LeBron James scored 40 points to spark the Cleveland Cavaliers past Chicago 112-102 on Monday, giving the NBA regular-season champions a 2-0 lead in their first-round playoff series.
James connected on 16-of-23 shots from the field and scored 15 points in the final eight minutes as the top seed Cavaliers outlasted a determined Bulls’ squad that were level at 77-77 entering the fourth quarter.
“I watched a lot of film from game one,” James said. “I knew as soon as I caught it they would back up and I would have an opportunity to take a jump shot and I had to take it.
“They were telling me I can’t make jump shots. They asked me to shoot a jumper so I did that. Over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over again.”
In a key three-minute span of the final quarter, James outscored the Bulls 11-5 to give the Cavaliers a 107-98 lead with 96 seconds remaining.
James also contributed eight rebounds and eight assists for the NBA’s winningest club, which owns a home-field edge throughout the playoffs in quest of the team’s first-ever NBA crown.
“It’s all or nothing for us. We know what the long-term goal is,” James said.
The Bulls will try to bounce back in game three at Chicago tomorrow while the Cavaliers focus on trying to finish off the best-of-seven series as quickly as possible.
“The most important game is game three,” James said. “That’s what we’re concentrating on.”
Jamario Moon sank four 3-point shots to join Mo Williams with 12 points while Antawn Jamison added 14 for the Cavaliers, who fended off late charges by the Bulls thanks to Moon’s long-range accuracy.
“They kept scrapping,” James said. “They would not quit. They kept making good plays. Every time they would do that, J-Moon would find himself open and he made some big shots.”
Joakim Noah led the Bulls with 25 points and contributed 13 rebounds while Derrick Rose added 23 points and Luol Deng had 20 in a losing cause.
Noah could only marvel in frustration at James, but warned that the Bulls still had time to become a threat in the series.
“LeBron is hitting unbelievable shots,” Noah said. “Yes, it’s tough. But we’ve got to play them again, so I don’t want to be up here and give LeBron all this credit. Yeah, he played an unbelievable game. It’s tough. I hate to lose, so I’m a little frustrated by that, but we will be ready to go come Thursday.”
Noah was a target of Cavaliers’ supporters boos all night, having ripped the city for a lack of nightlife downtown.
“You think Cleveland’s cool? I never heard anybody say I’m going to Cleveland on vacation. What’s so good about Cleveland?” Noah said. “My whole life I’ve been booed. Boston, they don’t like me over there. They don’t like me here, either. It’s OK. I have my friends.”
■JAZZ 114, NUGGETS 111
AFP, DENVER, COLORADO
Deron Williams scored 33 points as the injury-plagued Utah Jazz defeated Denver to level their first-round NBA Western Conference playoff series at one victory each.
Williams, who was 16-of-18 from the free throw line, shook off a sore ankle for a starring performance for Utah, which also had 20 points from Carlos Boozer and 18 from Paul Millsap.
The Jazz seized a 14-point lead only to fall behind 102-98 with 4:30 to play before rallying in the final minutes to level the series as they head back to Salt Lake City for Game 3 on Friday.
“We got up and blew the lead but we got it back and kept our composure,” Williams said. “We’ve got a lot of basketball to be played.”
The Jazz were without forward Mehmet Okur, who suffered a torn left Achilles’ tendon in the opening loss to Denver, and forward Andrei Kirilenko, who aggravated a calf injury on Thursday.
Carmelo Anthony scored 32 points but fouled out in the final seconds.
Brazil’s Nene added 18 points and Chauncey Billups added 17 for the Nuggets.
After an exchange of offensive fouls on drives to the basket, Anthony fouled out while pressuring Utah’s C.J. Miles along the sideline.
Miles made two free throws to give the Jazz a 110-107 lead with 25.4 seconds remaining.
Nene jammed in a slam dunk for the Nuggets, pulling Denver within one point, but Williams dropped in two free throws with 11.3 seconds remaining, boosting the Utah lead to 112-109.
Billups missed a 3-pointer but Kenyon Martin grabbed the rebound and sank a layup to pull Denver within one point again.
A quick foul sent Utah’s Kyle Korver to the line and he sank two free throws with six seconds left.
Billups missed a desperation 3-pointer just before the final buzzer.
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