James scores 45 points in Cavaliers’ victory

MINNEAPOLIS -- With his defending Eastern Conference champions looking rather ordinary so far this season, LeBron James has decided to take matters into his own hands.

Barely breaking a sweat, James had 45 points, eight rebounds and five assists to carry the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 97-86 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday night.

It has been a breathtaking four-game stretch for James, who topped 40 points for the second time in three games and is averaging 39.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and 9.5 assists in the last four to get the Cavaliers (6-6) back to .500.

“I don’t know how he keeps doing what he does,” Coach Mike Brown said. “I’m watching him, and I get exhausted. That’s how good it is to be able to do that night after night after night.”

Drew Gooden had 17 points and nine rebounds, and Dwayne Jones chipped in 10 rebounds off the bench for Cleveland, but this was the LeBron Show from start to finish.

“I wasn’t forcing anything,” James said. “I was just taking what was there.”

James was on a roll from the start, scoring 15 points on six-for-nine shooting in the first quarter to help the Cavaliers take an early lead. He scored 17 more in the fourth to keep the Timberwolves at bay, dropping them to 1-8 to start the season.