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James Schools Rookie

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 9, 2008

CLEVELAND - LeBron James could have kicked off his sneakers and relaxed with a soda and popcorn. For a change, the All-Star got to spend the fourth quarter watching like an ordinary fan. His workday ended earlier than usual.

James showed Seattle's Kevin Durant how it's done by scoring 22 points as the Cleveland Cavaliers put away the SuperSonics 95-79 for their fourth straight victory.

James, who scored a franchise-record 24 points in the fourth on Sunday when the Cavs rallied for a win in Toronto, was able to sit out the final 8:36 as Cleveland coasted to its sixth win in seven games and moved over .500 for the first time since Nov. 30.

"We came in with the mind-set to get the job done," James said.

Durant scored 24 points, and the silky smooth rookie showed off some of his blossoming pro game while being guarded at times by James, who has become close friends with the No. 2 overall pick.

Durant, who didn't score in the first quarter, sprained his left ankle while making a jump shot with 7:31 left. He briefly went to the bench before limping to Seattle's locker room for treatment and did not return.

TIMBERWOLVES 101, HEAT 91: Rashad McCants continued his sharp shooting streak with 27 points and Minnesota snapped an eight-game losing streak with a victory over reeling Miami.

Dwyane Wade had 25 points, seven assists and five rebounds for Miami, which played its sixth straight game without Shaquille O'Neal and has lost eight in a row.

LAKERS 117, GRIZZLIES 101: Derek Fisher scored 26 points and Kobe Bryant added 25 to lead the Lakers. It was the 13th win in 16 games for the Lakers, who have won six of their last eight road games.

The Grizzlies, who never led in the game, were paced by Mike Miller with 19 points. Pau Gasol added 18 points and 12 rebounds. Rudy Gay finished with 15 points.

BOBCATS 115, NETS 99: Jason Richardson scored 25 points and the hot-shooting Bobcats overcame Jason Kidd's third consecutive triple-double to beat New Jersey.

Gerald Wallace added 21 points and 11 rebounds and Emeka Okafor and Nazr Mohammed added 17 points apiece for the Bobcats.

ROCKETS 92, WIZARDS 84: Luther Head's season-high 24 points and Rafer Alston's double-double led Houston to its third consecutive victory.

Alston finished with 15 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds, and Yao Ming scored 21 points for Houston, which is 5-2 since Tracy McGrady went down last month with a left knee injury.

BUCKS 87, 76ERS 83: Charlie Bell and Mo Williams each scored 21 points to lead Milwaukee.

Milwaukee has won three of four since the calendar turned, including all three games away from home. Andrew Bogut had 13 points and 12 rebounds, and Charlie Villanueva added 15 points and 10 boards for the Bucks.

KNICKS 105, BULLS 100: Eddy Curry scored a season-high 29 points, Jamal Crawford added 24 and New York rallied to snap a seven-game losing streak.

The Knicks trailed by 13 early in the fourth and were down 98-91 after Chicago's Joe Smith hit a turnaround jumper midway through the quarter. But they ended the game on a 14-2 run.

The Associated Press

TUESDAY'S GAMES

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