James is now top scorer for surging Cavs

BEIJING, March 23 -- Lebron James went from Cleveland's top pick to its top scorer in less than five years.

James passed Brad Daugherty in the first quarter and finished with 29 points, leading the Cavaliers to a 90-83 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Friday night in a possible first-round playoff preview.

James has 10,414 points in just 380 games. He scored 23 points in the second half, including 11 in the final 7:19 as the Cavaliers won their ninth straight at home.

It took Daugherty 548 games to amass 10,389 points.

"These fans have watched me go from zero points to 10,000," James said. "They've seen me go from a young man to a man now. It's one of the best experiences I've had. To be the all-time leader is something that I never dreamed of. But now that it's here, it's an unbelievable feeling."

In other National Basketball Association games, it was: Rockets 109, Warriors 106; Lakers 130, SuperSonics 105; Grizzlies 120, Knicks 106; Nuggets 125, Nets 114; Spurs 102, Kings 89; Pacers 124, Timberwolves 113; Wizards 103, Heat 86; Magic 112, 76ers 95; and Trail Blazers 107, Clippers 102.

In Cleveland, Ohio, Zydrunas Ilgauskas had 16 points, Devin Brown scored 14 and Damon Jones knocked down two crucial 3-pointers early in the fourth for Cleveland, which opened a 4 1/2-game lead over the Raptors for the No. 4 spot in the Eastern Conference.

The Raptors nearly spoiled James' historic night, pulling even at 77 on T.J. Ford's jumper with 5:24 left. But James' dunk made it 81-77, and after Chris Bosh scored, Ilgauskas made two free throws to give Cleveland an 83-79 cushion.

James, who always has a flair for the dramatic, then hit a 3-pointer to put the Cavs up 86-79 and end Toronto's upset bid. Only 23 and with a team record already behind him, few would be surprised if someday James owned an NBA one.

"It took me 13 years to get 10,000 points," Cavs forward Joe Smith said. "It goes to show what kind of talent he is. I know he has at least 30,000 more in him."

"The crazy thing about it is he's 23," Cleveland coach Mike Brown told reporters. "To get that franchise record now is absolutely amazing.

"It's been a fun ride and hopefully it's going to be a long ride."

James was the Cavaliers' top draft choice out of high school in 2003. He was 18 at the time.

Bosh scored 24 points in his second game back after missing 10 with a sore knee for Toronto, which slipped to No. 6 in the East. Rasho Nesterovic added 16 for the Raptors, who held the Miami Heat to 54 points in a win on Wednesday night.

(Source: Shanghai Daily/Agencies)