LeBron James fires to ensure Cleveland Cavaliers beat Ben Simmons’ Philadelphia 76ers
LEBRON James had his 58th career triple-double as the NBA superstar’s Cleveland Cavaliers stopped Ben Simmons’ Philadelphia 76ers for the second time in less than a fortnight.
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LEBRON James had his 58th career triple-double as the NBA superstar’s Cleveland Cavaliers shot down Ben Simmons’ Philadelphia 76ers for the second time in less than a fortnight.
But the rising Aussie star again made his presence felt, himself recording a double-double to almost pinch an upset win on the Cavs’ home court.
Cleveland rallied in the fourth quarter to beat 76ers 105-98, with James piling in 30 points, grabbing 13 rebounds and dishing 13 assists to help the Cavaliers bounce back from a loss in Indiana on Friday night.
Simmons’ breakaway dunk gave Philadelphia a 96-91 lead, but the Cavaliers ended the game on a 14-2 run, with James imposing himself on the game to ensure the home team finished on top.
HOW! pic.twitter.com/YPdL9nkJBZ
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) December 10, 2017
First James converted a three-point play and Kyle Korver hit a 3-pointer to give Cleveland the lead. Dwyane Wade added two baskets and Jae Crowder’s 3-pointer put the Cavaliers ahead 104-98. James had nine points, seven rebounds and six assists in the fourth quarter in his third triple-double of the season.
Covington and J.J. Redick scored 19 points each for Philadelphia. Both starting centres missed the game. Joel Embiid sat out for Philadelphia because he hasn’t been cleared to play on back-to-back nights and Kevin Love didn’t play because of a sore left hip.
gg @cavs pic.twitter.com/s7xJtipZmk
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) December 10, 2017
HEAT 101, NETS 89
Goran Dragic and Tyler Johnson each scored 20 points and Miami beat Brooklyn in the Heat’s first game in Mexico in franchise history. Playing in front of 19,777 fans at raucous Arena Ciudad de Mexico, Dragic was 9 of 19 from the field and had seven rebounds for Miami. The Heat snapped a two- game losing streak to improve to 12-13.
James Johnson added 17 points, Justice Winslow had 15 and Kelly Olynyk 11 for Miami. The Heat rallied from two seven-point deficits.
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson led the Nets with 18 points. Coming off a 100-95 victory over Oklahoma City on Thursday night in the Mexico City opener, the Nets dropped to 10-15.
LAKERS 110, HORNETS 99
Jordan Clarkson scored 14 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter and Los Angeles BEAT fatigued and shorthanded Charlotte. Brandon Ingram added 18 points, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope 15 and Lonzo Ball had five points and nine assists for the Lakers. They have won two straight after losing five in a row.
Kemba Walker scored 23 points and Dwight Howard had 21 points and 12 rebounds for Charlotte. The Hornets have lost seven of eight.
CLIPPERS 113, WIZARDS 112
Lou Williams hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 1.2 seconds remaining, lifting Los Angeles past Washington.
With Bradley Beal guarding him, Williams unleashed the winner from the top of the key, capping a wild final 12 seconds in which both teams traded leads on clutch plays.
After Williams’ basket, there was a video review of Beal’s potential winning baseline jumper. The referees decided to replay the last 1.1 seconds. Marcin Gortat’s jumper bounced off the rim at the buzzer.
Williams scored 35 points to lead a dominant bench effort for the Clippers. They snapped a four-game skid, with their reserves outscoring Washington’s 59-47. Beal scored 20 of his 25 points in the second half. Otto Porter Jr. had 27 points and 11 rebounds.
BEN 🔨 pic.twitter.com/Ycpctto40A
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) December 10, 2017
BULLS 104, KNICKS 102
Kris Dunn made two free throws with 2.9 seconds left to lift Chicago past New York..
Dunn was fouled by Courtney Lee while driving to the basket. Following a time-out, the Knicks — who scored 10 straight points to tie it at 102 — had a chance to tie or take the lead, but Kristaps Porzingis missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer.
Nikola Mirotic, in just his second game of the season, had 19 points to help Chicago win its second straight. Dunn finished with 17 points, nine assists and seven rebounds.
Porzingis had 23 points for New York. The Knicks are 1-8 on the road.
HAWKS 117, MAGIC 110
Ersan Ilyasova scored 26 points on 9-for-9 shooting and Atlanta overcame Nikola Vucevic’s triple-double to beat Orlando.
Vucevic had 31 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists, and Jonathan Simmons added a career-high 29 points for the Magic. They beat the Hawks 110-106 in overtime Wednesday night in Orlando.
Kent Bazemore scored six late points for Atlanta, with two baskets coming on dunks following steals. The Hawks tied a season high with 17 3-pointers on 33 tries. Ilyasova hit all five of his attempts.
AP
Originally published as LeBron James fires to ensure Cleveland Cavaliers beat Ben Simmons’ Philadelphia 76ers