By Jason Lloyd | Akron Beacon Journal
CLEVELAND—The milestone pass was vintage LeBron James, one of those skip passes in traffic few others can even see developing, let alone complete the play.
But James’s brilliant bounce pass to Tristan Thompson on Saturday resulted in a dunk and James’s 7,000th career assist, making him the first frontcourt player to ever reach the lofty figure.
James was his brilliant self again in a 116-105 victory against the Charlotte Hornets. He scored a season-high 44 points, passed for 10 assists and grabbed nine rebounds. The 44 points by James matches the most he has scored in a regular-season game since returning to Cleveland and matched the 44 he scored in a Game One overtime loss against the Golden State Warriors in Game One of the Finals in 2015.
Every time the Hornets rallied, James was there to swat them away. His consecutive three-pointers late in the third quarter, after the Hornets pulled within 75-72, kept the Cavaliers in control the rest of the night.
Kevin Love scored 22 points and Tristan Thompson had 13 points and 12 rebounds, but the night belonged to James as the Cavs shot a season-best 58 percent from the floor to win their fourth in a row. The Cavs’ two best shooting nights of the season both came this weekend. The 55 percent they shot on Friday against the Miami Heat lasted just 24 hours.
“It’s difficult, or hopeless sometimes, to watch. That’s why their team is so well put together,” Hornets coach Steve Clifford said. “You have three star-level players, two superstars really, and they’re surrounded by all guys who can shoot.”
The Cavs’ third star, Kyrie Irving, struggled through one of his toughest nights. Irving finished with 11 points, ending his streak of 12 consecutive games with at least 20 points. That was the longest streak of Irving’s career and the longest active streak in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
The Cavs made 13 more three-pointers, offsetting their 18 turnovers. But Clifford said it begins with James.
“They have one of the great creators, passers probably in the history of our game and they sometimes surround him with four good three-point shooters. It starts with him,” Clifford said. “If you make a mistake, he’s going to make you pay.”
The Cavs shot 68 percent in the first half and maintained a 17-point lead early in the third quarter before the Hornets began to rally. A short jumper by Nic Batum pulled the Hornets within three before James went back to work.
It was James’ first 40-point game during the regular season since February 26, 2015 when he scored 42 in a home win against the Golden State Warriors, although he did it in consecutive victories during last season’s NBA Finals against the Warriors.
In other games, Denver beat Orlando 121-113; Indiana over Portland 118-111; Washington edged Milwaukee 110-105; Chicago defeated Miami 105-100; Houston trounced Dallas 109-87; Memphis beat Golden State 110-89; San Antonio demolished Brooklyn 130-101; Utah downed Sacramento 104-84; and Los Angeles Clippers defeated New Orleans, 133-105.
With AP
Image credits: AP