NBA – Not a happy return to Cleveland this time for James as Cavs beat Heat

CLEVELAND (NBA) - LeBron James had a triple-double on Tuesday night but the Miami Heat fell to a 102-90 defeat against his former team, the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Cavs, who had won just 14 games this season after James' move to Miami, couldn't stop their former star who had 27 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists but they won the battle.

No one expected this outcome because the Heat hadn't lost to a team under .500 in over two months, and the Cavs hadn't claimed a double-digit win all season.

After opening up a 23-point lead, a potential victory appeared to be slipping out of their hands as the Heat stormed all the way back to level the contest in the fourth quarter.

The Cavs continued to fight, however, and ended up with their most satisfying triumph of the campaign.

"This was for the fans and for their support," Cavs guard Daniel Gibson said.

"They've stayed behind us and this was a way of saying thank you."

Anthony Parker had 20 points to lead the Cavs.

Defeat has left Miami third in the Eastern Conference with a 51-23 record.

They trail leaders Chicago (53-20) and second-place Boston (51-22).

All three sides, along with Orlando and Atlanta, have sealed play-off berths in the East.

In the West, the Houston Rockets kept the pressure on eighth-place Memphis by rolling to victory at New Jersey.

Houston (39-35) closed the gap on the Grizzlies to two games with a 112-87 rout of the Nets.

Argentina's Luis Scola finished with eight points and eight rebounds and Slovenia's Goran Dragic added 13 points off the bench for the Rockets.

Oklahoma City (49-24) needed overtime but edged Golden State 115-114 at home with Team USA's FIBA World Championship MVP Kevin Durant scoring 39 points for the Thunder.

Durant and Co have already clinched a post-season spot in the Western Conference.

They trail Dallas (52-21) by three games.

Phoenix fell to four and a half games behind Memphis after a 116-113 defeat at Sacramento.

Marcus Thornton had 24 points and 11 rebounds and Slovenian guard Beno Udrih 19 points and five assists as the Kings improved to 21-52.

FIBA