CLEVELAND CAVALIERS Clippers bear smiles and battle scars after win

Los Angeles had their second-best November in team history.
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Elton Brand sported a scratch several inches long, from underneath his right eye extending down his cheek.
"It's just a 12-inch welt," he explained. "One of those big guys scratched me right in the face."
It looked painful, but Brand couldn't stop smiling.
That was understandable, considering he had just scored 30 points and equaled a season-high with six assists as the Los Angeles Clippers beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 94-82 on Monday night to complete the second-best November in franchise history.
"What was the best?" Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy asked.
Told it was 12-4 by the 1974-75 team, playing in Buffalo, Dunleavy said: "We'll try that next November."
Missing from action
The Clippers (9-6) won despite playing without leading scorer Corey Maggette (sprained left ankle) and offseason free-agent acquisition Kerry Kittles (sore right knee). Rookie Shaun Livingston (broken kneecap) is also sidelined.
The other times the Clippers have had a winning record in November were in 1977 (8-6) and 1992 (7-6). The franchise was formed in 1970.
Maybe they're a doormat no more.
"We're getting really good defensive play out of our guys and we're getting great ball movement," Dunleavy said. "Those two things are helping us win games."
The loss was just the second in 11 games for the Cavaliers (9-5), who were shooting for their first 10-win November since 1977.
Bobby Simmons had 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Clippers and did a fine defensive job on Cleveland's LeBron James.
"It wasn't just Simmons, it was everybody," James said. "The whole team pretty much collapsed on me, made me give the ball up and made me take tough shots."
Stuffed in the fourth
James had 22 points, seven rebounds, five assists and six steals -- equaling his career high. But he scored only two points in the fourth quarter, when the Clippers outscored the Cavaliers 24-14.
"They were crowding him -- two or three people on him most of the time, and other guys weren't sharp," Cavaliers coach Paul Silas said. "But that's going to happen. We're kind of used to that now. A lot of teams are doubling LeBron, trying to make him give the ball up. So other guys have to step up."
Marko Jaric added 16 points and 11 assists; Mikki Moore scored nine of his 13 points in the fourth quarter, and Chris Wilcox had eight points and 11 rebounds for the Clippers.
Zydrunas Ilgauskas added 16 points, and Lucious Harris scored 11 for the Cavaliers.