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James, Cavs spoil Yao Ming's return

Houston Rockets players Shane Battier, left, Yao Ming, second left, and Chuck Hayes, right, defend against the Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBron James during the first half of their NBA game at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio, on Monday. PHOTO: EPA

LeBron James scored 32 points and the Cleveland Cavaliers held off the Houston Rockets 91-85 on Monday night to spoil Yao Ming's (姚明) first game back from a leg injury.

James, who added 12 rebounds and eight assists, scored more than 30 points for the fourth straight game. The Cavaliers have won three of those four.

Yao returned to action after missing 32 games while recovering from a broken bone under his right knee. He finished with 16 points, 11 rebounds, two blocks and five turnovers.

Yao, who played 27 minutes, helped spark the Rockets in the fourth quarter after they trailed by 14. He scored seven straight points and provided a presence inside that forced Cleveland to take outside shots.

The Rockets, who have lost four of five, pulled to 84-82 on Tracy McGrady's jumper with 1:34 left. But Zydrunas Ilgauskas put back James' missed jumper on the next possession to protect the lead.

Ilgauskas then stole the ball from Yao, who fell to the floor in a heap. Hughes tossed an alley-oop to James on the other end and he slammed in it for a 88-82 lead.

Yao got up with help from a trainer, limped off, but returned to the game.

Heat 88, Hawks 81

At Miami, the Heat got above .500 for the first time in nearly four months. Eddie Jones had 14 of his season-high 21 points in the final quarter and Shaquille O'Neal added 14 points and nine rebounds on the eve of his 35th birthday.

Jones hit a 3-pointer to start a game-deciding 13-2 run over a 5-minute stretch of the fourth quarter by the Heat (30-29). The defending NBA champions last had a winning record on Nov. 10: 3-2.

Gary Payton had 11 points and seven rebounds and James Posey added 10 points for Miami.

Josh Smith and Anthony Johnson each had 16 points for Atlanta, which dropped its sixth straight.

Warriors 111, Pistons 93

At Auburn Hills, Michigan, Jason Richardson scored a season-high 29 points in front of his home fans, helping the Warriors end a six-game losing streak. The win also ended Golden State's seven-game road slide, and gave the Warriors a lopsided sweep of the season series. They beat Detroit 111-79 at home on Nov. 11.

The Warriors had lost 11 straight at the Palace.

Detroit was missing Rasheed Wallace (left foot) for the third game in a row, but the Warriors got Stephen Jackson (turf toe) back after four games.

Al Harrington had 16 points and 10 rebounds, while Jackson finished with 14 points. Six Warriors reached double figures as Golden State became the first team to score 100 points against the Pistons since Feb. 6.

Lindsey Hunter scored 20 points for Detroit.

Magic 99, Bucks 81

At Orlando, Florida, Hedo Turkoglu had a season-high 25 points and Trevor Ariza added 20.

Dwight Howard had 10 points and nine rebounds for the Magic, who ended a three-game losing streak. Orlando had 24 fast-break points to just five for Milwaukee, which lost an overtime game on Sunday at home against Chicago.

The Bucks started slowly and were never really in the game. They were stone cold from the opening tip, hitting only two of their first 10 shots while turning the ball over six times. Milwaukee finished the half shooting 32.4 percent with 10 turnovers.

The Magic, meanwhile, shot 50 percent in the first half and led by as many as 20 points.

Michael Redd led Milwaukee with 15 points, but shot just 3-of-16 from the field.

Spurs 88, Clippers 74

At Los Angeles, the Spurs extended their season-high winning streak to nine games when Manu Ginobili scored 16 points and Tim Duncan had 12 rebounds. Beno Udrih added 16 points and eight rebounds for the Spurs, whose reserves outscored their starters 49-39.

The Spurs led all the way in their third one-sided win over the Clippers in as many meetings this season. The Clippers' 74 points equaled their lowest score of the season.

Corey Maggette led the Clippers with 19 points.

Jazz 120, Bobcats 95

At Salt Lake City, Mehmet Okur scored 32 points as the Jazz defeated the Bobcats for the first time at home. Charlotte won its previous two visits to Salt Lake.

In just 31 minutes of play, Okur tied a career high with 13 field goals in 15 attempts, most of them on perimeter jump shots. Reserve Matt Harpring continued his scoring outburst with 19 points and has averaged 16 during Utah's current four-game winning streak.
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