Comeback stings Hornets

Trailing by 25 points, the Cavs rallied for an improbable win.
CLEVELAND (AP) -- Jason Kapono looked down at the nasty, jagged scratch on his chest that was inflicted by an opponent's finger nail and worried he might be in trouble.
"I guess I'm going to have to explain that one to my fiancee," Cleveland's rookie quipped.
Kapono and the Cavaliers did some clawing back of their own Monday night, rallying from 25 points down in the first half for a 104-100 win over New Orleans.
In a season that has been one long comeback for the Cavaliers, this was a win worth savoring.
"This is sweet," guard Jeff McInnis said. "I've never come back from so far down before. I've been on the other end. This is a lot more fun."
Cleveland's improbable win completed a four-day stretch in which the Cavs beat the defending NBA champion San Antonio Spurs, turned fans at Madison Square Garden against the New York Knicks and stunned the Hornets.
Suddenly, there seems to be nothing these Cavs can't do.
"We're coming together as a family," LeBron James said.
James scored 21 points and Kapono added a season-high 19 for Cleveland, which trailed 49-24 midway through the second period before storming back.
Playoff chase
Carlos Boozer had 24 points, and McInnis added 14 and nine assists for the Cavs, who after starting the season 6-19, enduring turmoil and two major trades, are within 11/2 games of a playoff spot.
"The chemistry is really great," coach Paul Silas said. "We're finding combinations. We're finding ways to win. We're learning how to fight through adversity."
And historical? Not sure.
Neither the Cavs nor the Elias Sports Bureau -- the NBA's official keeper of records -- could determine if it was Cleveland's largest comeback.
But there's no need to look up if it was one of the Cavs' most improbable.
"When we were behind by 25, no one in their right mind thought we would come back," said Kapono, who didn't play in Sunday's win at New York.
Only once before had the Hornets blown a 25-point lead. They also did it on March 1, 1996, at Minnesota.
Second-half surge
The Cavaliers were twice down by 25 in the second quarter. But by halftime, they were within 14. At the end of the third, they had closed to four and they took their first lead at 83-82 on McInnis' short jumper with 7:42 to play.
But as has been the case with most of their games this season, this one went to the final horn as Baron Davis hit a 3-pointer with 6.1 seconds remaining to get the Hornets to 102-100.
However, Boozer made two free throws with 5.1 seconds to go, and with the lead seemingly safe, Silas raised his right fist in the air to celebrate a win over the team that fired him after last season.
Davis led the Hornets with 34 points and Jamal Mashburn had 23, but after a strong start, the two struggled from the field. They opened a combined 13-for-13 from the floor but went 7-for-32 the rest of the way.
"They just kept on playing," Mashburn said. "They kept attacking and we didn't. That's the bottom line."
Kapono sparked the Cavs' comeback, draining all five of his 3s and adding five rebounds and three steals in 28 minutes. The second-round draft pick from UCLA had played just 19 minutes in his previous five games.
"I'm not the most talented guy in here," he said looking around the Cavs' locker room. "I'm probably the 14th most talented guy on the roster, but I can play a little."