When LeBron James and Dwyane Wade get together socially, they are the best of friends. When they get together on a basketball court, they leave their friendship on the bench - and James came out on top of their latest encounter, leading the Cleveland Cavaliers to a nailbiting 92-91 victory over Wade and the Miami Heat on Monday.
It was the 21st time the basketball superstars have faced each other during their NBA careers, and James has been on the winning team in 12 of them. This time, he had to get the better of a headache as well as Wade as he made two free throws with four second remaining to clinch it for the Eastern Conference-leading Cavs. James and Wade each scored 32 points, but only two of Wade's tally came in the second half and he missed a 25-footer at the buzzer.
"It came down to one possession," said James, who was knocked into the crowd when fouled on his final attempt. "I've got a headache. I just had to relax, I didn't want to rush it. It was difficult, I was able to get up and knock them down." Wade also missed two free throws with 41 seconds to play and was responsible for a costly turnover six seconds from the end when Miami were leading 91-90. Shaquille O'Neal stepped up with 19 points for the Cavaliers (35-11), who won their fifth in a row and third without second leading scorer Mo Williams, who has a shoulder injury.
The Heat (23-21) took an early advantage and led by 11 in the third before Cleveland reined them in towards the end of the quarter. Cleveland's Daniel Gibson made two big three-pointers in the last quarter and had 15 in total while James scored all six of his fourth-quarter points at the free throw line. Teammates on the 2008 Olympic squad as well as fellow draftees in 2003, James and Wade put on a one-on-one showcase in the first half. Wade opened with 13 points in the first and added 17 in the second but the reigning MVP James topped him with 20 - a stretch including dunks and long jump shots.
Elsewhere in the NBA, the Utah Jazz rookie Wesley Matthews scored 10 of a career-high 21 points in the fourth quarter to steer his team to a 124-115 victory over the Phoenix Suns. Carlos Boozer also scored 21 points and added 20 rebounds for the Jazz, who ran away from the Suns with a 33-point fourth quarter. "It was almost like bait ... we fell into their trap for the first three quarters," Matthews said after his breakout performance.
"I love this. I have never been the type to back down from anything and I think that's what's got me to where I am." Matthews has been used sporadically of late but came through when the Jazz needed him. On the other side, Goran Dragic scored a career-high 32 points to help Phoenix forge a 106-102 lead in the final quarter before Utah seized the momentum with a 17-3 run. Utah (26-18) won their sixth consecutive game at home to move a full game ahead of the Suns (26-20) in the competitive Western Conference.
By contrast Phoenix have lost six of their last eight games and been poor on the road. The NBA's top scoring team have had trouble defending, keeping just one opponent under 100 points this month. Despite the struggles, All-Star point guard Steve Nash reached a milestone with his 8,000th assist becoming just the eighth player in league history to reach the mark. Paul Pierce inspired the Boston Celtics to a 95-89 win over the Los Angeles Clippers, scoring 22 points as the Celtics gained revenge for their defeat by the Clippers last month, a game Pierce missed.
Rasual Butler top scored for the Clippers with 17. The Atlanta Hawks beat the Houston Dynamos 102-95 thanks to a 22-point haul from Josh Smith. Smith also grabbed 10 rebounds, while Joe Johnson added 20 points and Jamal Crawford 17. Chauncey Billups scored 27 points as the Denver Nuggets beat the Charlotte Bobcats 104-93 to clinch their seventh win in a row. Dwight Howard scored 27 points but it was not enough to lead the Orlando Magic to victory as the Memphis Grizzlies beat them 99-94. Zach Randolph had 23 points and 19 rebounds as the Grizzlies, who trailed by two points going into the final quarter, won their 11th successive home game.
The Indiana Pacers were 109-98 winners over the Philadelphia 76ers, with Danny Granger pouring in 26 points. Andre Iguodala scored 22 for the 76ers. Derrick Rose had 27 points to help the Chicago Bulls to a 98-93 win over the San Antonio Spurs, while New Orleans beat the Portland 98-97 thanks to 24 points from Chris Paul. * With agencies