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Video: Highlights James scores 33 points to held Cavaliers beat Lakers 94-90 By TOM WITHERS, AP Sports Writer CLEVELAND(AP) LeBron James scored 33 points and shut out Kobe Bryant when the two superstars guarded each other in the final 2:23, leading the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 94-90 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night. James, the NBA's leading scorer, added 10 rebounds and five assists. But it was his pressure on Bryant in the final minutes that helped the Cavs bounce back from a dismal defensive effort in a loss at New York on Wednesday night. Bryant finished with 21 points, but missed two shots with James chasing him and the Lakers went 0-for-8 from the floor in the final 4 minutes. Daniel Gibson added 15 points, and Zydrunas Ilgauskas had 12 to help the Cavs win for just the third time in 12 games. Lamar Odom added 19 points for the Lakers. Andrew Bynum had 17 points, but missed two free throws with 11.9 seconds left that would have tied it at 92. Copyright 2007 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibitedLakers-Cavs Preview By BRETT HUSTON, STATS Writer Coming into the season, little regard was given to the supporting casts surrounding Kobe Bryant and LeBron James. Bryant's has exceeded its minimal expectations while James' has struggled mightily in trying to defend its Eastern Conference title. The NBA's top two scorers face off for the eighth time in the careers as Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers try to snap a three-game losing streak to James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Los Angeles (15-9) has won consecutive games and six of its past seven, while Cleveland (11-15) has been going in the opposite direction, losing nine of its last 11. Bryant has averaged 24.7 points in seven games against the Cavaliers when James is in the lineup, and the Cleveland guard has scored 26.8 points per game in eight lifetime against the Lakers. Bryant led the league in scoring the past two seasons, averaging 31.6 points in 2006-07, but his average has dropped to 26.8 per game thus far. While he's scoring less, the Lakers are averaging 3.7 more points as a team and their 107.0 points per game rank third in the NBA. The Lakers' reserves have scored 38.3 points per game, giving them one of the five most productive benches in the league. Cleveland's bench players on the other hand, have averaged 23.5 points - one of the five lowest in the NBA. Los Angeles was slightly below its bench average on Tuesday night with 34 points in its 103-91 win at Chicago, but Sasha Vujacic had a team-high 19. He scored nine in the fourth quarter one game after scoring all 14 of his points in the final period in a 113-92 win over the Clippers on Sunday. "(Coach Phil Jackson) showed me he has confidence in me,'' said Vujacic, who's averaging a career-high 7.4 points. "That was the key thing for me. I'm having fun, playing basketball the way I used to play. I'm enjoying it.'' Andrew Bynum has also played a key role in the Lakers' improvement in 2007-08. The 20-year-old center began the season on the bench, but has emerged as one of Los Angeles' most effective players, averaging 12.3 points in 13 games as a starter. He's averaging 10.0 rebounds and is among the league's top 10 with 2.1 blocks per night. Cleveland went 0-5 without James after he was sidelined with a sprained finger, and the Cavaliers are clearly a different team with the league's leading scorer in the lineup. The Cavaliers have averaged 100.0 points with James, who is averaging 29.6 points, and 82.0 points without him. They thought things would improve when James returned to the lineup after the team had lost six straight, but Cleveland has gone 2-3 since his return, including an ugly 108-90 loss to the New York Knicks - the last-place team in the Atlantic - on Wednesday. "Defensively, this is one of the worst performances that I've ever been a part of,'' Cavaliers coach Mike Brown said. "And it starts with me.'' Cleveland allowed the Knicks to shoot a season-high 56 percent from the field. The only team to shoot a higher percentage against the Cavaliers this season was Detroit, which shot 58 percent on Nov. 28 when James sprained his finger. "That's not a good defensive effort,'' said James, who scored 32 on Wednesday. "I don't know if it's the worst we've ever played defensively. That's what Coach thinks.'' The Cavaliers have given up 101.0 points per game after holding opponents to 92.9 last season. Copyright 2007 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited |
GAME NOTES SEASON & SERIES NOTES; CONNECTIONS The Lakers lost their season series with the Cavaliers 0-2 last year for the first time since the 1998-99 season (0-1). This will be the 92nd meeting between the two teams with the Lakers holding a 55-36 series advantage. The Lakers are 5-5 in their last 10 overall games against the Cavaliers and have lost in each of their last three meetings. The Lakers are 7-1 against the Cavaliers all-time at STAPLES Center with last season’s 2/15/07 loss to Cleveland snapping a seven-game home win streak. On the road against the Cavaliers, the Lakers have gone 5-5 in their last 10 games but are just 1-4 in their last five trips to Cleveland and have lost their last three straight there. Under head coach Phil Jackson, the Lakers are 10-4 against Cleveland. In 20 games against Cleveland including 17 starts, Kobe Bryant is averaging 21.8 points per game. In his last four games against the Cavaliers, however, Bryant has posted a 33.8 point per game average. In their most recent meeting on 2/15/07, James’ 38 points established a new series record for Cleveland, surpassing Ricky Davis’ mark of 35 points scored back on 3/26/02. Cavs 99-98 as Bryant scored the Lakers final six points on three long jumpers including the goahead shot with 8.6 seconds remaining, finishing with 28 points. Chris Mihm played his first three and a half seasons for the Cavaliers from 2000-04 where he earned All- Rookie Second Team honors.
PHIL JACKSON ONE WIN AWAY FROM EIGHTH ALL-TIME
BRYANT PASSES STOCKTON FOR 31st ON NBA’S ALL-TIME SCORING LIST, 60 POINTS SHY OF 20,000 CAREER POINTS
BRYANT LEADS ALL WESTERN CONF. PLAYERS AFTER 1ST ROUND OF ALL-STAR BALLOTING |
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