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CLEVELAND (Reuters) – The Cleveland Cavaliers overcame the absence of LeBron James to earn a 97-95 victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Monday.
With James sidelined for the second game in a row due to an injured ankle, the Cavaliers sunk eight consecutive free throws as time wound down to hold off the charging Spurs.
« This is a resilient team, » said Cavs coach Mike Brown. « We have a lot of capable players. The thing you look for is you want to make sure guys keep trusting one another. That trust factor was a big thing. »
Cleveland’s Delonte West scored 10 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter, and Mo Williams added 17 and eight assists, to help the NBA’s top team improve to 50-15.
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By TIM REYNOLDS, AP Sports Writer
MIAMI (AP)—Jermaine O’Neal(notes) called it, telling teammates in overtime that the next time someone drove the lane he would be there to take the charge.
That someone was Kobe Bryant(notes).
And O’Neal delivered on his vow.
O’Neal stood his ground with 18.7 seconds left in the extra session and Bryant was whistled for an offensive foul. It was the final turning point as the Miami Heat found a way to beat the Los Angeles Lakers 114-111 in the NBA’s wildest back-and-forth game this season.
There were 19 ties and 31 lead changes, two more than any game in the league in 2009-10, and Miami’s center stood tallest at the end.
“He was there. He stepped up,” said Dwyane Wade(notes), who led the Heat with 27 points and 14 assists. “I saw it coming the whole way. That’s J.O.—J.O. not only protects the basket by being a shotblocker, but he also protects it because he can take charges. And that’s great. Everybody did their job tonight.”
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