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 James scored 23 of his 36 points in the second half, and the
Cavaliers snapped a six-game losing streak with a 109-102 victory at
Staples Center.
Cleveland point guard Kyrie Irving had 22 points, and forward Kevin
Love, despite being slowed by back spasms, added 17 points and seven
rebounds.
James said the effort of Love, who was in obvious discomfort
throughout the game, is the kind of resolve that could change the
Cavaliers' fortunes. James was in his second game back after missing
eight games due to a left knee injury and a lower back strain. The
Cavaliers went 1-7 in his absence.
"You have moments in the season when you can pinpoint those moments,
and I think tonight was one of those moments," said James, who
connected on 12 of 24 shots from the floor and four of 10 from
3-point range. "For what Kevin did tonight, playing through the
injury, he could have easily sat down for the rest of the game. He
just toughed it out. I just said, 'Whatever you've got; whatever you
can give.' He did that."
 Love said he started experiencing pain shortly before tipoff.
"It was something that if I kept warm, I was able to be out there
and still play," Love said. "I just tried to be as effective as
possible. As I mentioned, guys made plays out there. We're happy to
get back in the win column."
Center Jordan Hill scored 20 points on 10-of-14 shooting, while
guard Kobe Bryant finished with 19 points and a career-high 17
assists for the Lakers, who lost their third in a row and fifth in
six games.
James was the major reason.
"He's a pretty amazing basketball player," Lakers coach Byron Scott
said.
Scott added that the Cavaliers' ability to turn back Los Angeles
runs in the final period factored into the outcome. Also, he pointed
to Cleveland going to the foul line 13 times more than Los Angeles.
The Cavaliers hit 26 of 36 free throws (72.2 percent) compared to 16
of 23 (69.6 percent) for the Lakers.
But the difference in the game all circled back to the performance
of James.
"When gets the three-ball going, he's tough to guard," said Lakers
guard Nick Young, who finished with 14 points and was one of several
defenders trying to stop James. "You pretty much can't do anything.
He can create his shot or use his strength to get to the hole."
The Cavaliers held a double-digit lead for much of the fourth
quarter before Los Angeles rallied.
Bryant made two of three free throws after being fouled by forward
Shawn Marion on a 3-point attempt with 43.5 seconds remaining,
cutting the Cavaliers' lead to 103-99. James, though, responded with
a driving layup to push the advantage back to six with 20.9 seconds
left.
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On the Lakers' next possession, Bryant missed a 3-pointer from deep
in the corner. Cleveland guard J.R. Smith, who had 14 points, canned
one of two free throws before Young answered with a 3-pointer with
10.1 seconds left. Lakers forward Ryan Kelly missed a 3-point shot
with 5.8 seconds to go, sealing the win for the Cavs.
Cleveland (20-20) won for the first time since Jan. 2, when it
defeated the Charlotte Hornets 91-87.
"There's nothing like winning basketball games," Cleveland coach
David Blatt said.
The Cavaliers led by as much as 11 in the first half before the
Lakers (12-28) went up 61-57 at the break. Bryant recorded only his
third career double-double in a half, scoring 12 points and handing
out 10 assists. It was his first midgame double-double since
Christmas 2002.
James gave the Cavaliers the lead for good at 76-73 on a 3-point
basket with 1:18 left in the third quarter. He scored 12 points in
the quarter on 4-of-6 shooting and made three of five 3-pointers.
Cleveland led 79-75 at the end of the third.
NOTES: Cleveland coach David Blatt denied reports that internal
friction between him and his players was a reason the team hadn't
performed well recently. "That's a lot of nonsense. Just nonsense,"
Blatt said. Injuries were among the reasons the Cavaliers struggled,
Blatt said. ... Lakers coach Byron Scott served as coach of the
Cavaliers from 2010 to 2013. ... The clubs will meet again in
Cleveland on Feb. 8. ... The Cavs cap their five-game swing west
against the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday at Staples Center. ...
The Lakers begin a four-game trip Friday against the Utah Jazz. Los
Angeles G Kobe Bryant will sit out the contest because he no longer
plays in back-to-back games. He is expected to play again Monday in
Phoenix. G Wayne Ellington will start at Utah, Scott said.
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