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Kent Smith

James ties Michael Jordan's double-digit scoring record as Cavs down Hornets

LeBron finished with 41 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists last night.

CLEVELAND SUPERSTAR LEBRON James matched NBA icon Michael Jordanโ€™s record streak of 866 straight double-digit scoring games Wednesday in leading the Cavaliers to a 118-105 victory over the Charlotte Hornets.

James finished with 41 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists for the Cavs, who bounced back from a dismal defeat in Miami on Tuesday in which they scored just 79 points.

He hit double digits in the second quarter with an alley-oop dunk off a pass from JR Smith.

โ€œAny time Iโ€™m in the same conversation with Mike and other great guys it lets me know Iโ€™m doing the right thing,โ€ said James, whose streak began on January 6, 2007.

Jordan put together his streak from 1986-2001.

It was a milestone night for Charlotteโ€™s Kemba Walker as well. With 21 points he surpassed Dell Curry (9,839 points) as the Hornetsโ€™ all-time leading scorer.

James said such moments should be savored โ€” even in a losing effort. But he said records arenโ€™t what drive him.

โ€œMy motivation is love of the game,โ€ he said.

James said the Cavs had to bounce back after they were stymied by the Heat.

โ€œMiami did a great job of pushing us out of our comfort zone and we wanted to come in here tonight and try to get that back, and we did that,โ€ said James.

Cleveland, who were without Kevin Love after the forward suffered a concussion in Miami, are just half a game ahead of the Philadelphia 76ers for third place in the Eastern Conference.

The 76ersโ€™ 118-101 victory over the New York Knicks was their eighth straight, their longest winning streak since they won nine in a row from February 12 through March 3, 2003.

Dario Saric led Philadelphia with 26 points, 14 rebounds and five assists, but the 76ers saw All-Star Joel Embiid depart in the first half with what the team called a facial contusion after an accidental collision with teammate Markelle Fultz.

The Sixers initial tests didnโ€™t indicate a concussion, but Embiid was hospitalized after the game, posting a brief video of himself there on Instagram captioned โ€œNot Goodโ€.

In Minneapolis, Minnesotaโ€™s Karl-Anthony Towns erupted for a career-high 56 points to propel the Timberwolves to a 126-114 victory over the Atlanta Hawks.

The victory snapped a two-game skid for the Timberwolves, who are chasing their first playoff berth since 2004 and who moved up to seventh in the Western Conference with the win and Utahโ€™s 97-94 loss to the Boston Celtics that dropped the Jazz into the eighth and final playoff spot.

โ€œItโ€™s great to have nights like this, but itโ€™s better to be in the playoffs,โ€ said the 22-year-old Towns, who eclipsed the club scoring record of 52 points held by Mo Williams.

But nothing is assured as the regular season hurtles to a finish. The Los Angeles Clippers, ninth in the West, kept the pressure on Minnesota and Utah with a 111-99 victory over the Suns in Phoenix.

The Jazz endured a heart-breaker on their home floor in Salt Lake City.

The Celtics arrived without injured All-Star Al Horford and Marcus Morris as well as Kyrie Irving โ€” who is out for the rest of the regular-season after knee surgery โ€” but came away with an unlikely win thanks to Jaylen Brownโ€™s buzzer-beating three-pointer.

โ€œWeโ€™re fighters,โ€ said Bostonโ€™s Shane Larkin, who came off the bench to score 10 points. โ€œThatโ€™s what we do.โ€

It was a big night for CJ McCollum in Memphis, where he scored 42 points to lead the lowly Grizzlies to a 108-103 victory over a Portland Trail Blazers team missing star Damian Lillard โ€” who stayed home for the birth of his first child.

ยฉ โ€“ AFP 2018

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    Mute Tony Walsh
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    Nov 2nd 2020, 7:09 PM

    Nice to hear a little insight into some coaches minds. Some points stand out that could be taken on board at any level.

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