NBA Wrap: James Comes Alive

LeBron James was on the sideline when the Cleveland Cavaliers surged past the Detroit Pistons.

Then, he finished them off.

James scored 33 points and got some timely help from Mo Williams and Daniel Gibson in Cleveland's 90-80 win over the Detroit Pistons on Sunday.

With James resting, Williams and Gibson outscored Detroit by themselves in a 15-2 run to take a 73-68 lead early in the fourth quarter.

James sealed the victory on a driving layup, an assist, 3-pointer and free throw to put the Cavs ahead by nine with 2½ minutes left.

The Central Division-leading Cavs have won six of their last seven and are 12 games ahead of Detroit.

Allen Iverson scored 22 points for the Pistons, who have lost nine of 12 and are 21-21 with him.

Magic 113, Raptors 90
Dwight Howard had 29 points and 14 rebounds, Jameer Nelson added 18 points and 10 assists, Orlando never trailed.

Mickael Pietrus scored 22 points and Rashard Lewis had 15 for the Magic, who led by as many as 24 and have won three straight following back-to-back losses to Boston and Miami.

Orlando broke it open with a 20-6 run to start the second half, keyed by two 3-pointers each by Lewis and rookie Courtney Lee. Toronto trailed 87-65 after three quarters.

Orlando, the NBA's best 3-point shooting team, shot 13-for-30 from beyond the arc.

Jose Calderon scored 16 points for Toronto, reserve Joey Graham had 14 and Andrea Bargnani had 12.

Celtics 109, Timberwolves 101
Paul Pierce had 36 points, eight rebounds and six assists, Ray Allen scored 22 and the Celtics won their 11th straight game.

Al Jefferson, the centerpiece of the trade that brought Kevin Garnett to Boston and set the stage for the franchise's 17th NBA title, scored 34 points for the Timberwolves. Jefferson also had 11 rebounds for his 26th double-double of the season.

Boston led by as many as 21 in the third quarter, 71-50, before Minnesota scored 15 of the next 17 points. The Timberwolves got within five in the fourth quarter, 94-89, with 5:20 left, but Allen hit a jumper and Pierce made a pair of free throws to make it a nine-point game.

The Timberwolves had lost three straight since winning 10 of 12.

Garnett missed the game with a high fever.

Kings 122, Thunder 118, OT
Kevin Martin scored 37 points and the Kings ended an eight-game losing streak.

Bobby Jackson had six of his 11 points in overtime. The veteran guard put Sacramento ahead for good with a floater in the lane and followed with a jumper to make it 120-116 with 1:42 left.

Russell Westbrook had a career-high 34 points and added eight assists for the Thunder. Kevin Durant scored 33, Jeff Green had 28 points and 13 rebounds, and Nick Collison added 10 points and 14 boards.

Francisco Garcia had 17 points, Jason Thompson scored 15 and Spencer Hawes finished with 13 for the Kings. Both Garcia and Thompson fouled out in the fourth quarter.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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