James scores 35 points to lead Cavs past Bucks



The victory over Milwaukee was Cleveland's fifth straight at home.
CLEVELAND (AP) -- LeBron James scored 35 points and shook off the effects of a hard fall as the Cleveland Cavaliers rebounded from an awful loss with a 96-88 win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday night.
James landed with a thud under the basket on a drive late in the third quarter, but after having his left thigh treated by Cleveland's trainers, the third-year star led a fourth-quarter push that gave the Cavs their ninth win in 11 games.
Drew Gooden added a season-high 17 rebounds and Donyell Marshall scored 14 points, including a crucial 3-pointer that put the Cavs ahead 89-80 with 3:05 remaining.
Slightly improved
The Cavaliers were coming off a 90-81 loss on Thursday against Houston when they went just 8-of-18 on free throws and 7-of-29 on 3-pointers. The Cavs weren't much better, going 17-of-29 from the line and 7-of-24 on 3s, but they did just enough to win their fifth straight at home against Milwaukee.
The Cavaliers are 2-1 without Larry Hughes, their second-leading scorer, who will miss at least six weeks following surgery to fix a broken finger.
Michael Redd scored 30 points to pace the Bucks, who have lost three straight for the first time this season. T.J. Ford came back after missing four games with a foot sprain to add 10 points, seven rebounds and five assists for Milwaukee.
James, who nearly banged his head on the backboard blocking a shot in the third period, added seven rebounds and six assists. He's averaging 39.6 points, 8.3 rebounds and 8.3 assists in three games against Milwaukee this season.
The Cavaliers were only up 65-64 after three, but James made a pair of long 3-pointers, added two assists and scored on a drive to put Cleveland ahead 83-76 with 5:17 remaining. Marshall's big 3 put them up by nine, and the Bucks only got as close as six the rest of the way.
Jones booed
Cavs reserve guard Mike Wilks played a season-high 26 minutes and most of the fourth quarter as coach Mike Brown chose to keep Damon Jones, who is starting in place of Hughes, on the bench for the entire final period.
After Jones missed his first two 3s of the third, some aggravated Cavs fans booed the self-described "best shooter in the world," who is a combined 5-for-28 in his last six games.
Jones made his next one, and promptly covered his ears with his hands before running back on defense. A few seconds later, Jones shouted, "Boo that!" and as he checked in following a timeout, he said, "Put that in your newspaper, I don't want no more applause."
Toni Kukoc came off the bench in the first quarter and drained a 3, the first points for Milwaukee's reserves in two games against the Cavs this week. On Thursday, Milwaukee's backups didn't score, their first dry spell for a full game since Nov. 27, 1970.
Notes
Jones signed an agreement with Li-Ning, a Chinese athletic shoe and apparel company. "I got billboards all over China," said Jones, only half-joking with reporters before the game. "I got wax sculptures. I'm an icon. I'm global. Who's that global around here, except LeBron James?" The NBA agreed to allow its players to wear and endorse Li-Ning gear last year. ... Cavs F Anderson Varejao, sidelined all season following shoulder surgery, has returned to practice and is expected to rejoin the club by the end of the month -- earlier than expected.
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