The AP reports: LeBron James expects his team to look to him late in close games. The Cleveland Cavaliers certainly did Saturday night. James scored 11 straight points for Cleveland late in the fourth quarter and finished with 32 in the Cavaliers’ 97-85 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks… Zydrunas Ilgauskas added a season-high 23 points and 17 rebounds to help Cleveland win for the 13th time in 14 games. Michael Redd returned after missing 14 games with a right ankle sprain to lead the Bucks with 20 points in 35 minutes… Richard Jefferson had 19 points for Milwaukee, and Ramon Sessions had 16. Ridnour had 15 points, all in the second half.
Nov 29: Rockets 103, Spurs 84
The AP reports: Who needs Tracy McGrady? Seldom-used reserve Luther Head scored 21 points in place of the injured All-Star and the Houston Rockets used balanced scoring to beat the San Antonio Spurs 103-84 on Saturday night. Ron Artest added 16 points and eight rebounds, Yao Ming and Rafer Alston scored 12 points apiece, and Luis Scola added 11 for Houston, which had all five starters in double-figures for just the second time this season. Alston also had six assists, and reserve Shane Battier scored 15 points. The Rockets finished with 22 assists… Tim Duncan shook off a bad start to score 17 points for the Spurs, who had held their last 11 opponents under 100 points. Tony Parker had 15 points and seven assists in his second game and first start since missing nine games with a sprained ankle.
Nov 29: Thunder 111, Grizzlies 103
The AP reports: Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder snapped their long losing streak with a timely game against the Memphis Grizzlies. Durant scored 30 points, and Jeff Green added 22 to help the Thunder end the losing streak at 14 with a 111-103 victory over Memphis on Saturday night… Russell Westbrook had 12 points for the Thunder, and Damien Wilkins and Desmond Mason finished with 11 each. O.J. Mayo led Memphis with 30 points, while Rudy Gay and Marc Gasol had 16 each… The Thunder had come close to ending the winning streak in a couple of games recently, losing on a last-second shot against Minnesota on Friday night and dropping a 99-98 game against Phoenix last Tuesday night. This time, they were able to stop the skid by closing out the game.
Nov 29: Nuggets 106, Wolves 97
The AP reports: With the game still close early in the second half, Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups made sure Denver didn’t need another late comeback. Billups scored a season-high 27 points in three quarters, Carmelo Anthony added 25 points and 10 rebounds, and the Nuggets beat Minnesota 106-97 on Saturday night. Denver closed with a 21-6 run in the fourth quarter to beat Minnesota 90-84 in Denver on Nov. 16. Anthony had the go-ahead dunk in that game. This time he and Billups keyed a 14-0 run midway through the third quarter to help Denver open a 80-63 lead. Billups said it was the team’s best quarter since he arrived in a Nov. 3 trade… Randy Foye scored a season-high 25 points to lead Minnesota. Al Jefferson had 20 points and 13 rebounds, and Kevin Love had his first career double-double with 18 points and 12 rebounds. Love averaged 5.8 points in his previous nine games.
Nov 29: Knicks 138, Warriors 125
The AP reports: Chris Duhon had a franchise-record 22 assists, David Lee had career highs of 37 points and 21 rebounds, and New York rang up a record-setting 82 points in the first half in a 138-125 victory over Golden State on Saturday night… Duhon set Lee up for numerous dunks against the defenseless Warriors, who completed a winless five-game Eastern trip and looked as if they couldn’t wait to get home. One of the slams, with 3:11 remaining, allowed Duhon to break Richie Guerin’s franchise record of 21 assists set Dec. 12, 1958… Al Harrington, traded from the Warriors to the Knicks last week, added 36 points and 12 rebounds. Wilson Chandler scored 16 points for the banged-up Knicks, who used only seven players… Corey Maggette led the Warriors with 32 points and 12 boards. C.J. Watson scored 23 points.
Nov 29: Magic 110, Pacers 96
The AP reports: Dwight Howard had a season-high 32 points and 21 rebounds and added four blocks against the Pacers, who tried everything but shackles against the Magic center. It was his first 20-rebound performance this season and fourth time in his career that he had 30-plus points and 20-plus rebounds… Rashard Lewis finished 24 points, Turkoglu 22 and Johnson a season-high 16 for the Magic, who had a 14-point lead in the middle of the second quarter and were never seriously challenged in the second half… Danny Granger and Marquis Daniels tried to help the Pacers keep up with the Magic, but the Pacers could never get enough defensive stops to overcome the a 14-point second quarter and 22-point third quarter deficits. Granger finished with 27 points, Daniels had 21, Troy Murphy added 13 and Roy Hibbert had 10.
Nov 29: Celtics 89, Bobcats 84
The AP reports: With two NBA All-Stars as teammates, Paul Pierce knows he doesn’t have to shoulder the scoring load every game. Pierce was ready when coach Doc Rivers called on him in the Boston Celtics’ 89-84 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats on Saturday night. Pierce scored 19 points to lead six Boston players in double figures as the Celtics held off the Bobcats’ fourth-quarter rally to win their eighth consecutive game… Kendrick Perkins had 15 points and 12 rebounds, Allen added 15 points, Tony Allen had 11, and Eddie House and Garnett 10 each for the defending NBA champions, who improved to 16-2 despite playing their sixth back-to-back series this month… Gerald Wallace scored 23 points, Jason Richardson had 22, and rookie D.J. Augustin 13 for the Bobcats. Charlotte shot 47.8 percent and outrebounded Boston 36-33, but couldn’t overcome 22 turnovers.
Nov 29: Hawks 102, Wizards 98
The AP reports: The Atlanta Hawks were finally able to breathe easily. After nearly frittering away a 17-point third-quarter lead, the Hawks were able to squeeze by the Washington Wizards, thanks to Al Horford’s three-point play with 12.4 seconds remaining. Horford’s big play broke a tie in Atlanta’s 102-98 victory over Washington on Saturday night… Horford, who had 19 points, 13 rebounds and six assists, hit the free throw for a 101-98 lead… Maurice Evans had 19 points and nine rebounds for Atlanta, Joe Johnson had 18 points and Marvin Williams 13. Antawn Jamison led Washington with 26 points and 13 rebounds. He had 17 of his points in the second half. Butler had 21 points and 10 rebounds. Songaila had 16 points.
Nov 28: Lakers 114, Mavs 107
The AP reports: Kobe Bryant scored a season-high 35 points, and the Lakers used a 17-0 run in the second half Friday night to beat the Dallas Mavericks 114-107 and improve the NBA’s best record to 13-1… Andrew Bynum, playing on a sore right foot, had 18 points and 10 rebounds in the Lakers’ sixth straight victory. Bryant was 14-for-26 from the field after going 5-for-17 with 12 points in Wednesday’s 120-93 win over New Jersey… Dirk Nowitzki had 19 points and 12 rebounds in a matchup of the leagues’ last two MVPs, but Dallas’ five-game winning streak was snapped… Jason Kidd, who had a triple-double in the Mavericks’ 106-99 loss to the Lakers on Nov. 11 in Dallas, had 12 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds… Josh Howard missed his fourth straight game because of an injured left ankle.
Nov 28: Blazers 101, Hornets 86
The AP reports: In the latest win, the Blazers used a 17-point, second-half run to beat the New Orleans Hornets 101-86 on Friday night. Roy, who is often cautiously optimistic, had 25 points and 10 assists. The All-Star guard has scored 20-plus points in 10 of the team’s last 12 games. LaMarcus Aldridge had 17 points and seven rebounds for the Blazers (11-6), who are off to their best start since they opened the 2000-01 season 12-6… The loss snapped a four-game winning streak for the Hornets (9-6), who were led by Peja Stojakovic with a season-high 21 points. New Orleans was playing the second game of a back-to-back after edging the Denver Nuggets 105-101 on Thursday night. Chris Paul, who has had triple-doubles in two of the Hornets’ last three games, had 16 points, six rebounds and six assists. It was New Orleans’ fifth straight loss in Portland.