Saturday, February 25, 2006
James shot 0-for-8 in the second half of the 102-94 loss.
CLEVELAND (AP) -- Gilbert Arenas has had nights like the one LeBron James had against Washington.
Arenas scored 26 points, and the Wizards shut down James in the second half in a 102-94 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday night.
"We tried to pressure the ball, take him a little out of his game, and see if things might happen," Arenas said. "It's a real good win for us."
James finished with 25 points, but went 0-for-8 from the field and 4-for-12 from the foul line in the second half as Cleveland dropped its second straight after winning three in a row.
"I put all the blame on myself," said James, who came in averaging 35.8 points on 52 percent shooting over his previous five games. "It was a bad performance by me, simple as that."
James missed his final seven from the line -- and was even booed in the final minutes. After missing a shot from the wing with 5 seconds left, he angrily ripped off his headband, threw it into the crowd and walked off the court.
James said he "of course" heard the boos, adding, "If these fans want to boo me, it's on them."
Arenas said he's had tough nights, too.
"I had one of those in Orlando when I missed eight straight," Arenas said. "It's harder at home."
Stepping up
Antawn Jamison scored 25 points and Caron Butler added 24 as Washington snapped a four-game road losing streak. The Wizards have won 15 of their last 21 overall.
It was their second win over Cleveland this month. Arenas outscored James 32-18 in a 12-point win in Washington on Feb. 10.
James had more than shooting troubles. Early in the fourth quarter, he was fouled on a clear break to the basket, then inadvertently poked in the eye by referee Phil Robinson as he leaned in to hear the call. James didn't come out and did not seem to have any ill effects.
"Me staying out there as much as I was didn't excuse me missing all those shots and free throws," he said. "It was one of those nights."
Zydrunas Ilgauskas had 23 points and five blocked shots for Cleveland while Donyell Marshall scored 13 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter to keep the Cavaliers close. But two key turnovers doomed the Cavaliers' chances.
Antonio Daniels picked off an errant pass and went end-to-end to score on a layup that put Washington ahead 90-89 with 4:37 to play.
Jamison then stole the ball from Marshall at midcourt and hit an 11-footer for a 92-87 lead with 3:37 left.
Marshall converted a three-point play to get Cleveland within 95-94 with 1:46 to go. James had a chance to put Cleveland ahead 28 seconds later, but missed both free throws -- and was booed.
"It's tough on LeBron, but this loss was not just his fault," Marshall said. "He wants to take responsibility for it, but we're not going to let him."
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