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LeBron, Williams combine for 64 in win over Magic 102 - 93
Nov 11, 2009
LeBron James and Mo Williams combined for 64 points and the Cleveland Cavaliers finally put together the kind of game they wanted here 5 1/2 months ago in a convincing 102-93 victory over the Orlando Magic. The Cavs led virtually throughout the nationally televised game, an early-season rematch of the Magic's 4-2 victory in the Eastern Conference finals. Magic center Dwight Howard was a non-factor after being whistled for two fouls in the first three minutes while he was trying to defend Shaquille O'Neal. Howard finished with 11 points and seven rebounds. "We were in attack mode the whole game and put pressure on their defense," said James, who scored a game-high 36 points. "Shaq put pressure on [Howard] and we were able to get him into some foul trouble." Vince Carter led the Magic with 29 points. The Cavaliers (5-3) had lost six straight in Orlando, including three games in a bitterly disappointing conference final. They also lost eight of their last 11 regular-season games against the Magic. "We haven't had too much success in the past here," James said. "To get a road win early in a season like this in a hostile environment is a good win for us." It was the Magic's first loss at home since Game 5 of the NBA Finals on June 14, and the margin was a little shocking. Cleveland led by 22 early in the fourth quarter.
"We've got a lot of work to do and it starts with understanding where we are right now," said Magic coach Stan Van Gundy. "And where we are right now is a bad basketball team." The rematch element could be overstated, since James, Williams and Howard were the only starters Wednesday who also started in the Eastern final. And the anticipated matchup between Howard and O'Neal fizzled because of foul trouble. Five fouls limited O'Neal to 20 minutes, 10 points and four rebounds. "With those guys plagued with three [early] fouls, it made it a little tough for them to match up with each other," said Cleveland coach Mike Brown. Orlando's only lead was 9-7 after a jumper by Brandon Bass with 8:59 left in the first quarter. Howard was already on the bench with two fouls and the first of Williams' 3-pointers then launched a 10-0 Cavaliers run that put them firmly in charge for the rest of the game. "Mo came out on fire, and he carried us for most of the night," James said. "The guy who was the difference in the game was Mo Williams," said Van Gundy. "As good as LeBron was, we can win with him having big game, we've done it before. But Mo Williams [shooting 9-for-9 and 4-for-4 3-pointers] at halftime, I don't know if we can live with that on top of what LeBron did." Williams finished with 28 points. Two of his 3-pointers came at the outset of the second quarter with James on the bench, quickly expanding a seven-point lead to 13. Three baskets by Carter cut the gap to eight, but James and J.J. Hickson shot eight free throws within a span of 35 seconds, and James' 3-pointer with one second left in the half put Cleveland up 66-51.
The Magic (6-3) never got the lead under 13 again until Carter nailed a 3-pointer with 1:16 left in the game. Magic forward Ryan Anderson sat out a third straight game with a sprained right ankle, and Rashard Lewis has yet to play because of a 10-game league suspension that expires after Friday night. James, who can become a free agent after the season, declared before the game that the subject is off-limits. Asked for a second time within a few minutes to comment on whether he would like to play with Dwyane Wade in Miami next season, James said:
"Honestly, this free-agent talk is getting old. I think tonight is probably the last night I'll answer free-agent questions. It's getting old for me and my teammates and I don't want any distractions so this will be the last time I answer free-agent questions this year." That resolution is likely to be tested Thursday night when the Cavs play at Miami.