James inspires Cavaliers
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After LeBron James finished off Utah, Cleveland coach Mike Brown called him Rembrandt. After James did it to Miami on Thursday night, Brown called him Picasso.
Regardless of the artist, James is doing his best work in the paint.
His three-point play on a drive to the basket on Saturday night with 28.8 seconds remaining lifted short-handed Cleveland to a 107-103 victory over the Jazz.
James was 6 of 15 from the floor but scored seven points in the final 28.8 seconds to finish with 21. He also had six rebounds and nine assists. Cleveland (7-3), who were playing without Shaquille O'Neal, have won four straight.
"The way that he has closed these past couple of games has been remarkable," Brown said. "He's closing games with a killer instinct."
James scored Cleveland's final eight points over the final 2:42 to beat Miami on Thursday. Against the Jazz, he did it again - scoring the team's final eight points over the final minute.
"Anytime the game is close or I feel like we have an opportunity to win, I hit the switch and say 'It's time to get going. It's time for you to lead this team,'" James said. "That's what I'm here for. I'm not afraid of the moment. I kind of live for it."
J.J. Hickson set a career high with 20 points, and Mo Williams added 21 for Cleveland.
Carlos Boozer scored 25 points for Utah (4-6), who dressed just nine players for the second straight game. The Jazz were again without starting point guard Deron Williams, who missed his second game while dealing with a medical issue regarding his daughter.
Jazz coach Jerry Sloan doesn't know when Williams will rejoin the team. Utah's next game is on Wednesday night at home against Toronto. The loss to Cleveland completed a 2-2 road trip for the short-handed Jazz.
"Nobody cares what we've done," Sloan said. "We've got to go home and get ready to play again and not worry about who's here and all that stuff you can't talk about. I'll tell you what you can talk about, playing and winning basketball games."
The Cavaliers' 3-point shooting - they were 7 of 14 in the first half - staked them to a 16-point lead early in the second quarter. Utah didn't take their first lead until a pair of Boozer free throws with 1:56 remaining.
Eric Maynor, starting again for Utah in place of Williams, scored a career-high 24 points. Okur, Wesley Matthews and Andrei Kirilenko each added 13 for the Jazz.
Utah couldn't hold off James, who aligned Cleveland's defense coming out of a critical timeout. His three-point play gave the Cavaliers a 103-101 advantage, prompting the Jazz to call a 20-second timeout. As Cleveland aligned defensively, James positioned Anthony Parker down low while he remained high to guard against a 3-pointer.
