James has edge on Wade

LeBron James won his personal duel with Dwyane Wade in helping the Cleveland Cavaliers rally for a 107-100 win over the Miami Heat on Monday, the showdown between the NBA's top scorers highlighting an enthralling encounter. James lies second behind Wade in the individual standings but was able to outscore his rival by a single point with a 42-point haul. "We're two of the better competitors in this league, and we always try to put our teams in a position to win," James said of the battle.

The win pushed the Cavaliers (47-12) a game ahead of the idle Boston Celtics for the Eastern Conference lead. Miami (31-28) remain fifth. Meanwhile in other action, Marvin Williams scored 28 points to help the Atlanta Hawks get back on track with a 98-89 win over the Washington Wizards. Joe Johnson added 16 points and 13 assists while Al Horford contributed 16 points and eight rebounds for Atlanta, who notched up only their second victory from their last six games.

At the Wachovia Center, David West collected 30 points and 10 rebounds and Chris Paul hit a key three-pointer late in the game to lead the New Orleans Hornets to a 98-91 win over the Philadelphia 76ers. James Posey added 16 points and 12 rebounds and Rasual Butler chipped in 16 and 10 for the Hornets, who pushed their winning streak to a season high five games. Finally, Russell Westbrook recorded his first career triple-double to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 96-87 victory over the Dallas Mavericks.

Westbrook had 17 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for the Thunder, who managed to win despite being without their leading scorer Kevin Durant. * With agencies