LeBron James made certain another news-filled day ended with his own headline.
James on Monday scored 40 points as part of his third triple-double in four games and the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Milwaukee Bucks 124-117 as coach Tyronn Lue began his leave of absence to address health issues.
Lue on Monday said in a statement that he has been dealing with chest pains and loss of sleep, and that tests have offered no conclusion about what the issue is. Associate head coach Larry Drew is to run the team in Lue’s absence.
Photo: EPA
No timetable has been given for when Lue will return. He missed the second half on Saturday, the second time this season he left a game because he was not feeling well.
Lue’s departure came several hours before Kevin Love returned after missing six weeks because of a broken hand. The All-Star forward scored 18 points in 25 minutes.
Losing their coach while getting back a star player seems to fit the narrative of this turbulent season. The Cavaliers (41-29) are third in the Eastern Conference and have endured roster shake-ups, injuries and other distractions as they try to reach the Finals for the fourth straight time.
“If it’s not one thing, it’s another,” James said.
James scored 17 points in the third quarter and finished with 12 rebounds and 10 assists for his 16th triple-double this season and 71st of his career.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 37 points and went 11-11 at the foul line for Milwaukee, who fell to eighth in the Eastern Conference after Miami defeated Denver.
Love said he was pleased with the results in his first game since Jan. 30.
“I felt pretty good,” he said. “Initially, that first wind is always tough, but even after that I felt like my legs were underneath me and that I could’ve played a little bit more.”
HEAT 149, NUGGETS 141
They broke the stat system. That is how good Miami and Denver were — even modern technology could not keep up.
For 48 minutes they went back and forth, and one overtime would not decide it, either.
Finally, after three hours, the Heat said enough. James Johnson scored a career-high 31 points, Kelly Olynyk added 30 off the bench and Miami set a franchise single-game scoring record by beating the Nuggets 149-141 in double overtime on Monday night.
“There didn’t deserve to be a loser,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “Guys probably really enjoyed playing in a game like this.”
His guys did, anyway. Olynyk became the second reserve in Heat history to score 30. Wayne Ellington had 23 points and the Heat made 20 three-pointers — the second-most in franchise history.
All that comes with a serious disclaimer. There was no official boxscore after the game, because the system crashed in the first overtime and crews were scrambling to determine official numbers long after the final buzzer.
What mattered most was the score — one that moved Miami (38-33) into seventh in the Eastern Conference and left the Nuggets two games back of the last Western Conference spot.
Miami’s point total was also an NBA season high. Houston and Oklahoma City each scored 148 in games earlier this season.
“There’s no stats. The stat machine blew up I guess,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “But the only stat I cared about tonight is that I’m proud of the way we competed.”
Neither team was at full strength. For Miami, Dwyane Wade missed his fourth consecutive game and Hassan Whiteside sat out his fifth straight contest. Denver was without leading scorer Gary Harris, sidelined again by a strained right knee that could keep him out several more days.
Denver led 16-5 after three-and-a-half minutes, and that was the only double-digit lead by either side for about the next three hours. It was airtight until the final moments, almost to an absurd degree.
After one quarter, Denver led by one.
Halftime, Miami led by one.
After three, Miami still by one.
After regulation, tied.
After one overtime, still tied.
“We didn’t exactly want it to be like this, but these are the types of games that show your character,” Ellington said.
In Monday’s other games, it was:
‧ Spurs 89, Warriors 75
‧ Pacers 110, Lakers 100
‧ 76ers 108, Hornets 94
‧ Knicks 110, Bulls 92
‧ Nets 118, Grizzlies 115
‧ Pistons 106, Kings 90
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