Associated Press
The NBA roundup …
MILWAUKEE ó LeBron James scored 55 points, coming up just one shy of his career high, and put together a stunning scoring flourish after halftime that helped the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Milwaukee Bucks 111-103 on Friday night.
James scored 16 points in the first 2 minutes, 50 seconds of the third quarter, almost single-handedly turning a six-point halftime deficit into an eight-point Cavaliers lead ó and he could have scored two more if he hadn’t missed a pair of free throws along the way.
James scored his previous season high of 52 points at New York on Feb. 4. His career high of 56 came at Toronto in 2005.
Suns 140, Thunder 118
PHOENIX ó Leandro Barbosa got the start in the absence of injured Amare Stoudemire and scored a career-high 41 points to lead the Phoenix Suns.
Jason Richardson added 34 points and Shaquille O’Neal 22 as the Suns became the first team in 18 seasons to score at least 140 points in three consecutive games.
Kevin Durant scored 35 for Oklahoma City.
Knicks 127, Raptors 97
NEW YORK ó Wilson Chandler scored a career-high 32 points, Nate Robinson added 26, and the Knicks matched their victory total from last season.
David Lee had 16 of his 24 in the Knicks’ 42-point first quarter that signaled an early end to this one. New York led by 38 and rolled to its easiest victory of the season in the opener of a home-and-home series.
New York can better last season’s 23-59 mark under Isiah Thomas with a victory Sunday afternoon in Toronto, when newcomers Larry Hughes and Chris Wilcox could make their Knicks debuts.
Bulls 116, Nuggets 99
CHICAGO ó Ben Gordon scored a season-high 37 points to lead the short-handed Chicago Bulls past the Denver Nuggets.
Luol Deng scored 22 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, and Tyrus Thomas added 21 and 12 to give the Bulls their second straight win since dealing four players to the Sacramento Kings on Thursday.
Wizards 107, Nets 96
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. ó Antawn Jamison had 28 points and 12 rebounds and the Washington Wizards won consecutive games for only the second time this season.
Rockets 93, Mavericks 86
HOUSTON ó Aaron Brooks scored 19 points, including a 3-pointer with 24 seconds left, and also had eight assists to lead the Houston Rockets over the Dallas Mavericks.
Kings 115, Grizzlies 106
MEMPHIS, Tenn. ó Kevin Martin scored 33 points, Jason Thompson had 17 points and nine rebounds and the Sacramento Kings snapped a six-game losing streak.
Pacers 112, Timberwolves 105
MINNEAPOLIS ó Marquis Daniels filled in for injured All-Star Danny Granger just fine, scoring 24 points in Granger’s place in the starting lineup and leading the Indiana Pacers past the Minnesota Timberwolves.