LeBron James scored 38 points, hitting a crucial 3-pointer and all six free throws in overtime as the Cleveland Cavaliers won their fourth straight 109-104 over the Boston Celtics and their heralded NBA trio on Tuesday.
James, playing the best basketball of his career, scored 11 points in OT as the defending Eastern Conference champions dropped the Celtics' record to 11-2 with one of their best all-around performances of the early season.
James added 13 assists and finished 14-of-15 from the line. Drew Gooden scored a season-high 24 points and Zydrunas Ilgauskas had 15 with 14 rebounds for Cleveland as the Cavs' top threesome outscored Boston's Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce 77-64.
PHOTO: AP
Allen led the Celtics with 29 points on 10-of-25 shooting.
Heat 110, Bobcats 90
At Miami, Ricky Davis and Jason Williams responded to being yanked from the starting lineup with strong games off the bench to lead struggling Miami past Charlotte.
Davis equaled a season high with 23 points, while Williams totaled 11 points and eight assists.
Rookie reserve Daequan Cook added a season-high 19 points while missing only two shots. The Heat shot a season-high 58 percent, and their point total was also a season best.
Miami, still last in the Southeast Division, improved to 2-5 at home. The Heat snapped a four-game losing streak against Charlotte, including two defeats this season.
Gerald Wallace, who returned to the lineup after missing one game with a strained calf, scored 16 points for the Bobcats, losers of four straight.
Grizzlies 110, Nets 103
At East Rutherford, New Jersey, Pau Gasol scored 22 points and Juan Carlos Navarro had 16 points and 11 rebounds as Memphis posted consecutive wins for the first time this season.
Mike Miller hit his first five shots and finished with 19 points for Memphis, while Damon Stoudamire added 13 and Kyle Lowery had 10, including a clutch layup with 1:42 to play after New Jersey cut an early 18-point deficit to 99-98.
Vince Carter scored a season-high 32 points and Jason Kidd added 12 points, 12 assists and 15 rebounds in posting his 91st career triple-double. Richard Jefferson added 27 points for the Nets, who had a three-game winning streak snapped.
76ers 114, Bucks 99
At Milwaukee, Andre Iguodala, Samuel Dalembert and Kyle Korver combined for 62 points and Philadelphia snapped Milwaukee's five-game winning streak.
The 76ers' win also snapped the Bucks' 6-0 mark this season at the Bradley Center, leaving just Boston (7-0) and San Antonio (8-0) as the league's perfect teams at home.
For a change, everything went right for Philadelphia, which lost seven of its previous eight in its worst start since 1995, even after squandering a 14-point lead.
Dalembert had 22 points and eight rebounds and Iguodala had 20 points and 11 assists. Korver, who missed the previous four games with a strained groin, went 8-of-13 from the field and 4-of-5 from 3-point range to finish with 20 points.
In other games, it was: Bulls 90, Hawks 78; Pacers 112, Nuggets 110; Lakers 106, SuperSonics 99.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen go into today’s match at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim stung from their first league defeat in 16 months. Leverkusen were beaten 3-2 at home by RB Leipzig before the international break, the first loss since May last year for the reigning league and cup champions. While any defeat, particularly against a likely title rival, would have disappointed coach Xabi Alonso, the way in which it happened would be most concerning. Just as they did in the Supercup against VfB Stuttgart and in the league opener to Borussia Moenchengladbach, Leverkusen scored first, but were pegged back. However, while Leverkusen rallied late to
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