CJ Watson leads Warriors with 17 points
CLEVELAND
LeBron James scored 23 points, Zydrunas Ilgauskas added a season-high 21, and the Cleveland Cavaliers matched their best home start in franchise history with a 112-97 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Friday night.
Cleveland (13-3) has won 12 of 13 and is a league-best 9-0 at home, equaling its top home start, first set in 1976-77 and repeated in 1991-92.
James, the league’s leading scorer with a 27.5 average, was removed from the game at the end of the third quarter, playing 31 minutes. He was 9-of-13 from the floor, had seven rebounds and eight assists.
James matched a career low in minutes played with 17 and had a season-low 14 points in Cleveland’s 117-82 win over Oklahoma City on Wednesday night.
The Warriors (5-11) have lost five straight, including the first four on their current road trip. Golden State is 2-7 away from home and ends its trip in New York on Saturday night.
Mo Williams and Daniel Gibson each scored 16 points for Cleveland.
C.J. Watson led Golden State with 17 points. Jamal Crawford added 15.
Cleveland, which hadn’t trailed in winning its previous three games, found the Warriors more difficult to deal with, at least in the early stages. Golden State ran off to a 15-4 lead, made 13 of 25 shots in the first quarter and was ahead for most of the half.
The Cavaliers took over late in the second quarter and never looked back. James, who scored seven points in the first period, re-entered the game midway through the second with the Cavaliers trailing 41-40. He scored nine points and assisted on two other baskets, helping Cleveland build a 58-52 halftime lead.
The Cavaliers continued to roll in the third quarter, building a 71-57 lead. The Cavaliers led by 26 points on two occasions in the third period. Their biggest lead was 28 in the fourth.
Notes:
The Cavaliers play at Milwaukee on Saturday night. … Forwards Ben Wallace and Wally Szczerbiak both had nine rebounds for Cleveland. … Crawford and F Ronny Turiaf were assessed technical fouls for Golden State. … Crawford returns to New York on Saturday after being traded to the Warriors for Al Harrington last week.
