NBA
CAVALIERS 90, NETS 88
CLEVELAND -- LeBron James has turned in countless clutch performances during his career.
The four-time MVP added another to the list Saturday night.
James made a running hook shot with a second left and scored 26 points, giving the Cleveland Cavaliers a 90-88 victory over the Brooklyn Nets.
"Obviously, I want the ball in my hands down the stretch," he said. "I feel like I can make something happen for not only myself but for our team. I'm happy I was able to come through for us."
After Joe Johnson's three foul shots tied the game with 15.2 seconds left, the Cavaliers called timeout and took the ball at midcourt.
James took the inbounds pass, dribbled to the top of the key before cutting to the right of the lane and hitting a hook shot over Brook Lopez, the Nets' 7-foot center.
"I got to my spot where I wanted to," James said. "I work on those shots. I work on my game a lot. Actually sometimes it's a little easier when you get someone bigger because you have to get it over the top of them and you just float it right over the top of them."
Said Lopez: "LeBron made a great play. I thought we guarded it well, but he made the shot."
James believed it was the first time he hit a game-winner with a hook shot.
"I've made layups, I've made pull-ups, obviously I've made step-back jumpers," he said. "I might go for the sky hook next time."
Asked if that's the play he diagrammed in the huddle, Cavaliers Coach David Blatt smiled and said, "Yeah, just the way I drew it up. Yep. Give it to No. 23."
James scored 10 points and added a key steal late in the game to help Cleveland (13-4) remain unbeaten at home in nine games.
Kevin Love also scored 26 points for Cleveland, which played a sluggish first half and didn't take its first lead until midway through the third quarter.
Lopez led Brooklyn (4-12) with 22 points. Johnson added 17 for the Nets, who fell to 1-10 on the road.
Tristan Thompson's basket with 1:13 remaining gave Cleveland an 86-85 lead and James made two free throws with 16 seconds left, but Johnson was fouled by J.R. Smith attempting a three-pointer.
Johnson hit all three foul shots, but James made sure the Nets' strong effort fell short.
Mo Williams scored 14 points for the Cavaliers while Thompson had 10 points and 11 rebounds. Thaddeus Young had 16 points and 12 rebounds for the Nets.
In other NBA games Saturday, Cory Joseph made a three-pointer at the buzzer to give the Toronto Raptors an 84-82 victory over the Washington Wizards. ... Deron Williams scored 22 points, Zaza Pachulia added 16 points and 12 rebounds, and the Dallas Mavericks used a 16-0 run to begin the second half and beat the Denver Nuggets 92-81, snapping a three-game losing streak. ... Kawhi Leonard scored 22 points and the San Antonio Spurs beat the Atlanta Hawks 108-88, holding the Hawks to several season lows offensively. ... Alec Burks scored 21 points and the Utah Jazz beat the New Orleans Pelicans 101-87.
Sports on 11/29/2015