LOS ANGELES, 29 March 2004 — With the Cleveland Cavaliers in desperate need of a point guard and a win, rookie LeBron James gave his team both. Directing the offense in the absence of Jeff McInnis, James had career highs of 41 points and 13 assists Saturday night as the Cavaliers snapped a four-game losing streak with a 107-104 home victory over the shorthanded New Jersey Nets.
The Cavaliers had played their way into playoff position by winning seven in a row with the offense run by McInnis, who was acquired from Portland in February. But he suffered a bruised right shoulder on March 16, and Cleveland fell into ninth place in the Eastern Conference before McInnis was placed on the injured list prior to Saturday’s contest.
James took over and was simply phenomenal, making 15-of-29 shots and 10-of-10 free throws. He scored 16 points in the fourth quarter, including Cleveland’s last 10. James, who turned 19 on Dec. 30, became the youngest player in NBA history to score 40 points.
Jefferson, who scored a season-high 35 points, missed a jumper. James grabbed the rebound and sped through the defense for a dunk with 1.9 seconds to go. Kerry Kittles’ half-court shot hit the back of the rim as the horn sounded.
Carlos Boozer collected 21 points and 11 rebounds for the Cavs (32-40), who tied Boston for eighth place in the East. The Nets, who lead the Atlantic Division, again were without injured All Stars Jason Kidd and Kenyon Martin.
Utah Jazz 85 Nuggets 83: Puerto Rico’s Carlos Arroyo made a 10-foot runner as time expired, giving the host Jazz a crucial victory. Utah (38-35) moved one game ahead of Denver (38-37) for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
Trail Blazers 115 SuperSonics 108 (OT): Host Portland (37-35) kept pace in the playoff race as Theo Ratliff blocked six shots and scored 18 points, including a key three-point play with 1:45 left in overtime. Seattle (34-39) had a season-high seven-game winning streak snapped.
Spurs 105, Suns 76: Tim Duncan had 14 points and 10 rebounds in just 18 minutes as the host Spurs clinched a playoff berth and swept the season series for the first time since the 1989-90 campaign.
Timberwolves 98 LA Clippers 82: Kevin Garnett had 17 points and 15 rebounds for the visiting Timberwolves, who remained 1 1 2 games ahead of San Antonio atop the Midwest Division as they avoided their first three-game slide of the season. The Clippers have lost seven in a row.
Pistons 100 NY Knicks 85: Tayshaun Prince scored 20 points as host Pistons ended a two-game losing streak. The Knicks (34-40) remained seventh in the Eastern Conference, one game ahead of Cleveland.
Hawks 97 Bulls 88: Stephen Jackson scored 27 points, including seven straight down the stretch, as Atlanta won consecutive games for just the second time this season. Visiting Chicago has lost 11 of 13.
