-
Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James - Source: Reuters -
Related
LeBron James found his scoring touch in the second half to grab
24 of his game-high 30 points and lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to a
104-93 victory over Eastern Conference rivals Boston on
Monday.
In his second game back from an ankle injury, James shook off a
scoreless second quarter and also added eight rebounds and seven
assists.
"I was doing a lot of setting up (team mates) in the first half,"
James told reporters. "I got my guys good looks and opportunities
at the basket. But I had to be a little more assertive individually
in the second half and attack some of the things I saw, but didn't
attack, in the first half."
The Cavaliers pulled away in the third with a 12-4 run to end the
quarter. They led by as many as 17 in the fourth.
Ray Allen scored 20 points while Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett both
added 18 for the Celtics (41-24), who lost to Cleveland for the
second successive time.
The NBA-leading Cavs (52-15) routed Boston 108-88 on Feb. 25 in a
game that saw center Shaquille O'Neal suffer a thumb injury. O'Neal
is still sidelined, but trade acquisition Antawn Jamison returned
after missing a game with a knee injury and scored 15.
Cleveland also got a boost from Anderson Varejao, who grabbed 10
rebounds and had 13 of his 17 points in the second quarter.
"I wouldn't say he gets under people's skin, but he does play with
a lot of energy," Garnett said of Varejao.
"He knows his place on their team and he doesn't come out of his
role. He's effective and he's aggressive. If you want to beat
Cleveland, you definitely have to take care of Anderson."
