With James, Cavaliers' win a slam dunk

LeBron James hit his first eight shots and scored 22 points to power the Cleveland Cavaliers, wearing their mid-1970s uniforms, past the visiting New York Knicks, 104-79, yesterday for their third straight victory.

"We wanted to protect our house and make sure people know when they come to Cleveland now they are playing a basketball team," James said.

James, in his fifth game wearing a clear mask to protect a broken left cheekbone, played only 32 minutes and shot 10 for 14 from the field -- including two resounding slams early in the second quarter.

Wizards 117, Timberwolves 114 -- Gilbert Arenas scored 7 of his season-high 40 points in the final 2:19 to lead host Washington to its fourth consecutive victory. Larry Hughes had 28 points, 11 rebounds, and 8 assists for the 19-13 Wizards, off to their best start in 20 seasons.

Magic 104, Nets 101 -- Grant Hill scored 22 points, and host Orlando won its third straight by holding off New Jersey's frantic fourth-quarter comeback.

Bucks 89, Jazz 86 -- Mike James hit a driving layup with 20 seconds remaining to complete a fourth-quarter comeback and lift host Milwaukee over reeling Utah. Utah has lost nine straight games, its longest slide since the 1981-1982 season.

Spurs 99, Nuggets 90 -- Bruce Bowen held Carmelo Anthony in check and made three 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to help host San Antonio beat Denver.

Hornets 121, Kings 117 -- Baron Davis had his first triple-double in more than two seasons as host New Orleans ended its 10-game losing streak with an overtime win.

Mavericks 121, Pacers 101 -- Dallas made a franchise-best 74.3 percent of their shots in the first half, then cruised to a victory over visiting Indiana. Dirk Nowitzki led the way with 34 points and 13 rebounds.

Suns 108, Clippers 91 -- Joe Johnson scored 23 points and Phoenix matched its victory total (29) last season after just 33 games with a rout of host Los Angeles.