James sinks Warriors
Associated Press
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OAKLAND, Calif. — LeBron James tossed up a rare airball from the top of the 3-point arc that showed he's human. Then he quickly returned to his typical self.
James stepped back under pressure from Ronny Turiaf and knocked down a 19-footer to barely beat the final buzzer, lifting the Cleveland Cavaliers to a wild 106-105 victory over the Golden State Warriors last night.
"It's a great feeling, especially when you get it like that and then you hear the horn and the shot goes in and there's no way they can try to make a comeback at us," James said. "I wish everyone could get that type of feeling. It's unbelievable."
James finished with 32 points, nine rebounds, eight assists, three steals and two blocked shots, but also missed three second-half free throws and went 10 for 16 from the line. His teammates jumped up and down in delight when the ball went through, then the officials gathered to review the play before ruling his shot beat the buzzer.
Stephen Jackson hit a go-ahead 22-foot jumper over James with 6.4 seconds left and finished with 24 points, eight rebounds and eight assists for Golden State. The Warriors also lost at the buzzer Wednesday night against Oklahoma City.
Golden State's Monta Ellis scored 20 points in his season debut and return from an ankle injury. He did his best to upstage LeBron, but to no avail.
"That's not the first time he's hit a buzzer-beater to hurt people at their own place," Jackson said. "That's what he does. That's why he's one of the best in the league."
BOBCATS 98, SUNS 76
Boris Diaw dominated Phoenix a month after being dealt by the Suns, scoring 26 points and grabbing 11 rebounds to lead host Charlotte.
SPURS 94, NETS 91
Tim Duncan had 30 points and 15 rebounds and Michael Finley hit a pivotal 3-pointer for host San Antonio with 22.6 seconds left to clinch a win over New Jersey.
KNICKS 108, GRIZZLIES 88
David Lee had 19 points and 14 rebounds, and host New York won its third straight game to hand Memphis its eighth straight loss.
MAVERICKS 112, PISTONS 91
Dirk Nowitzki scored 26 points and Josh Howard added 22 as visiting Dallas rolled over Detroit.
HAWKS 117, BUCKS 87
Flip Murray scored a season-high 25 points and Josh Smith had 24 as host Atlanta rolled over Milwaukee.
PACERS 107, ROCKETS 102
Danny Granger scored 25 points, T.J. Ford added 21, and Troy Murphy had 14 points and 16 rebounds to help host Indiana snap a two-game losing skid.
RAPTORS 114, BULLS 94
Jose Calderon had 23 points on 9-of-10 shooting and added 10 assists to help visiting Toronto snap a seven-game losing streak.
TIMBERWOLVES 116, HORNETS 108
Al Jefferson had 24 points and 14 rebounds, and Randy Foye had 24 points and eight assists to help host Minnesota improve to 8-2 in January.
CLIPPERS 107, THUNDER 104
Rookie Eric Gordon scored a career-high 41 points and Al Thornton had a season-high 34 points, leading host Los Angeles over Oklahoma City.
ELSEWHERE
GRIZZLIES
Lionel Hollins is working on a contract with the Grizzlies to serve as their head coach for the third time — the first time without the interim label. Memphis general manager Chris Wallace confirmed last night that he hoped to reach an agreement with the Milwaukee Bucks assistant by the end of the weekend to replace the fired Marc Iavaroni.
JAZZ
Longtime Utah owner Larry H. Miller's legs were amputated 6 inches below the knee yesterday. Jazz spokesman Jonathan Rinehart said yesterday's surgery was the result of complications from Type 2 diabetes. Rinehart said the 64-year-old Miller is recovering in a hospital.