LeBron, Cavs Take Down Heat 113-93
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CLEVELAND (CBSMiami/AP) – The Miami Heat and the Cleveland Cavaliers had their long awaited rematch on Wednesday night.
Seconds before the opening tip, LeBron James pulled Chris Bosh close and tightly hugged his former teammate.
The pleasantries ended there.
From then on, James treated the Miami Heat like any other team.
James scored 18 points against his former teammates and Cleveland had six others score in double figures as the Cavaliers beat the Heat 113-93 Wednesday night for their 14th win in 15 games.
Timofey Mozgov scored 20 and Tristan Thomson 17 in Cleveland's final home game before the All-Star break. The Cavs, who have climbed in the standings after a sluggish start, will play at Chicago on Thursday before the season's extended respite.
With the win, the Cavs avenged an emotional Christmas Day loss in Miami - James' first game against the team he led to two NBA titles and four straight Finals. Cleveland is a very different team these days, improved by two major tradesand James again playing at his unrivaled levels.
James said this matchup wasn't as moving as the previous one with the Heat.
"There's still going to be memories when I see my guys, anyone of the teammates I had when I won a championship or even lost a championship because we gave so much to each other and we sacrificed so much," he said. "But obviously what we're trying to do here is get better and we don't want to waste an opportunity - and it starts with me."
Hassan Whiteside had 17 points and 14 rebounds for the Heat, who were without All-Star Dwyane Wade for the seventh straight game because of a strained right hamstring.
Cavaliers forward Kevin Love sat out most of the second half with a right eye injury after he was accidentally poked by Mario Chalmers. Love was reaching for a rebound when he was swiped by Chalmers with 9:48 left in the third quarter. Love went down immediately in extreme pain, and as he was checked by the medical staff, his teammates looked on with concern.
The Cavs said Love has a corneal abrasion, but he will travel with the team and undergo further examination Thursday.
In recent days, Love has been dragged into a confusing social media storm after James posted a message on Twitter that seemed to be directed at the power forward. Now, he's dealing with an injury that had him trying on goggles in the locker room.
Cleveland built a 26-point lead in the first half, allowed Miami to climb back within 12 in the third before the Cavs finally put away the Heat.
The Heat dropped to 22-30, not unexpected but certainly not the standard Miami's are accustomed. Bosh said his expectations for the second half are simple.
"I don't even want much," he said. "All I'm asking is to be healthy and have all our guys out there. I can live with the rest. That's what makes it difficult. If we just have our guys out there and if we can have a unit and consistency in the lineup, that's all I want."
Early on, James was intent on reminding the Heat how much they miss him, and perhaps prove to Whiteside that he's more than a "good player" - a comment uttered by the young center recently. James was aggressive, blowing past defenders and showing an explosiveness that was missing before he took two weeks off in January.
RUSSIAN FRONT(LINE)
Mozgov has been a revelation since coming over in a trade from Denver. The 7-foot-1 center has changed Cleveland on both ends of the floor.
"He's not doing things that surprise me," said Cavs coach David Blatt, who coached Mozgov on the Russian national team.
TIP-INS
Heat: Wade plans to make his return on Feb. 20, Miami's first game after the break. Wade felt good about his decision to sit out against the Cavs as well as this weekend's All-Star Game in New York. "Playing this game, a very emotional game, you might try to do a little too much," he said. "I didn't want to have any kind of setbacks." ... Injuries have hampered the Heat, but coach Erik Spoelstra refuses to use them as an excuse. "I don't care," he said. "This is a men's-only league. Don't feel sorry for yourself, forge ahead."
Cavaliers: James moved into a tie with Hall of Famer John Havlicek for the second most assists for a forward in league history with 6,114. Scottie Pippen is first with 6,135. ... Cleveland has won 10 straight home games.
UP NEXT
Cavaliers: At Chicago on Thursday.
Heat: At New York on Feb. 20.
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