LeBron James on Wednesday made a triumphant return to Cleveland and received a standing ovation from fans before leading the Los Angeles Lakers over the Cavaliers 109-105.
James scored 32 points, grabbed 14 rebounds and made seven assists to spark the Lakers, who closed the contest with an 18-6 run to win for the sixth time in seven games.
“We cranked up our defense in the fourth quarter,” James said. “They played a heck of a game, but we kept our composure. We’re a young crew. We keep getting better.”
Photo: AP
It was an emotional night for James in his first game back after leaving the Cavaliers in July, but nothing like his 2010 return after departing Cleveland for Miami when fans booed him.
There were cheers when James trotted onto the court for pre-game warm-ups, a huge standing ovation when he was introduced and, after James scored on the Lakers’ first possession, a video highlight tribute to huge applause.
“To come back and get the reception I got, it means a lot not only to myself, but my family,” James said. “My 11 years I played for this franchise I tried to give everything I could on and off the court.”
The Lakers improved to 10-7, their best since April 2013, while the Cavs fell to an NBA-worst 2-14.
Also on Wednesday, Reigning NBA champions Golden State suffered a fourth consecutive loss for the first time since 2013 — 450 games ago — as the Warriors fell at home to Oklahoma City 123-95.
Thunder guard Russell Westbrook had 11 points, 11 rebounds and 13 assists for his 105th career triple-double.
German reserve Dennis Schroder scored a game-high 32 points, with Durant and Klay Thompson each hitting 27 for the Warriors, who lacked injured Stephen Curry.
“I think we can be really great,” Schroder said. “Defensively, we give people problems. We just need to keep working and getting better.”
Oklahoma City won for the 11th time in 13 games, a 25-4 Thunder run in the fourth quarter breaking open a tight game.
Two 20-year-old Thunder guards left with injuries: Terrance Ferguson in the first quarter with a left-ankle sprain and Hamidou Diallo carried off on a stretcher with a severe leg injury in the fourth.
In a close contest, Cameroonian center Joel Embiid outshined New Orleans big man Anthony Davis to power the Philadelphia 76ers over the Pelicans 121-120.
Embiid fouled Davis on a three-point shot with two seconds remaining. Davis hit two free throws, but missed the third and Embiid batted away the rebound to keep the Sixers unbeaten at home (10-0) with a fourth consecutive win.
Embiid finished with game highs of 31 points and 19 rebounds, while Davis had 12 points, 16 rebounds, five steals and five blocked shots.
Jonas Valanciunas scored 24 points and Kyle Lowry had 21 points, 17 assists and 12 rebounds to spark the NBA-best Toronto Raptors over hosts Atlanta 124-108.
James Harden scored 43 points and Clint Capela added 27 points and 15 rebounds to power the Houston Rockets over visiting Detroit 126-124.
Greek star Giannis Antetokounmpo had 33 points, 16 rebounds and nine assists to power Milwaukee over Portland 143-100, improving the Bucks to an NBA second-best 13-4 and dropping the Trail Blazers from the Western Conference lead.
Memphis edged San Antonio 104-103 on two Marc Gasol free-throws with 0.7 seconds remaining to seize the West lead.
ANFIELD BLUES: Kylian Mbappe arrived at Anfield on a run of 21 goals in 17 games, but he managed just three attempts in the match, none of them hitting the target Kylian Mbappe has been nearly unstoppable this season, but he hit a roadblock in their UEFA Champions League match at Anfield on Tuesday. For the second year running, the Real Madrid forward had a night to forget at Merseyside as Liverpool won 1-0. Mbappe looked a shadow of the player who has been tearing defenses apart all season. “We were lacking that threat in the final third,” said Madrid coach Xabi Alonso, without naming Mbappe individually. The FIFA World Cup winner for France rarely looked capable of finding a breakthrough against a Liverpool team who have been so defensively fragile for much of the
LOCAL SUCCESS: In the doubles, Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia defeated Italians Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini in straight sets Elena Rybakina on Monday punched her ticket to the WTA Finals last four with an impressive 3-6, 6-1, 6-0 victory over second seed Iga Swiatek in round-robin play in Riyadh. After cruising past Amanda Anisimova in her opener on Saturday, Rybakina claimed her second win of the week to guarantee herself top spot in the Serena Williams Group. Anisimova on Monday rallied back from a set and a break down to triumph 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 in her all-American battle with seventh seed Madison Keys, who has been eliminated from the competition. “Madi was playing so well, it was quite a battle out there,”
Erling Haaland on Sunday scored twice to propel Manchester City up to second in the English Premier League with a 3-1 win over AFC Bournemouth. The Cherries started the day in second thanks to the longest unbeaten run in the English top flight, but Andoni Iraola’s side were undone by the scintillating form of the Norwegian striker, who took his tally to 13 Premier League goals in 10 games. Haaland’s relentless streak is maintaining City’s title challenge as they reduced the gap to leaders Arsenal back to six points and edged one point ahead of Liverpool, who they face at the weekend. “Important
For almost 30 minutes, Vitomir Maricic did not take a breath. Face down in a pool, surrounded by anxious onlookers, the Croatian freediver fought spasming pain to redefine what doctors thought was possible. When he finally surfaced, he had smashed the previous Guinness World Record for the longest breath-hold underwater by nearly five minutes. However, even with the help of pure oxygen before the attempt, it had pushed him to the limit. “Everything was difficult, just overwhelming,” Maricic, 40, told reporters, reflecting on the record-breaking day on June 14. “When I dive, I completely disconnect from everything, as if I’m not even there.
RSS