Hornets' Davis scores 26 to help drop Cavs, 82-72

Cleveland has lost 30 straight road games.
NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- Baron Davis had little trouble getting the best of his matchup with LeBron James.
Davis scored 26 points and had eight assists to lead the New Orleans Hornets to an 82-72 victory over former coach Paul Silas and the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night.
James scored 15 points but had trouble hitting from outside on a 5-of-17 shooting night. Davis also stole the ball from James on one occasion and finished the play with an emphatic one-handed dunk.
James called Davis "the best guard in the league right now, by far.
"He's the MVP of the league right now and he helps his team win," James said.
David Wesley scored 21 points, and Jamaal Magloire added 12 points and 11 rebounds for the Hornets.
Zydrunas Ilgauskas scored 20 points on 9-of-14 shooting to lead Cleveland, losers of 30 straight road games dating to last season. Jason Kapono had 14 points, including three 3-pointers, one at the first-quarter buzzer that gave the Cavs a 23-22 lead.
The Hornets, coming off a loss a night earlier in Miami, held a double-digit lead most of the second half despite stints of sloppy play and 16 turnovers. Neither team shot particularly well, with the Hornets hitting 38.8 percent from the field and Cleveland 33.7 percent.
Struggles
"I thought it was ugly," Davis said. "We were fatigued a bit at the end. That's what usually happens in back-to-back [games]. The mental focus was difficult to maintain at times."
James dunked on a fast break early in the game for his first points but didn't hit an outside shot until the third quarter.
"I didn't shoot well but I think I contributed in other ways," said James, who had nine assists and eight rebounds. "I just didn't concentrate."
The Cavs played without Ricky Davis, who was benched, and Carlos Boozer, who has a sprained right ankle.
"We just didn't have enough firepower in there, ... but it's not bad to make this kind of showing without those two guys," Silas said. "When they come back, we'll be a better ball club."
The Cavs also were without Ira Newble, suspended by the team for one game because of an argument he had with Silas after the Cavs' loss in Atlanta last Saturday.