Harden powers Rockets past Heat.
LOS ANGELES (AFP) – LeBron James drained a buzzer-beating game-winner on Wednesday as the Cleveland Cavaliers set aside their troubles with a 140-138 overtime victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
A Cavs team in free-fall got a desperately needed win thanks to ‘’King’’ James. With a second remaining in overtime he swatted away a shot by Minnesota’s Jimmy Butler.
He then seized an inbounds pass from Jeff Green, turned and fired over Butler for the desperately needed victory.
“It was a great win for us,” said James, who threw both arms in the air in triumph when his game-winner fell – capping a triple-double performance of 37 points, 15 assists and 10 rebounds.
The Cavs are now just 7-13 since Christmas.
Amid speculation the Cavs will make a significant move by Thursday’s trade deadline, the current team pulled out all the stops in avenging their 28-point loss to Minnesota on January 8.
Seven Cavaliers players scored in double figures in a see-saw battle that saw 34 lead changes and 16 ties, evolving into a shootout in which the teams combined for an NBA record 40 three-pointers.
Butler led the Timberwolves with 35 and Karl-Anthony Towns added 30.
Andrew Wiggins’ jump shot with 1:25 left in overtime put Minnesota up 138-136. James’s layup knotted the score at 138-138 with 24 seconds remaining.
Butler drove to the basket against Cavs rookie Cedi Osman with a chance to win it, but James came from the weak side and rose to swat the shot away.
JR Smith came up with the rebound to set the stage for the winning play.
ROCKETS BURN HEAT
Houston’s MVP candidate James Harden torched the Heat in Miami, pouring in 41 points in the Rockets’ 109-101 victory.
Harden, the league’s leading scorer, connected on 13 of 25 shots from the field, including five of 12 from three-point range, as the Rockets notched a sixth straight victory.
Chris Paul added 22 points for the Rockets, who withstood a career-high 30 points from Miami’s Josh Richardson and 30 points from Goran Dragic.
The Heat had edged ahead 87-85 early in the fourth quarter, but Houston answered with nine straight points.
