was amazed by James.

Granted, LeBron's swat came with the score tied at 23, and didn't exactly swing the momentum in the Cavs' favor. The Wolves (9-38) kept it close for almost the entire first half, before the Cavs' experience, chemistry and winning ways took over in the third quarter. Soon the Cavs' lead swelled to 21 and James was resting.

In other words, when the Cavs finally put their minds to it, the matter quickly became settled.

"It's good every now and then to get one of these wins and be able to relax," said James, who compiled 12 points and 11 assists despite sitting out the entire fourth quarter. "A win is a win."

Speaking of stars of the game, no one was bigger on this night than Cavs second-year forward J.J. Hickson. All he did was find seams in the defense by cutting to the basket and following up misses, finishing with a game-high 23 points on 8-for-10 shooting. Most of Hickson's damage came on wide-open dunks and putbacks.

"He ran the floor well and guys did a good job of finding him," Cavs coach Mike Brown said of Hickson. "His activity was good."

Hickson also grabbed eight rebounds in his 24 minutes.

"I just took it upon myself to be more assertive," he said.

Aside from James' block and Hickson's nifty numbers, there wasn't a whole lot of footage for the guys who cut the highlight reels. Unless you count the two hookups involving Cavs starting center Shaquille O'Neal and backup Zydrunas Ilgauskas.

It wasn't quite John Stockton-to-Karl Malone, but both O'Neal and Ilgauskas found the other with pinpoint passes midway through the second quarter. Each received an easy basket as a result.

"They're two really good players, two really good passers," James said. "They know exactly what to do out there on the court. To have that is great."

Jamario Moon added 14 points off the bench for the Cavs, and O'Neal, Ilgauskas and Daniel Gibson each scored 13. Yes, the Cavs won going away despite the fact James was their sixth-leading scorer.

Brewer gave his second strong showing in two nights, leading the Wolves with 22 points. Kevin Love scored 20 in a reserve role, and Al Jefferson and Ryan Gomes had 14 apiece.

Still, none of it was enough to keep the Cavs down for long.

"Cleveland's length, size and driving capabilities gave them way too many points in the paint and that that was the telling sign of the ballgame," said Timberwolves coach Kurt Rambis. "It's awful tough to stop a team that has that much."

The Cavs shot 54 percent from the field (40-for-73) and are 17-0 when hitting better than 50 percent. They have won 21 of 25 and are now 18-3 at Quicken Loans Arena, where they will play seven consecutive games following Friday's visit to Indiana.

"It feels good," O'Neal said. "I don't want to count my chickens before they hatch, but I've had this feeling six times before. We just want to be playing at a good, high level going into the All-Star break."

• Timberwolves: Blount, Jawai, Tucker
• Cavaliers: Powe, West, Williams

• Timberwolves: --
• Cavaliers: James

• Lead Changes: 8
• Times Tied: 8

• Arena: Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, OH
• Officials: #9 Derrick Stafford, #30 Tony Brown, #33 Sean Corbin
• Attendance: 20562
• Duration: 2:16