James, Cavs cruise to win

LeBron had 32 points as Cleveland rolled past the Timberwolves, 93-70.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — LeBron James helped the Cavaliers return to their winning ways with a rather nonchalant 32 points, and Cleveland sent the Minnesota Timberwolves to their 11th straight loss, 93-70 on Wednesday night.

After 11 consecutive victories, the Cavs were beaten by the Atlanta Hawks 97-92 on Saturday night. They raised their record to 21-4, the exact opposite of Minnesota’s, with another defense-fueled performance.

It didn’t take much against the lifeless Wolves, who haven’t lost this many games in a row in 14 years. The franchise record is 16 straight. Kevin McHale dropped to 0-6 since taking over for Randy Wittman as coach.

Al Jefferson led Minnesota with 20 points.

James didn’t appear to have more than a few beads of sweat on him during this efficient night. He shot 14-for-20 and kept the rim-rattling dunks to a minimum, and his only miss from the field during the first 32 minutes of the game was a just-for-fun 70-footer at the halftime buzzer that bounced in and out of the rim.

James had 14 points in the fourth quarter to lead the charge to a double-digit margin of victory and was given a standing ovation by the few thousand fans that remained when he was removed for former Timberwolves standout Wally Szczerbiak.

Delonte West had 19 points for the Cavs, and Szczerbiak had 10 points in his reserve role.

Mike Miller was more aggressive than he’s been for most games this season for Minnesota, fininshing with 14 points and seven rebounds on 7-for-12 shooting and Kevin Ollie threw in 12 points against one of his many former teams.

But Ben Wallace and Anderson Varejao helped limit Jefferson’s damage underneath, doubling him often and clogging the driving lanes to keep the Wolves from finding an offensive rhythm.

They played a lot harder than they have been, but their best isn’t enough to beat the Central Division leaders right now unless the Cavs play well below their average.

The Wolves withstood a 14-2 run late in the second quarter and wiggled their way back from a 13-point deficit, pulling to 57-56 on a turnaround by Jefferson late in the third. But they never led after the opening 6 minutes.

Ryan Gomes missed back-to-back 3-pointers, both that would’ve tied the game, but West swished a floating 12-footer to stretch the lead to five.

After a don’t-blink, fast-break dunk by James keyed by a blocked shot by Szczerbiak the Cavs were quickly up 63-56 by the end of the quarter.

Notes

Zydrunas Ilgauskus (sprained left ankle) missed his third straight game and Daniel Gibson (sprained left big toe) sat out for the fourth straight game. Cavs coach Mike Brown said Ilgauskus was closer to returning than Gibson, but added he wasn’t yet sure when. ... Speaking of Cleveland’s all-time leading rebounder, Ilgauskus was close to coming to Minnesota before breaking his foot before the 1995 draft. The Cavs picked him in the first round the following summer. Both McHale and Ilgauskus reminisced about his workout in the Wolves’ practice facility, when the guy filming the session accidentally dropped a tripod from the balcony that nearly conked the 7-foot-3 Ilgauskus in the head. “It would have killed him,” McHale said. Quipped Ilgauskus: “It would’ve been the ’Z Center,’ not Target Center. I would’ve been owner, GM and coach.” ... Wolves F Corey Brewer had his reconstructive right knee surgery Wednesday. He tore the anterior cruciate ligament 2 1/2 weeks ago and will miss the rest of the season.