Cleveland star LeBron James on Saturday scored 32 points — and became the youngest player to score 28,000 points in an NBA career — as the Cavaliers downed the New York Knicks 111-104 at Madison Square Garden in New York.
James, 32, took his career points tally to 28,020, good for eighth on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.
He reached the milestone with a step-back jumper that gave the Cavaliers a 45-31 lead with 6 minutes, 49 seconds left in the second quarter.
He also handed out 10 assists, and with two more will pass Lenny Wilkens (7,211) for 13th on the career list.
NBA champions the Cavaliers were without guard Kyrie Irving, who sat out with soreness in his right quadriceps. Deandre Liggins started in his place, scoring five points without an assist.
Kevin Love returned to the Cavs lineup after missing two games with back spasms. He contributed 23 points and 15 rebounds as Cleveland took their Eastern Conference-leading record to 34-15.
The Knicks fell to 22-30. They have not won two straight games since Dec. 20-22 last year.
Brandon James paced New York with 23 points and 10 assists.
Knicks star Carmelo Anthony, the subject of persistent trade rumors, scored 17 points, but connected on just six of 21 from the floor.
Love, whose name keeps cropping up as a player the Knicks might want for Anthony, said he was trying to ignore the trade talk.
“I don’t really think about it,” he said. “I do look at my phone, but it’s not like that really crosses my mind — or that’s not what’s top of my mind at all.”
The Knicks were without point guard Derrick Rose, sidelined for a fourth straight game by a sprained left ankle, while starting center Joakim Noah departed early with a sore left hamstring.
New York showed signs of life late, scoring six straight points to trim Cleveland’s lead to 106-101 with 59 seconds remaining.
However, James found Love for an uncontested three-pointer as the Cavs pulled away again.
A sumo star was born in Japan on Sunday when 24-year-old Takerufuji became the first wrestler in 110 years to win a top-division tournament on his debut, triumphing at the 15-day Spring Grand Sumo Tournament in Osaka despite injuring his ankle on the penultimate day. Takerufuji, whose injury had left him in a wheelchair outside the ring, shoved out the higher-ranked Gonoyama at the Edion Arena Osaka to the delight of the crowd, giving him an unassailable record of 13 wins and two losses to claim the Emperor’s Cup. “I did it just through willpower. I didn’t really know what was going
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Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter is being criminally investigated by the IRS, and the attorney for his alleged bookmaker said Thursday that the ex-Los Angeles Dodgers employee placed bets on international soccer — but not baseball. The IRS confirmed Thursday that interpreter Ippei Mizuhara and Mathew Bowyer, the alleged illegal bookmaker, are under criminal investigation through the agency’s Los Angeles Field Office. IRS Criminal Investigation spokesperson Scott Villiard said he could not provide additional details. Mizuhara, 39, was fired by the Dodgers on Wednesday following reports from the Los Angeles Times and ESPN about his alleged ties to an illegal bookmaker and debts well
MLB on Friday announced a formal investigation into the scandal swirling around Shohei Ohtani and his former interpreter amid charges that the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar was the victim of “massive theft.” The Dodgers on Wednesday fired Ippei Mizuhara, Ohtani’s long-time interpreter and close friend, after Ohtani’s representatives alleged that the Japanese two-way star had been the victim of theft, which was reported to involve millions of dollars and link Mizuhara to a suspected illegal bookmaker in California. “Major League Baseball has been gathering information since we learned about the allegations involving Shohei Ohtani and Ippei Mizuhara from the news media,” MLB