James pours in 57 as Cavs topple Wizards
Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) slaps hands with forward Jae Crowder (99) and guard JR Smith (5) after he was fouled during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Washington Wizards, Friday, Nov. 3, 2017, in Washington. The Cavaliers won 130-122. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
WASHINGTON, United States — Four-time league MVP LeBron James poured in 57 points for the second-best scoring performance of his career as the Cleveland Cavaliers busted out of a slump with a 130-122 win over the Washington Wizards.
James also delivered 11 rebounds and seven assists on Friday for the Cavaliers who shot 56 percent from the field and improved to 4-5 on the season.
The 32-year-old American sank 23 of 34 shots, including two three-pointers and made all nine of his free throw attempts in front of a crowd of 20,100 at the Capital One Arena in the US capital.
Derrick Rose added 20 points for the Cavaliers, who lost three games during their four-game losing skid by double digits.
Both teams were struggling heading into Friday’s game as the Wizards only added to their woes, having now lost four of their last five.
Bradley Beal scored 36 points for Washington. John Wall had 13 points and 15 assists as the Wizards shot 53.6 percent from the field.
James, who is in his 15th NBA season, finished just four points shy of his career-high 61 set in 2014 against the then-Charlotte Bobcats.
But there is also something about playing the Wizards that seems to bring out the best in James.
In February, James banked home the game-tying three point shot in the closing seconds of regulation and Cleveland went on to beat Washington 140-135 in overtime in a contest that some considered to be the league’s 2016-17 regular-season game of the year.
On Friday, he scored 24 points and Cleveland shot 65.8 percent from the field in the first half for a 74-66 lead.
