LeBron James had 25 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 95-90 victory against the Charlotte Hornets on Friday. They will play the Wizards in Washington on Saturday, then return home to host the Phoenix Suns on Sunday. James has been irritated by the Cavs’ uneven start to the season and held a players-only meeting after Wednesday’s loss to the Toronto Raptors, ESPN reported.
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Guard J.R. Smith hit a key 3-pointer down the stretch and his two free throws with 12.9 seconds remaining gave the Cavs a 94-90 lead. Smith extended the lead to four on a 3 from the right wing.
The fact that LeBron says he feels healthier at this point in the season than he was last season should be a good sign for the Cavs going forward.
“It was a sigh of relief”, Smith said.
With Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton sitting courtside in a Larry Johnson jersey, the Hornets led most of the way and took a 76-72 advantage into the fourth quarter.
As for the Hornets, Kemba Walker scored 18 points, while Nicolas Batum added 17 points and eight rebounds to lead the team, but unfortunately, it was not enough to give their team the W.
“I’m not there”, James said.
Brooklyn Nets’ Brook Lopez (11) knocks the ball loose from… Despite the improvements, it proves their Achilles heel against championship-caliber teams like Cleveland when forward LeBron James scores 25 points and has 13 rebounds.
ABOUT THE NETS (3-12): In addition to its recent issues in Cleveland, Brooklyn figures to be overmatched in many departments, especially beyond the arc.
Cleveland, which was shooting. The senior swingman scored a season-high 24 points in the Cyclones’ 83-63 win over Chattanooga on Monday, canning six three-pointers.
“I thought that we got exhausted for obvious reasons. It’s the weekend, so I’m ready to get home and do that, too”.
“It comes from within and I’ve always had it”, a frustrated James said Wednesday.
“(James) is a great player. Head coach David Blatt said he felt fatigue and their numerous injures played a factor in the loss. Jarrett Jack is dishing 6.8 assists and Joe Johnson is grabbing 4.8 rebounds. “When you play with guys like a LeBron, who are very focused and very disciplined, in how they prepare and work – not that Kevin didn’t work in Minnesota”. “But I don’t think we improved tonight”. Still dealing with the league and the team but I’m not happy about it all. The Cavs didn’t have their legs under them for the bulk of the night, but while the shots weren’t falling they had no problem shooting themselves in the foot. Now, they get a major break – playing only 11 total road games in December and January. “We’ve got to fix it”.
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Contact Rick Noland at (330) 721-4061 or [email protected]. Jeremy Lamb contributed 11 points and eight boards off the bench, while Jeremy Lin added seven points, four rebounds and four assists.
