NBA – James rips Cavs for 38 in homecoming

CLEVELAND (NBA) – After hearing the loud boos from a hostile crowd of 20,562 during the pre-game introductions, LeBron James got down to business and led the Miami Heat to a comfortable 118-90 win over his former team the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Playing his first game back in the city where he starred for seven NBA seasons, James scored a season-high 38 points and put on a clinic in the third quarter for arguably his best performance in a Heat uniform.

“So many things went through my mind,” he said afterwards. “I have nothing bad to say about the fans at all. We grew from the year before I got here, a 17-win season to the last two years I was here, (when) we had the best team in the league in the regular season.

“I understand the fans’ frustration. I was frustrated also because we didn’t accomplish what we wanted to do. I wish this organisation and these fans, who are great, the best.”

The two-time MVP was jeered every time he got the ball, but he didn’t let it affect him and spearheaded a 16-0 first quarter run that helped the visitors take a commanding 59-40 lead at halftime.

James silenced the hostile crowd by hitting 10 of 12 field goals for 24 points in the third quarter alone and watched from the bench as his team-mates closed the game out in the final frame.

Dwayne Wade added 22 points and was a rebound and an assist shy of a triple-double.

Daniel Gibson came off the Cleveland bench to score a team-high 21 and was the only ray of light as the home team shot a meagre 29 percent in the first half.

Meanwhile, Jason Richardson and Grant Hill combined for 49 points as Phoenix Suns beat the Golden State Warriors 107-101 in the Bay Area.

In a game featuring two of the league’s highest scoring teams, the visiting Suns had the hotter hand, shooting 54.8 percent from the field and missing only one of their 22 free-throw attempts.

The Warriors were left to rue their mediocre 10 of 17 shooting performance from the foul line in such a close game.

Monta Ellis had a game-high 38 points in the losing effort.

FIBA