LeBron James and Tracy McGrady put on a show the NBA had to love.
Returning to the site of his pro debut in a summer league game, James scored 34 points for the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday, a pretty impressive day of work until you consider McGrady answered with 41 in the Orlando Magic's 113-101 overtime victory.
PHOTO: AP
Juwan Howard scored Orlando's first eight points in the extra period, then McGrady made a pair of 3-pointers to finish with his second 40-plus game of the season. He also had eight rebounds and 11 assists.
PHOTO: AP
James matched last season's league scoring champion point for point for most of the afternoon. The rookie phenom made 13 of 28 shots, but was just 4-of-10 from behind the 3-point line and missed all four of his shots in overtime.
Howard scored 19 points and Drew Gooden had 12 for Orlando, which has won seven of 10 since ending a 19-game losing streak.
Mavericks 111, Kings 103
In Sacramento, California, Dirk Nowitzki had 31 points and 14 rebounds and Antoine Walker punctuated an outstanding game with a 3-pointer with 1:04 left, helping Dallas snap a four-game losing streak.
Walker had 23 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists, hitting five 3-pointers as the Mavericks got their fifth win in their last six regular-season games in Sacramento.
In just their second home loss of the season, the Kings played without suspended All-Star Peja Stojakovic and injured forward Chris Webber, who hasn't played since blowing out his knee early in the teams' second-round playoff series last spring, won in seven games by Dallas.
Antawn Jamison had 22 points for Dallas, which fell behind by 18 in the first half and then struggled to finish off the short-handed Kings after a second-half rally. Dallas scored the final eight points of the game, beginning with Walker's 3.
Rockets 99, Lakers 87
In Los Angeles, Steve Francis had 22 points, nine rebounds and seven assists, and Yao Ming and Jim Jackson added 18 points to help Houston beat the suddenly slumping Lakers.
Cuttino Mobley added 15 points and Maurice Taylor came off the bench to score 14 for the Rockets (16-12), who snapped a two-game losing streak. Yao also had eight rebounds.
The loss was the second straight and fourth in six games for the Lakers (20-7) since they appeared dominant during a 10-game winning streak.
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