NBA James hits 35 as Cavaliers win eighth straight, 101-97

LeBron hit five clutch free throws down the stretch against the Bobcats.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- LeBron James is counting the days to his first playoff appearance.
James scored 35 points, including five free throws down the stretch, to help Cleveland hold off the Charlotte Bobcats 101-97 Sunday for the Cavaliers' eighth straight win.
James, who was 13-for-24 from the field, added 12 rebounds and eight assists despite playing the final 6 minutes with five fouls.
The Cavaliers matched their longest winning streak of the season. Cleveland also won eight straight from Nov. 7-22.
"It's playoff time and we're finding ways to win," James said. "It's great to see."
The win reduced Cleveland's magic number to clinch the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs to four.
The Cavaliers lead Washington by 61/2 games with nine games remaining.
Hughes may return
And it appears the Cavaliers could get starting shooting guard Larry Hughes back in time for Tuesday's game against Philadelphia.
Even though coach Mike Brown downplayed talk he could return this week from a broken right middle finger, James was more confident.
"He's probably going to play Tuesday," James said. "To play at the level we're playing and to get Larry back, wow. That's all I can say about that."
The Bobcats made Cleveland work for the victory, going on an 8-0 run to cut a 10-point deficit to 94-92 on Gerald Wallace's 3-point play with 1:52 left.
On the next possession, James took it strong to the basket, was fouled, and hit two free throws with 1:21 left.
Trailing by three, Wallace missed a contested shot in the lane. James was then fouled, and hit two free throws with 26 seconds left to seal the game.
"For us to get a win off a back-to-back, especially on the road, I don't care the opponent is, this is a good win," said Brown, as the Cleveland played a day after an emotional home win over Miami.
Overcame 20 turnovers
Flip Murray and Drew Gooden each had 16 points for the Cavs, who overcame 20 turnovers to improve to 7-0 all-time against Charlotte.
Raymond Felton had 20 points, Jumaine Jones added 17 and Wallace scored 16 for the Bobcats, who shot 40 percent and were outrebounded 49-34 in losing their second straight game.
"Sometimes the ball just doesn't fall in the basket. It was one of those nights," said Felton, who was 8-of-22 from the field with six turnovers. "We just have to make sure we keep our competitive intensity and keep playing hard every night.
James, coming off a 47-point, 12-rebound 10-assist performance in a win Saturday against Miami, left the crowd buzzing with a high-flying, one-handed dunk off an over-the-shoulder feed from Murray early in the second quarter to put Cleveland ahead 36-28.
The Cavaliers built an 11-point lead in the period, but Charlotte cut it to 53-49 on Bernard Robinson's floater in the lane in the final second of the first half.
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