Nov

16

James’ Big Second Half Leads Cavs to 99-94 Win over Jazz

Posted by Matt Loede under Main 

LeBron soars over Boozer

While the fans of Cleveland still hold a passionate grudge against now Utah Jazz forward Carlos Boozer, the home crowd was able to savor Boozer on the losing end Friday night in a Cleveland 99-94 win over Utah. Many will recall Boozer being let out of the final year of his deal a few years back when he reportedly told the Cavs he would not sign elsewhere. Then, instead of waiting and signing a multi-year deal like was supposed to happen with Cleveland, he bolted to Utah in hopes of becoming the next Karl Malone.

Friday night he was on, scoring 26 points with 11 rebounds. His play though was upstaged by his old running mate in Cleveland - LeBron James. The King ended with 40 points, 34 in the second half, and he took over the game in the 3rd quarter when he scored 16 points. He had been held in check by a tough Jazz defense till the 3rd, as he had just six points on 3-of-6 shooting in the first 24 minutes.

Utah controlled the tempo in the first half, as they built as much as a 9-point lead until LeBron took over in the 3rd. Boozer scored 12 points in the first half, and the Jazz had 9 players in the score book by the final buzzer at the half. Cleveland was led in the first half by Drew Gooden, who had 11. The Cavs bench was outscored by Utah 14-2 in the first 24 minutes.

That is though when James took control. He made big shot after big shot in that third quarter, and even though the Jazz led 74-68 at the end of three, ?King? James would not be denied when it counted the most, making a huge strip on Boozer in the final seconds. The Cavs fed him the ball time after time in the decisive fourth quarter, and James came through. It was LBJ combined with a tune up of the Cavs defense, which had been awful in 2007, coming through to snatch the win. The defense didn?t allow the Jazz to continue to pound the boards, while the offense was solid with James leading the way.

The now 5-5 Cavs will rest until Tuesday when they play host to the Milwaukee Bucks. The Jazz?s 5-game winning streak is over, and they will take the trek to Indiana for a Saturday night matchup with the Pacers.

Click below to hear LeBron’s post game audio from the Cavs locker room.

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