Cavaliers lose 2nd straight

February 11, 2009 at 12:00a.m.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — LeBron James did it all Tuesday night.

He scored 47 points, had seven rebounds, four assists and had the Pacers crowd oohing and aahing all night. So, of course, he also made the decisive play — for the wrong team.

James was called for a foul with 0.2 seconds left on Danny Granger, who hit a free throw to give Indiana a 96-95 victory over the Cavaliers.

James started walking toward the locker room before the final buzzer sounded.

It was a jarring loss for the Cavs, who dropped two straight for the first time this season.

James was brilliant, but ended up on the short end of a call he clearly disagreed with.

It appeared James would send the game into overtime when the Cavs opted for an alley-oop off an inbounds pass with 0.4 seconds left. James never got to the ball, but Granger was called for a foul and James made both free throws to tie the score at 95.

Then the Pacers tried the same play. This time Granger was on the receiving end, James was chasing and the NBA’s second-leading scorer was called for the foul. Granger made the first and intentionally missed the second as James walked toward the locker room in disgust.

Troy Murphy led the short-handed and nicked-up Pacers with 18 points. Granger, playing with a sore knee, finished with 16.

Indiana also was without three key players — Jeff Foster, Mike Dunleavy and Marquis Daniels.

But on a night James turned Conseco Fieldhouse into his own personal showcase, the Pacers ended their nine-game losing streak to the Cavs and won for only the second time in six games.

The wild finish was the culmination of a game in which neither team led by more than eight.

Indiana trailed 68-67 after three quarters, but opened the fourth with seven straight points to take control.