Cavs roll to easy win at home

November 28, 2008 at 12:01a.m.

LeBron James played only 17 minutes in the 117-82 rout of Oklahoma City.

CLEVELAND (AP) — On a night LeBron James matched his career-low in minutes played, the Cleveland Cavaliers made history.

Even with James playing just 17 minutes, Cleveland rolled to an 117-82 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night as the Cavaliers raised their record to 12-3, their best start in franchise history.

“Right now, we’re playing the best basketball we’ve played in a long time,” James said.

The Cavaliers are playing so well they can roll to an easy win when James, who scored 14 points, spends most of the game on the bench.

“It’s always good to get rest,” James said. “You know how long the season is. It’s always a positive.”

Oklahoma City (1-15) has the worst record in the NBA and lost its 13th straight game. The Thunder are 0-3 under interim coach Scott Brooks, who took over when P.J. Carlesimo was fired Nov. 22.

Chris Wilcox led Oklahoma City with 14 points.

James also played 17 minutes in a game against Houston on Dec. 29, 2004, his second season in the league, a game in which he sustained a bone bruise near his left eye after being elbowed by Dikembe Mutombo.

Zydrunas Ilgauskas led Cleveland with 17 points. All 12 players on the roster scored for the second straight night.

The Cavaliers remained undefeated at home in eight games.

Cleveland raced to a 13-0 lead during which Brooks called a 20-second timeout and a full timeout. The Thunder finally scored on a jumper by Joe Smith, who played with the Cavaliers last season, with 7:37 remaining in the first quarter.

“These guys are intelligent, they play hard and they want to win,” Cavs coach Mike Brown said. “It makes my job real easy.”

Cleveland hasn’t trailed at any point in its past three games. The Cavaliers scored 66 first-half points Wednesday after scoring 67 in the first two quarters Tuesday night in New York.