LeBron, Cavs trip Pelicans

CLEVELAND—LeBron James finished with a triple double in his second game at home since returning to Cleveland as the Cavaliers defeated the New Orleans Pelicans, 118-111, on Monday.

James delivered 32 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists for the Cavaliers who are finally showing signs of being an NBA contender after a disappointing 1-3 start to begin the regular season.

“I don’t care that we all know he can do it,” Cavs coach David Blatt said of James. “You go out there and have a triple-double and lead your team the way he did, it’s easy to overlook that.”

Kyrie Irving scored 27 of his 32 points in the second half and Kevin Love drained four three-pointers in the fourth quarter while contributing 22 points for Cleveland, who have won two straight.

The Cavaliers also made good on 13-of-27 three pointers in the win.

Ryan Anderson shot eight-of-12 from beyond the arc and finished with 32 points for New Orleans. He had just nine points at halftime.

Anthony Davis posted 27 points and 14 rebounds and Jrue Holiday finished with 16 points in the loss.

“Our defense got us tonight. We didn’t play much,” said Pelicans coach Monty Williams. “And our shot selection was poor.”

James, Irving and Love all contributed to a 25-7 run that spanned portions of the third and fourth quarters and turned a nine-point deficit into a 94-85 lead with under nine minutes to play. It was the 19th triple double of James’ career.

Chicago’s Derrick Rose had 24 points and seven assists in his return as the balanced Bulls beat the Detroit Pistons, 102-91.

Rose was 9-for-20 from the field in 32 minutes after being sidelined by sprained ankles. The 2011 NBA MVP had missed four of the previous five games after he was injured in an overtime loss to Cleveland on Oct. 31.

Josh Smith had 19 points and 11 rebounds for Detroit.

At Los Angeles, Kawhi Leonard equaled his career high with 26 points despite playing with only one good eye as the San Antonio Spurs closed with a rush to beat the Clippers, 89-85.

Leonard’s vision has been affected by a case of conjunctivitis. Still, he pulled down 10 rebounds and gave the defending NBA champions their first lead with 1:44 left.

Tim Duncan added 18 points and 11 rebounds, and Tony Parker scored nine of his 13 in the fourth quarter for the Spurs.

The Atlanta Hawks beat Brooklyn, 91-85, for the Knicks’ fifth straight loss after Paul Millsap scored 19 points and Dennis Schroder extended his best stretch in the NBA with two big baskets in the final 2 minutes.

Kyle Korver added 17 points as Atlanta finished a home-and-home sweep, including a 103-96 win Saturday at home.

Indiana’s Roy Hibbert scored a season-high 29 points to help the Pacers end a six-game losing streak with a 97-86 win over the Utah Jazz.  A.J. Price had 22 points and Lavoy Allen added 12—also season-highs for both players. AFP, AP