Cavaliers stage comeback to beat Lakers
LeBron James scored 14 of his 41 points in the fourth quarter on Sunday as the Cleveland Cavaliers staged another late rally to beat the Los Angeles Lakers 98-95 in a National Basketball Association contest.
James scored his team's final eight points as the Cavaliers notched their fifth straight victory over the the Lakers.
Larry Hughes and Zydrunas Ilgauskas chipped in 16 points apiece for the Cavaliers, who posted their league-high 17th fourth-quarter comeback.
James entered the game averaging an NBA-leading 29.6 points per game. He had been even better over his previous seven games, averaging 32.4 points, 9.1 rebounds and 6.9 assists.
With the Cavaliers trailing, James took charge.
Kobe Bryant's jump shot tied the score at 92-92 and Luke Walton made a free-throw to give the Lakers a one-point lead with 1:20 to play.
James responded by driving for a layup, which he followed with a long-range jump shot that put the Cavaliers ahead 93-90.
The Lakers had a chance to regain the lead when Walton stole Cleveland's inbound pass and fed the ball to Bryant, but the nine-time All-Star couldn't convert the layup.
James was fouled and sank two free throws with nine seconds left to push it back to a three-point lead.
Despite taking a timeout that moved the ball to half-court, the Lakers were unable to get off a game-tying attempt before the buzzer.
The Lakers have now lost three straight games for the first time this season.
AFP
