James outplays Bryant; Cavaliers beat Lakers

Posted December 20, 2007 10:00 pm

Associated Press

LeBron James scored 33 points and shut out Kobe Bryant when the two superstars guarded each other in the final 2:23, leading the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 94-90 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night.

James, the NBA's leading scorer, added 10 rebounds and 5 assists. But it was his pressure on Bryant in the final minutes that helped the Cavs bounce back from a dismal defensive effort in a loss at New York on Wednesday night.

Bryant finished with 21 points, but missed 2 shots with James chasing him and the Lakers went 0-for-8 from the floor in the final 4 minutes.

Daniel Gibson added 15 points, and Zydrunas Ilgauskas had 12 to help the Cavs win for just the third time in 12 games.

Lamar Odom added 19 points for the Lakers. Andrew Bynum had 17 points, but missed 2 free throws with 11.9 seconds left that would have tied it at 92.

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