James’ 36 power Cavs past Sixers 108-101
December 17, 2009
PHILADELPHIA (AP)—LeBron James(notes) hit two clutch 3s in the fourth quarter andscored 36 points to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 108-101 victory over thePhiladelphia 76ers on Wednesday night with the Phillies’ newly acquired ace RoyHalladay watching from a suite.
James had another James-type night against one of the worst teams in theNBA. He went 12 for 26 from the floor, got hot in the fourth and silencedanother road crowd that packed the place just to watch him play.
Mo Williams(notes) hit back-to-back shots in the fourth that gave the Cavaliers alead they would never relinquish and scored 12 points.
Cleveland Cavaliers' Delon… AP – Dec 16, 8:26 pm EST Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBro… AP – Dec 16, 8:15 pm EST YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_last_index = 1; YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_lazy_images = [http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20091217/capt.c1ac7f7b48c64bf499cdea8992ea74ca.cavaliers_76ers_basketball_pahr101.jpg?x=180&y=200&xc=1&yc=1&wc=269&hc=299&q=70&sig=mP1EFXnt3eyzDMtGZxuD0Q--]; YAHOO.util.Event.addListener(window,load,YAHOO.Sports.articleLazyLoadCarousel.init); 1 of 2 Cle-Phi Gallery function prev_photo() { if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index > 0) { goto_photo(YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index – 1); } else { goto_photo(YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_last_index); }}function next_photo() { if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index 0) { YAHOO.util.Dom.addClass(article_carousel_prev, prev); YAHOO.util.Dom.removeClass(article_carousel_prev, prev_disabled); } else { YAHOO.util.Dom.addClass(article_carousel_prev, prev_disabled); YAHOO.util.Dom.removeClass(article_carousel_prev, prev); } if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index < YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_last_index) { YAHOO.util.Dom.addClass(article_carousel_next, next); YAHOO.util.Dom.removeClass(article_carousel_next, next_disabled); } else { YAHOO.util.Dom.addClass(article_carousel_next, next_disabled); YAHOO.util.Dom.removeClass(article_carousel_next, next); }*/}function goto_photo(p) { if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos) { for(i = 0; i < YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos.length; i++) { if (i == p) { YAHOO.util.Dom.setStyle(YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos[i], display, ); } else { YAHOO.util.Dom.setStyle(YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos[i], display, none); } } if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_page) { YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_page.innerHTML =(p + 1); YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index = p; } } update_buttons();}YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_init = function () { YAHOO.util.Event.addListener(article_carousel_prev, click, prev_photo); YAHOO.util.Event.addListener(article_carousel_next, click, next_photo); YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index = 0; YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_page = YAHOO.util.Dom.get(carousel_page); YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos = YAHOO.util.Dom.getElementsByClassName(item, div, leadphoto); if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos) { goto_photo(0); }}YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_init();
Andre Iguodala(notes) led the Sixers with 26 points, and Thaddeus Young(notes) and AllenIverson(notes) each had 16. The Sixers have lost 13 of 14 games.
The crowd chanted “We Want A.I.!” with Iverson on the bench as the Sixersmade a fourth-quarter charge that put them ahead against a team that has 13 morevictories. Iguodala’s 3-pointer with 5:50 left stretched the lead to 94-90.
But James came right back and sank his own 3. He then matter-of-factly hitanother one that made it 96-all
James dished to Williams for a long jumper that gave the Cavs a 98-96 lead.Iguodala, who takes all the big shots for the Sixers, missed a 3 and Williamscapitalized with a 3-pointer for a 101-96 lead.
The 3s were the first two field goals of the game for Williams, who wasaveraging 16.7 points.
James stepped back for an 18-footer that all but sealed the win for theCavaliers. They were coming off a 99-89 win over New Jersey on Tuesday night.
Iverson, Iguodala and Young brought the Sixers back from an early 12-pointhole to take the lead in the third quarter.
Iverson put them up for the first time on a 19-footer from the wing thatmade it 68-67. He had an assist on one of Philadelphia’s more dazzling plays ofthe season—a running alley-oop pass from beyond the 3-point arc to a soaringIguodala for the dunk and a 74-72 lead.
Daniel Gibson(notes) quickly quieted, and seated, the roaring crowd of 19,517 witha 3-pointer for the lead. The Cavaliers led 83-80 at the end of the third.
Halladay, acquired Wednesday from Toronto, had earned the loudest ovationbefore the A.I.— A.I. alley-oop. He received a standing ovation when he wasintroduced, and smiled and waved to the fans from his suite.
Sixers forward Marreese Speights(notes) played for the first time since he tore theMCL in his left knee on Nov. 14. Speights showed no sign of injury when heleaped off the court for a one-handed dunk in the fourth that cut the hole to87-84.
Sixers forward Elton Brand(notes) was benched for the second straight game, andmight be permanently there. Coach Eddie Jordan wants the smaller, quickerbackcourt of Iverson and Holiday, and Young, Dalembert and swingman Iguodala onthe court.
Iguodala hurt his ribs in Monday’s win, but looked sharp against the Cavs.
Brand has not complained about his role, though he feels he should be astarter. His three-point play in the middle of the fourth tied the game at 89.
Jordan used Brand at center in the fourth quarter. Brand still played 33minutes and had 14 points.
He just didn’t sign a five-year deal in 2008 to ride the bench for a lousyteam.
NOTES: James’ appearance brought out several local sports stars, includingPhillies slugger Ryan Howard, Flyers goalie Ray Emery and forward Mike Richards,and Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson. … The 76ers have used six differentlineups this season after using six different total last season when theyreached the playoffs. … Cavs G Delonte West(notes) scored four points in 23 minutesafter he was inactive Tuesday night.