TORONTO, 9 November 2005 — LeBron James had 27 points and dished out six assists to guide the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 105-93 victory over the struggling Toronto Raptors on Monday.
Larry Hughes had 16 points while Zydrunas Ilgauskas added 15, helping the Cavaliers get back on track after losing their last two games.
Drew Gooden contributed 12 points and 10 rebounds for Cleveland and former Raptor Donyell Marshall chipped in with 12 points and 11 boards to be one of six Cavaliers in double figures. Chris Bosh poured in 26 points and snared 12 rebounds and Mike James added 17 points in a losing cause for the Raptors, who slipped to 0-4 for the worst start to a season. Deadlocked 24-24 after the first quarter, the Cavaliers broke open the tight contest with a 15-4 run at the start of the second and never trailed again.
The Raptors rallied to get within four on a Bosh three-pointer with 7:30 to play in the half but would get no closer, going into the intermission trailing 51-45. James remained on the bench for large parts of the second half but the Cavaliers continued to dominate opening up a commanding 19 point fourth quarter lead then coasting to the win.
In Miami, Dwyane Wade nailed the game-winning free throw with 5.2 seconds left to play then blocked a shot at the buzzer as the Heat held on to edge the New Jersey Nets 90-89. Wade finished with 23 points, six rebounds and six assists, taking charge for the Heat who were missing injured center Shaquille O’Neal.
In Chicago, Tim Duncan had 24 points and 16 rebounds and Tony Parker hit for 22 points, including eight in overtime, to lead the San Antonio Spurs past the Chicago Bulls 104-95. Manu Ginobili contributed 14 points and 13 rebounds to the San Antonio cause as the Spurs outscored the Bulls 13-4 in overtime, the reigning NBA champions improving their record to 3-1.
In Charlotte, Mehmet Okur notched a career-high 31 points, including seven in overtime, to lead the Utah Jazz past the Charlotte Bobcats 95-91. Andrei Kirilenko flirted with a triple-double adding 20 points, eight rebounds and five assists for the Jazz who improved to 3-1. Sean May and Primoz Brezec each had 13 points for the 2-2 Bobcats.
In Minneapolis, Kevin Garnett registered 22 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists as the Minnesota Timberwolves eased to a 93-78 win over the Clippers, handing Los Angeles its first loss of the season. Elton Brand had a game-high 26 points for the Clippers, who slipped to 3-1.
