INQUIRER Sports

CLEVELAND, Ohio, United States?LeBron James poured in 47 points, including 24 straight in the opening half, as the Cleveland Cavaliers won their 11th straight game, a 113-106 victory over the New York Knicks on Saturday.

James also had eight assists, eight rebounds, and grabbed five steals but it was his first half performance that impressed the most as he scored a franchise record 35 points.

He needed just five minutes and 29 seconds pump in 24 straight, comprising 16 in a row to end the first quarter and then eight consecutive to begin the second.

He closed the first quarter with a pair of three pointers from 32 feet in the final 37 seconds.

Cleveland led by as much as 24 in the first half, but the Knicks cut the lead to 109-106 on a basket by Jordan Hill with 2:19 to play.

James answered back with a jump shot from just inside the three-point line, then grabbed the rebound following a miss by Al Harrington and hit another jumper to make it 113-106 with less than a minute remaining in the game.

Nate Robinson finished with 26 points for New York while David Lee added 20 points and Harrington had 16 off the bench.

Cavs giant center Shaquille O'Neal scored 19 points, Anthony Parker had 11, and J.J. Hickson added 10 for Cleveland, which is two games short of tying the franchise record for consecutive wins it set last year.

Huge performances against the Knicks are nothing out of the ordinary for James. He scored 52 points in January 2009, in New York. He also scored 50 against them March 5, 2008.