In his second game back from an ankle injury, James shook off a scoreless second quarter and also added eight rebounds and seven assists.“I was doing a lot of setting up [teammates] in the first half,” James told reporters. “I got my guys good looks and opportunities at the basket. But I had to be a little more assertive individually in the second half and attack some of the things I saw, but didn’t attack, in the first half.” The Cavaliers pulled away in the third with a 12-4 run to end the quarter. They led by as many as 17 in the fourth. Ray Allen scored 20 points while Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett both added 18 for the Celtics (41-24), who lost to Cleveland for the second successive time.
The NBA-leading Cavs (52-15) routed Boston 108-88 on Feb. 25 in a game that saw center Shaquille O’Neal suffer a thumb injury. O’Neal is still sidelined, but trade acquisition Antawn Jamison returned after missing a game with a knee injury and scored 15.
Cleveland also got a boost from Anderson Varejao, who grabbed 10 rebounds and had 13 of his 17 points in the second quarter. “I wouldn’t say he gets under people’s skin, but he does play with a lot of energy,” Garnett said of Varejao.
Other NBA results: Milwaukee 98, Indiana 94; Miami 104, Philadelphia 91; Charlotte 96, Orlando 89; Oklahoma City 119, Utah 111; Sacramento 114, Minnesota 100; Portland 109, Toronto 98; Phoenix 120, New Orleans 106.
