Cavs survive Thunder on Gibson’s 3-pointer

CLEVELAND (AP) — Daniel Gibson’s 3-pointer with 8.7 seconds remaining gave the Cleveland Cavaliers a 100-99 victory over Oklahoma City on Saturday night, the Thunder’s second loss in two nights in the final seconds.

LeBron James had 37 points, 12 assists and nine rebounds, and Shaquille O’Neal added a season-high 22 points to help the Cavaliers (34-11) win their fourth straight.

Kevin Durant had 34 points, and Russell Westbrook added 23 for Oklahoma City. The the Thunder (24-20) lost to Memphis on Friday night when Rudy Gay hit a 20-foot jumper with 1.3 seconds remaining.

Gibson’s 3 gave Cleveland a 98-96 lead. Durant had a chance to tie, but his shot with 0.9 seconds left was blocked by James as Durant fell to the ground. James knocked down a pair of free throws to seal the win, and Durant hit a meaningless 25-footer at the buzzer.

Injuries to Mo Williams and Delonte West forced Gibson into the starting lineup for the first time since Dec. 23, 2007. Gibson didn’t record an assist at point guard, but he hit the game’s biggest shot.

James grabbed the rebound following a Thunder miss and drove the length of the floor before finding the wide-open Gibson, who hit his third 3-pointer of the night.

Until Gibson’s winner, Cleveland relied heavily on James. He played 42 minutes and ran the offense most of the night, scoring 13 points in the fourth quarter.

Gibson finished with 13 points, and Jawad Williams had 12 for Cleveland. Jeff Green added 11 points for the Thunder.

Earlier Saturday the Cavaliers signed point guard Cedric Jackson to a 10-day contract.

The move was prompted by injuries to Mo Williams and Delonte West in the past few days. The team lost Williams to a sprained shoulder and West to a broken finger.

Williams is out for at least one month, and the club doesn’t know how long it will be without West. He was injured in Thursday night’s win over the Lakers — his first start replacing Williams.

Jackson, who played at Cleveland State, will give the Cavs some depth behind Gibson, who started at the point Saturday night.

He is already familiar with LeBron James, because Jackson worked out with the Cavaliers over the summer.