MIAMI — Ninety minutes before tipoff, LeBron James stood at his locker with a pair of scissors, trimming loose threads from the front of his jersey.

He wanted to look good in his showdown with Dwyane Wade, and he did, scoring 34 points to help the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Miami Heat, 111-104, last night.

Wade scored 36 points but couldn't rally the Heat from an 11-point deficit in the fourth quarter. Instead, James had Cleveland's final eight points over the last 2:42.

"He closed the game with a killer instinct in the right way on both ends of the floor," Cavaliers coach Mike Brown said. "Man, for me that was so fun to watch. It's indescribable almost. He willed the end of the game to go the way it did. It was flat-out beautiful, like Picasso."

James finished with seven assists and went 16 for 18 from the free-throw line, while Wade was just as good for the Heat. His baskets included a dunk that James said might make the NBA's all-time top-10 list.

"I like playing against LeBron more than anybody else in the league," Wade said. "He brings out the best in me, and I bring out the best in him."

LAKERS 121, SUNS 102

LOS ANGELES — Kobe Bryant scored 29 points, Andrew Bynum had 26 points and 15 rebounds in his return from injury, and the Los Angeles Lakers put the brakes on the Phoenix Suns' fast start with a rout last night.

Josh Powell scored 14 points for the defending champions, who won their sixth straight and improved to 7-1 by cooling off the Suns (8-2).

Los Angeles snapped the Suns' four-game winning streak by countering Phoenix's up-tempo style with defense and the Lakers' own transition game.

Steve Nash had 13 points and five assists for the Suns, who had their worst shooting night of the season.