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LeBron James scores 42, Cleveland Cavaliers beat Golden State Warriors

Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving (2) and forward LeBron James (23) celebrate after scoring against the Warriors in the first half Thursday night in Cleveland.
(Jason Miller / Getty Images)
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LeBron James scored a season-high 42 points and the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Golden State Warriors, 110-99, on Thursday night in Cleveland for their 18th victory in 20 games.

James added 11 rebounds, outplaying fellow most-valuable-player candidate Stephen Curry and leading Cleveland past the team with the NBA’s best record for its 11th straight home victory.

Curry scored 18 points, but had only six after the first quarter and was five of 17 from the field. David Lee led Golden State (44-11) with 19 points.

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James was out with knee and back injuries when the teams met Jan. 9, a 112-94 win for Golden State. Although the four-time MVP hit 15 of 25 from the field Thursday, the back apparently is still an issue. James stretched out on the floor instead of sitting on the bench when he had a rest in the fourth quarter.

Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving, who scored 24 points, left the game in the third quarter with an injury to his left shoulder, but returned early in the fourth.

Cleveland, leading 61-56 at halftime, took control in the third quarter. James scored 12 points, including two three-pointers, and found Timofey Mozgov for an open jumper to push the lead to 86-70.

Warriors Coach Steve Kerr was given a technical foul in the second quarter and had to be separated from official Bennett Salvatore after Draymond Green was assessed a technical in the third.

at Phoenix 117, Oklahoma City 113 (OT): Russell Westbrook scored 39 points in his 12th career triple-double but missed what would have been the game-tying layup with 5.7 seconds left in overtime, and the Suns snapped the Thunder’s seven-game winning streak.

In an intense matchup of point guards, Phoenix’s Eric Bledsoe just missed a triple-double with 28 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists.

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Westbrook missed his first eight shots and finished 12 of 38 from the field, 1 of 10 from three-point range, but scored 31 in the second half and overtime for his fourth triple-double this season.

Markieff Morris scored 29 for the Suns, who pulled within 1 1/2 games of the Thunder for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

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