James had a team record 35 points in the first half and scored 24 successive Cleveland (41-11) points. “It’s something that can’t be explained,” James told reporters. “It’s a feeling I wish I could be in every game, but it’s not possible. “But it was a great moment for myself individually and for our team the way we played to start the game.”James went 17 of 31 from the field, hitting six three-pointers in addition to pulling down eight rebounds and making eight assists as Cleveland built a 24-point lead in the second quarter.
The fast start left Cavaliers coach Mike Brown praising his team’s sharp shooting. “We got the lead because ‘Bron had a great first quarter and we made shots,” Brown said. “We shot 66 percent from the field and scored 74 points.”
James said the Cavs then “got lax” as the Knicks cut the margin to just three with 2:19 to play before James reeled off the game’s final four points. Nate Robinson finished with a team-high 26 points for New York (19-31).
In Portland, Lamar Odom replaced an injured Kobe Bryant and matched his career high with 22 rebounds, as the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Portland Trail Blazers 99-82.
Bryant sat out with a sore left ankle, ending the 12-time All-Star’s run of 235 straight games.
Odom also scored 10 points as the Lakers pulled away in the fourth quarter, leading by as many as 19 points, en route to ending a nine-game losing streak at the Rose Garden.
In Salt Lake City, the Utah Jazz made it eight straight wins to down Denver Nuggets 116-106 Andrei Kirilenko scored 22 points and Carlos Boozer had 19 points and 13 rebounds in his return to the lineup. The Jazz pulled within two games of the Nuggets in the Northwest Division and avoided a four-game sweep by Denver. Even without Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups, the Nuggets were able to cut a 17-point deficit to three early in the fourth quarter before Utah put the game away. Turkish forward Mehmet Okur added eight points with four rebounds and six assists. Ty Lawson led Denver with 25 points.
In Milwaukee, Andrew Bogut bounced back from a migraine to score 21 points to lead the Milwaukee Bucks past the Indiana Pacers 93-81. Other NBA results: New Orleans 104, Charlotte 99; Detroit 99, New Jersey 92; Chicago 95, Miami 91; Minnesota 109, Memphis 102; Philadelphia 102, Houston 95; Oklahoma City 104, Golden State 95; San Antonio 98, LA Clippers 81; and Atlanta at Washington, ppd., snow.
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