Home joy for the Cavaliers

Cleveland's LeBron James outplays high-scoring Miami rival Dwyane Wade to help the Cavaliers beat the Heat 93-86 on Sunday.

Cleveland's LeBron James outplayed high-scoring Miami rival Dwyane Wade to help the Cavaliers beat the Heat 93-86 on Sunday for their 16th consecutive home victory. James scored 11 of his 33 points in the fourth quarter to rally the Cavaliers (26-4) from a 10-point deficit. "You have to challenge yourself mentally to do it on both ends,"said James, who also had six rebounds and nine assists after putting the Heat under pressure both offensively and defensively.

Kevin Garnett scored 21 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in just 23 minutes as the Boston Celtics thrashed the Sacramento Kings, 108-63. The 45-point rout was the biggest home loss for the Kings since moving to Sacramento. Kobe Bryant scored 31 points as the Los Angeles Lakers cruised to a 130-113 victory over the Golden State Warriors. Bryant, who was 9-of-15 from the field and 10-of-10 from the free-throw line, was one of six Lakers to reach double figures.

Carmelo Anthony returned to the line-up and scored 32 points as the Denver Nuggets opened a four-game away trip with a battling 117-110 victory over the New York Knicks. JR Smith added 16 points and Chauncey Billups contributed 14 for Denver, who improved to 20-11. David West netted with 2.5 seconds remaining to lift the New Orleans Hornets to a 105-103 win over the Indiana Pacers.

Even without Dirk Nowitzki, the Dallas Mavericks proved too strong for the Los Angeles Clippers as they won 98-76. Josh Howard posted 29 points for the Mavericks, who never trailed. It was the third consecutive game - and fifth time this season - that the Clippers have not held the lead at any point in a game. * With Agencies