Kevin Love tallied 29 points and LeBron James reached 26,000 career points as the Cleveland Cavaliers dumped the Detroit Pistons 114-106 in an NBA Central Division contest on Friday night.
Love, who was passed over by the Eastern Conference coaches for the upcoming All-Star Game, enjoyed his second-highest scoring game this season.
The power forward scored 34 against Orlando on Nov. 23 last year.
Photo: AP
James became the youngest player ever to reach the 26,000-point mark when he made two free throws during the third quarter in front of a crowd of 21,000 at the Pistons’ arena, the Palace of Auburn Hills. The four-time league MVP became the 17th player in league history to hit that milestone. He finished with 20 points, nine rebounds and a team-high eight assists.
“Anytime I accomplish something like that, I give thanks to my teammates and all my former teammates,” James said.
Point guard Kyrie Irving finished with 28 points for the Cavaliers, who are 3-1 since Tyronn Lue replaced David Blatt as head coach. Center Tristan Thompson posted a double-double with 11 points and 14 rebounds.
“The pace really created a lot of opportunities for us, a lot of possessions,” Irving said. “We found our spots and executed really well.”
New coach Lue is trying to get the Cavaliers to play at a faster tempo.
“We’ve got to learn on the fly with Ty being the head coach,” said Love, who made five of the team’s nine three-pointers. “It’s going to take a little bit more time, but it was good to see that tonight.”
Center Andre Drummond’s 20 points and eight rebounds led the Pistons.
Drummond, the first Piston selected to the All-Star Game since Allen Iverson in 2009, had 25 points and 18 rebounds in Detroit’s 104-99 victory over Cleveland on Nov. 17.
Shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope had 19 points and seven rebounds and rookie forward Stanley Johnson added 15 points and five assists for Detroit.
Mavericks 91, Nets 79
In Dallas, Texas, the Mavericks jumped out to an 18-point lead in the second quarter and were never really challenged by Brooklyn.
The Nets tried to make a game of it with a brief run in the second quarter to get to halftime down 51-39 and then came out hustling in the third quarter to get to 58-51 with 5 minutes and 4 seconds to go, but they headed into the fourth quarter trailing by 16 points.
Chandler Parsons led Dallas with 19 points, 10 rebounds and three assists. Zaza Pachulia posted his 22nd double-double of the season with 16 points and 12 rebounds in his return from missing three games with a sore Achilles.
Thunder 116, Rockets 108
In Oklahoma City, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook combined for 59 points to lead the Thunder over the Rockets.
Durant scored 33 points on 11-of-18 shooting from the field and had 12 rebounds and three assists. Westbrook picked up his sixth triple-double of the season with 26 points, 10 rebounds and 14 assists.
Enes Kanter came off the bench to contribute 22 points and 10 rebounds.
James Harden led the Rockets with 33 points, seven rebounds and seven assists.
Heat 107, Bucks 103
In Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Dwyane Wade scored 21 points, including the go-ahead jumper with 45 seconds left, as Miami wrapped up a five-game road trip.
Chris Bosh finished with 20 points, Luol Deng had 16 and Amar’e Stoudemire and Goran Dragic each added 12.
Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 28 points, four rebounds and six assists. Milwaukee also got 24 points from Greg Monroe.
Knicks 102, Suns 84
In New York City, the Knicks ended a four-game losing run and extended Phoenix’s road losing streak to 13.
The Suns’ road drought is the franchise’s longest in 32 years.
Carmelo Anthony returned after missing two games with a sore knee to contribute 19 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists for his 12th double-double of the season. Arron Afflalo chipped in with 17 points for the Knicks.
Celtics 113, Magic 94
In Boston, Massachusetts, the sizzling Celtics used balanced scoring to cruise to their fifth straight win.
Boston had seven players score in double figures and sent the Magic to their eighth straight loss and 12th in their last 13 games in the opener of a home-and-home series that moves to Orlando today.
Boston blew open a semi-close game by going on a 22-4 tear that ended with a 15-0 run in the first 5:32 of the fourth quarter. Marcus Smart and Kelly Olynyk led the Celtics with 16 points apiece.
Jazz 103, Timberwolves 90
In Salt Lake City, Karl-Anthony Towns scored 32 points for Minnesota, but his big night was overshadowed by Rodney Hood and Derrick Favors.
Hood led the Jazz with 22 points and Favors had 20 points and nine rebounds in his first start since Dec. 23. He returned this week after missing 16 games because of back spasms. Rudy Gobert contributed 14 points, 12 rebounds and two blocks.
Towns hit 13-of-17 shots from the floor and grabbed 12 rebounds, Gorgui Dieng contributed 20 points and 15 rebounds, and Zach Lavine scored 19 off the bench for Minnesota, which has lost 10 consecutive road games and 14-of-16 overall.
Trail Blazers 109, Hornets 91
In Portland, Oregon, guards Damian Lillard, Allen Crabbe and CJ McCollum combined for 59 points to lead the Trail Blazers to a 109-91 victory over the Charlotte Hornets at the Moda Center.
Lillard had 22 points, Crabbe 20 and McCollum 17 for the Trail Blazers (22-26), who won for the seventh time in their last nine outings.
Portland broke open a tight game by outscoring Charlotte 33-24 in the third quarter and held off a late Hornets rally.
Forward Al-Farouq Aminu (17 points, 12 rebounds) and center Mason Plumlee (13 points, 12 boards) each had double-doubles for the Trail Blazers (22-26).
Clippers 105, Lakers 93
In Los Angeles, California, point guard Chris Paul had 27 points and seven assists, sparking the Clippers to a 105-93 victory over the Lakers at the Staples Center.
Guard Austin Rivers scored 17 points and guard Lance Stephenson added 16 for the Clippers (31-16), who beat the Lakers for the ninth consecutive time. Guard Jamal Crawford contributed 15 points.
Forward Julius Randle led the Lakers (9-40), who lost their ninth game in a row, with a career-high 23 points and 14 rebounds.
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