LeBron wins showdown with Kobe
LeBron James was victorious in his personal matchup with Kobe Bryant in a duel of the NBA's leading scorers. James scored 14 of his 41 points in the fourth quarter and the Cleveland Cavaliers beat Los Angeles 98-95 Sunday for their fifth straight win over the Los Angeles Lakers.
Bryant scored nine of his 33 points in the final period, and also had 12 rebounds and six assists, but it wouldn't be enough to keep the Lakers from losing their third straight to match their longest losing streak of the season.
The Cavaliers took a 94-93 lead on a basket by James with 1:16 remaining, and Kobe Bryant drew an offensive foul nine seconds later.
After an empty possession by each team, James ran the shot clock down before hitting from outside with 20 seconds to go, giving the Cavaliers a three-point lead.
Zydrunas Ilgauskas had 16 points and 11 rebounds before fouling out with 6:14 to play, and St. Louis native Larry Hughes also scored 16 points for the Cavaliers (24-19), who won for the 12th time in 15 games.
Lamar Odom had 14 points, nine rebounds and five assists for the Los Angeles Lakers (27-15), who have a 2-4 record since center Andrew Bynum injured his left knee. It was their fourth game without Trevor Ariza, who broke his right foot. Neither player is expected to return before the middle of March.
James also had nine rebounds, four assists and two steals.
The Lakers used a 23-9 run to finish the third quarter and begin the fourth for an 84-75 lead. The Cavaliers responded with a 15-2 spurt of their own to take a four-point lead. Neither team led by more than four points after that.
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