Cavs beat the Wizards behind LeBron, Shaq

CLEVELAND (AP) — Shaquille O’Neal has always felt like when he gets the ball down low, within a few feet of the basket, he should score every time.

“Got to,” he said. “If not, get rid of me.”

The Cavaliers just got him, and they’re not about to let him go.

O’Neal had easily his best game since joining Cleveland, scoring a season-high 21 points while wearing out Washington’s big men and LeBron James scored 27 points as the Cavaliers won their third straight, beating the Wizards 102-90 on Tuesday night.

Hitting bank shots. Dropping hooks. Making free throws. Dominating.

For the first time with the Cavaliers, Shaq was Shaq.

“It’s a big plus for me and everyone else,” James said.

The Cavs trailed by 18 in the second quarter before turning up their defense and relying on their superstar combo of James and O’Neal to win their sixth straight at home over the Wizards. When Cleveland’s offense sputtered, the Cavs simply dumped the ball inside to O’Neal and let him go to work.

“We said, ’Let’s throw it to Shaq and have him get something for us’,” Cavs coach Mike Brown said.

Mo Williams scored 15 and Daniel Gibson 14 for the Cavs, who made nine 3-pointers in the second half — four in the fourth quarter when James was out. Cleveland held the Wizards to just 36 points in the second half and only 59 over the final three quarters.

Caron Butler and Gilbert Arenas scored 22 apiece to lead the Wizards.

O’Neal’s integration into their offense has been a slow process for the Cavs, but they are starting to figure out how to best use the All-Star center, who came over in a June trade from Phoenix. He made 7 of 9 field goals, 7 of 10 free throws, grabbed eight rebounds and put Washington’s frontline in foul trouble.

He also endeared himself to Cleveland fans by flattening Wizards guard DeShawn Stevenson on a drive in the first half. Stevenson has been a pest to the Cavs, engaging in a war of words with James in the playoffs two years ago.

“It hurt real bad, but that’s part of basketball,” Stevenson said of O’Neal’s takedown. “He apologized at halftime, so it’s all right.”

The Cavs have been using the 7-foot-1 O’Neal and his 7-foot-3 backup, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, together with mixed results. But the pair are getting more comfortable and confident with every second they spend on the floor and have the potential to be a matchup nightmare for any team.

Cleveland only led 78-73 after three, but the Cavs pushed their lead to 94-79 by making four 3s as James rested. He only played four minutes in the fourth.

Butler, back after missing one game with a bruised left knee, scored 17 in the first half but he and his teammates cooled off after halftime. Washington shot just 33 percent over the final three quarters.