Cavaliers-Trail Blazers: LeBron James, Cavs Knock Off Blazers in OT

LeBron earned his seventh triple-double of the season and the 24th of his career on Thursday night when the Cavs held on to defeat the Portland Trailblazers in overtime, 97-92.

LeBron posted a stat line of 26 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists and he closed out the game with 14 points in the fourth quarter and overtime. 

The Trailblazers had no answer for LeBron down the stretch. He scored six of the Cavaliers' 11 points in overtime and they all came in the paint. He continuously caught the ball in the post and finished with a running hook shot that Portland just couldn't stop. LeBron commented on his post moves after the game.

"I think you will continue to see them. It's something I continue to work on everyday after practice. It's a good feeling when you work on something and then implement it into a game situation and make it happen."

The Cavs couldn't hold on to an eight-point lead in the fourth quarter and nearly let the game slip away from them. All-Star guard Brandon Roy knocked down four big free throws in the closing seconds to tie the game at 86 and force overtime.

He drew the second foul by pump faking James in the air and created contact with his foot just over the three-point line. 

"As soon as I made my last move, I went for the pump and he went for it", said Roy. It's almost like he knew I was going to shoot a three and he was timing it."

Roy led the way for the Blazers with 24 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists. Travis Outlaw followed him with 17 points and seven rebounds. 

The Cavs got off to a really rough start by making only 4-of-21 shots in the first period. They were held to just 12 points in the first quarter. 

"It was an ugly game from the start, but our guys hung in there and they gave us an opportunity to win because they tried to defend", said head coach Mike Brown. 

Brown also noted that the Cavs committed an NBA season low two turnovers in an overtime game. That was a big reason why they ended up winning the ball game. 

Zydrunas Ilgauskas had a big scoring night to go along side James with 21 points. Joe Smith contributed with 12 points on 5-of-5 shooting in just 19 minutes off the bench. 

This is Cleveland's seventh straight victory and their 10th in the past 11 games. The seven-game win streak was not an easy one either. They had two come-from-behind victories over the Los Angeles Clippers and the Sacramento Kings (overtime) on the road.

They also beat the Phoenix Suns in Phoenix and defeated three playoff teams (Miami, Orlando, Portland) on their home floor. 

Their was a major shake-up in the standings on Tuesday night when the Los Angeles Lakers lost to the Philadelphia 76ers on an Andre Iguodala buzzer beater.

The Cavs defeated the Orlando Magic on the same night which allowed them to climb up to first place in the league. The Cavs currently hold a four-and-a-half game lead over the Celtics and a five-game lead over the Magic for first place in the Eastern Conference.

They will host the Atlanta Hawks (41-28) on a rare Saturday afternoon game at 1 PM.