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Cleveland Wins Fourth Straight, 108-101 Over Struggling Philly
Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - LeBron James scored 36 points and dished out seven assists, as Cleveland won its fourth straight game, a hard-fought 108-101 decision over the struggling Philadelphia 76ers.
Mo Williams started slow but broke a tie game late in the fourth quarter with five quick points, ending with 12 for the Cavaliers. Anderson Varejao had 11 points and eight rebounds, and Shaquille O'Neal chipped in 10 and nine boards.
Andre Iguodala, playing with sore ribs, led the Sixers with 26 points. Thaddeus Young recorded 16 points and 10 boards, while Allen Iverson added 16 points as well in the loss.
Philadelphia was coming off a 117-101 victory over Golden State on Monday, a win that snapped a debilitating 12-game losing streak.
Wednesday's test was back-and-forth and saw Marreese Speights return from a month-long absence to record 14 points off the bench. Rookie Jrue Holiday notched nine points and as many assists in a losing effort.
The packed house at the Wachovia Center included new Phillies acquisition Roy Halladay, who joined the two-time defending National League champions via trade with Toronto on Wednesday.
Halladay watched Iguodala make a three-pointer from the right corner for a 94-90 lead midway through the final stanza. James answered with a pair of threes around two free throws from the Sixers’ leading scorer to tie the game.
Williams, who missed his first eight shots from the field, broke the tie at the 3:23 mark with a deep jumper from the left wing and added a trey at roughly the same spot for a 101-96 lead after Iguodala missed a three.
Iguodala, who had a inbounds violation on the previous Sixers possession, made two free throws with 2:04 remaining. James missed a contested layup at the other end, but Varejao grabbed the offensive rebound and James hit from just inside the three-point line with 1:17 on the clock.
Willie Green and Iguodala missed from behind the arc the next two times the Sixers had the ball, and the Cavs held on for the tight win.
The Cavs jumped out to an 11-2 lead and cruised to a 32-26 advantage after 12 minutes. An evenly played second ended with Cleveland holding a 60-55 edge.
Iverson ended a 9-1 run with a jumper from the left wing, giving Philadelphia its first lead of the game, 68-67, with 6 1/2 minutes left in the third.
A tug-of-war ensued with the visitors sporting a slim 83-80 cushion thanks to James’ left-handed runner that beat the third-quarter buzzer.
The Cavs have won nine of 11 overall against the Sixers, including six straight at the Wachovia Center...Speights had been sidelined since suffering a torn MCL in a game on November 14...The Sixers made 5-of-17 from downtown, compared to 9-of-15 from Cleveland...J.J. Hickson ended with 10 points for Cleveland, while Elton Brand scored 11 for Philadelphia.
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