James Is Shaken Up in Cavaliers’ Loss

A hood pulled over his aching head, LeBron James staggered back into Gund Arena looking like a beaten boxer.

So much for looking sharp for the birthday bash. On the night before he turned 20, James was in no condition to celebrate.

Cleveland’s star forward got flattened by an elbow from Houston’s Dikembe Mutombo in the first half, and the Rockets went on to a 98-87 win over the Cavaliers on Wednesday night at Cleveland.

“I never saw him,” Mutombo said. “The next thing I know, boom, he was laying on the floor. I hope it’s not too bad.”

Tracy McGrady scored 34 points and Yao Ming had 20 for the Rockets, who didn’t have to contend with James after halftime and ended a five-game losing streak on the road.

James bruised a bone near his left eye. He was moving across the lane when he was accidentally leveled by Mutombo, whose elbows have dropped more than a few NBA players over the years.

James was taken to the Cleveland Clinic for X-rays and a CT scan. He was not available for comment after returning from the hospital. The team said it would have test results and an update on his condition today.

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Indiana 74, Charlotte 71 -- His immediate future in limbo, Jermaine O’Neal gave Indiana everything he had with 24 points and 17 rebounds at Charlotte, N.C.

O’Neal will go before a federal judge today in New York, where it will be determined whether he can continue to play or must sit out the final 10 games of his suspension for fighting with fans in the Pacer-Detroit Piston brawl last month.

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Phoenix 107, New Orleans 96 -- Quentin Richardson broke a Phoenix franchise record with nine three-point baskets and finished with 31 points and 11 rebounds at New Orleans.

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New York 100, Minnesota 87 -- Stephon Marbury took over down the stretch and finished with 32 points and 11 assists to lead the Knicks at New York.

The Knicks won their third in a row and moved three games above .500 for the first time since the end of the 2000-01 season.

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Detroit 107, Washington 105 -- At Washington, Chauncey Billups made a 14-foot jumper for the win with 0.7 seconds remaining.

The Pistons overcame a 19-point first-half deficit and trailed by as many as 15 in the third quarter.

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Milwaukee 111, Orlando 105 -- Michael Redd scored 29 points and the short-handed Bucks got 15 points and a career-high 14 rebounds from center Dan Gadzuric at Orlando, Fla.

The Bucks, who had only 11 players in uniform because of injuries, got contributions from 10 of them in recording their third victory in a row.

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Memphis 117, Boston 109 -- Pau Gasol scored 24 points and grabbed 11 rebounds as the Grizzlies rallied in the final period at Memphis, Tenn.

After trailing most of the game, the Grizzlies launched an 18-3 run to begin the fourth quarter and take a 101-97 lead.

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Golden State 111, Toronto 105 -- Mike Dunleavy made the go-ahead shot with 37 seconds left and finished with a season-high 29 points at Oakland in the Warriors’ fourth victory in a row.

Jason Richardson scored a season-high 35 points and made two late free throws for the Warriors, who extended their longest winning streak under first-year Coach Mike Montgomery.

Toronto’s reserves outscored Golden State’s bench, 50-2.