The defending champions had no answer for LeBron James.
James scored 44 points and the Cleveland Cavaliers beat San Antonio 101-87 on Monday night to end the Spurs' nine-game winning streak. It was James' sixth game over 40 points this season. He went 19-for-33 and added five assists and three rebounds. James scored 18 in the third quarter and had 36 through three periods.
The win ended a two-game slide for the Cavaliers and stopped another streak for the Spurs -- a franchise record-nine straight road victories.
PHOTO: AP
The Cavaliers continue to play well at home against the NBA's best. They are 14-2 at home against teams over .500, while just 5-5 against teams under .500.
Tim Duncan scored just three of his 19 points in the second half to lead the Spurs.
Trail Blazers 91, Bobcats 83
At Charlotte, North Carolina, Zach Randolph had 21 points and nine rebounds to help Portland snap a four-game losing streak in a matchup of the last place teams in each conference.
The Trail Blazers had lost their last three games by 33, 32 and 32 points, shooting a combined 37 percent from the field.
Darius Miles, playing in his first game since Dec. 4, gave the Trail Blazers a boost on offense with 14 points, while Juan Dixon scored all 12 of his points in the first half. Miles had been sidelined with a sprained left knee.
Raymond Felton returned to the starting lineup after missing one game with a leg injury and led Charlotte with 16 points, while Brevin Knight, Bernard Robinson and Primo Brezec each had 14.
Raptors 98, Timberwolves 94
At Minneapolis, Mike James scored 27 points, including two key baskets and two free throws down the stretch, to help Toronto win its third straight game.
Morris Peterson had 20 points and Charlie Villanueva added 16 for the Raptors, who shot 11-for-17 from behind the arc.
Kevin Garnett had 23 points and 19 rebounds for Minnesota, which lost its fourth straight and fell seven games below .500 for the first time since the 1996-97 season. All four of those losses have come at home.
San Antonio Spurs playmaker Tony Parker has been named NBA western conference player of the week, the National Basketball Association announced on Monday.
Parker excelled in victories by his team against the Toronto Raptors, the New Jersey Nets and Indiana Pacers in the period from Feb. 6 to 12. During those three matches, Parker scored an average of 22.7 points, 8.3 passes and 4.3 rebounds for a 53 percent shot success rate with a 72.2 percent record at the free throw line.
It is the first ever time a Frenchman has won the title of player of the week.
The pressure was already on Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso before their 2-1 defeat to Manchester City on Wednesday in the UEFA Champions League raised further questions about his future. Arsenal remain perfect in this season’s competition and three points clear at the top of the standings after a 3-0 win against Club Brugge, while defending champions Paris Saint-Germain were held 0-0 at Athletic Bilbao. The clash between Madrid and City was the standout game of the round amid reports this week that Alonso had lost control of the locker room. Speculation over his position is likely to intensify after the latest
‘HIGH STANDARD’: The Thunder are on track for a Finals-Cup double after they scored 22 three-pointers in equaling the best 25-game start to a season in NBA history The Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday bagged a 16th straight victory, thrashing the Phoenix Suns 138-89 to romp into an NBA Cup semi-final clash with the San Antonio Spurs, who stunned the Los Angeles Lakers 132-119. NBA Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 28 points to lead the reigning NBA champions Thunder, who improved to 24-1 to equal the best 25-game start to a season in league history. They dominated from start to finish to book their place in the final four of the in-season tournament in Las Vegas, where they are tomorrow to take on the Spurs. The New York Knicks and
TOP OF THE TABLE: Evann Guessand put the visitors ahead early in the game and Flavius Daniliuc equalized before Youri Tielemans got the winner in the second half Aston Villa on Thursday extended their winning streak to eight games in all competitions with a 2-1 victory against Basel in the UEFA Europa League to secure at least a playoff spot. Villa were tied with Olympique Lyonnais, who beat Go Ahead Eagles 2-1, and Midtjylland, 1-0 winners over Genk, atop the standings of the second-tier European competition on 15 points with five wins from six games. They have bounced back from a poor start to the season and are third in the Premier League, including a 2-1 victory over leaders Arsenal on Saturday. At St Jakob-Park in Basel, summer signing Evann Guessand
Tony Jefferson intercepted a Jalen Hurts pass in overtime to give the Los Angeles Chargers a 22-19 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday in an NFL thriller between playoff contenders. Justin Herbert, playing a week after surgery on his broken left (non-throwing) hand, withstood a career-high seven sacks to throw for 139 yards and a touchdown for the Chargers. Cameron Dicker kicked five field goals, including the 54-yard game winner in overtime. The Chargers defenders forced Hurts to throw four interceptions and surrender a fumble for a career-worst five turnovers as the Eagles fell to 8-5 with a third
RSS