CLEVELAND—LeBron James’s numbers have done more than move the Cavaliers near the top of the Eastern Conference. He also has placed himself squarely in the discussion to win his fifth Most Valuable Player (MVP) award.
James had 29 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists for his 60th career triple-double Cleveland beat the short-handed Utah Jazz 109-100 last Saturday night
James had his fifth triple-double of the season and third in his last four games, passing Larry Bird for sixth on the career list. James had 10 points in the fourth quarter, was 9 of 15 from the field and 10 of 10 at the foul line.
James has been playing at an extraordinary level all season, prompting the MVP discussion. With his 33rd birthday approaching, he’s showing no signs of age.
“I feel good,” James said. “I mean, this is my 15th year, but this is one of the best years I’ve had as far as how I feel, and I want to continue that. I want to kind of try to break the mold just for the next generation, just take the narrative out of, ‘You’re past your prime when you hit 31,’ or ‘You’re past your prime in your 12th year in the league,’ or whatever the case may be.”
James was asked if he could envision anyone being as dominant as he’s been at his age.
“As dominant as me,” he said with a laugh. “We’ll see. I know what I’m doing hasn’t been done a lot in the history of the game. You look at the minutes I’ve played, the consecutive Finals I’ve been a part of, the toll on my body. It hasn’t been done.”
Utah coach Quin Snyder wasn’t surprised about James’s performance.
“The game kind of went like a lot of Cavaliers games; LeBron just making plays at the end of the game,” Snyder said.
Cavaliers Coach Tyronn Lue said following the game he discussed resting James last Sunday night’s game at Washington. His star player’s simple reply: “Nope.”
Cleveland has won 17 of 18 overall and 11 straight at Quicken Loans Arena.
Center Rudy Gobert (sprained ligament and bone bruise in left knee) and forward Derrick Favors (left eye laceration) were out for Utah. Both were injured last Friday night in a win in Boston.
Rookie Donovan Mitchell led the Jazz with 26 points, making 10 of 15 from the field. Utah made 17 of 34 3-point attempts.
Kevin Love added 15 points for the Cavaliers.
James scored six straight points after Utah cut the lead to 102-97 with four minutes left.
James scored or assisted on each of Cleveland’s first 13 points. A left-handed dunk off a lob pass from Jeff Green on a fast break late in the first quarter brought the crowd to its feet.
Korver scored 12 points, and Green had 11. Rookie Cedi Osman scored a career-high 10 points, including five in the fourth quarter.
Gobert had an MRI last Saturday and will be reevaluated in two weeks. Favors had six stitches after being hit with an elbow against Boston and could return on Monday.
James Harden, meanwhile, nursed a sore knee and said he came close to not playing last Saturday night.
When team doctors warned him that it would be painful, but he could play through it, he said, “Let’s go.”
Harden scored 31 points and Chris Paul had 25 and the Rockets beat the Milwaukee Bucks, 115-111, for their 13th straight victory.
The winning streak is the Rockets’ longest since a franchise-best 22 straight in 2007-08.
Harden hit a step-back three-pointer over Malcolm Brogdon and was fouled, giving Houston an 11-point lead with less than six minutes remaining. In the last two minutes, Paul hit back-to-back mid-range jumpers on consecutive possessions to put the game out of reach.
“Mentally, this was a big win for us,” Paul said. “We never let go of the rope. Every time they made a little push, we stayed right there down the stretch. James was out there, basically, on one leg. The mental toughness we showed as a team is what we take from this game.”
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 28 points, nine rebounds, five assists and four steals for Milwaukee. Khris Middleton had 23 points, and Brogdon added 20. Milwaukee has lost three in a row after winning six of seven.
“Harden made some tough shots and Chris Paul made some big shots down the stretch as well,” Bucks coach Jason Kidd said. “We gave ourselves a chance, but we just came up short.”
The Rockets grinded through frustrations, 15 turnovers and a below-average shooting night. Paul had a technical foul, Harden had a delay of game warning, and the Rockets faced serious adversity for the first time in weeks. Entering Saturday, Houston had dominated teams in its streak, winning all but two games by double figures with an average margin of victory of 16.9 points.
“We just didn’t have our best stuff tonight,” Rockets Coach Mike D’Antoni said. “But we found a way. It was one of those typical grind games where you’ve just got to find a way somehow.”
Paul scored 23 of his 25 points in the second half, overcoming a rocky first half where he missed all five shots he attempted and turned the ball over five times.
“I had never coached him in a back-to-back, but I’m thin king he’s kind of dead,” D’Antoni said. “Then, all of a sudden, he comes out in the third quarter and turns into Superman.”
Paul made seven-of-eight shots in the second half, including three-of-four from beyond the arc, also making all eight free throws in the game.
Image credits: AP