James' triple-double carries Cavs in Memphis

MEMPHIS, Tenn.(AP) LeBron James was the only healthy frontcourt player for the Cleveland Cavaliers.He was more than enough.James
had 30 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists for his second triple-double
of the season, leading the Cavaliers to a 102-87 victory over the
Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday night.With Zydrunas Ilgauskas
sidelined by a fractured left ankle and Ben Wallace out with the flu,
Cleveland was missing 40 percent of its starting lineup.James
scored only nine points in the opening half, then had 17 in the third
quarter and completed his triple-double - to his surprise - with a
behind-the-back pass to J.J. Hickson for a layup in the fourth."I
had no idea,'' James said. "The first time I knew was when I got the
stat sheet. I'm just out there playing. Two of our guys are out so
everyone had to step up, including myself.''Delonte West added
19 points and Mo Williams 16 for the Cavs. Anderson Varejao was held to
seven points and four rebounds after averaging 16 points and eight
boards the past four games in place of Ilgauskas.Cleveland coach Mike Brown was impressed that James didn't force anything to make up for the absent teammates."It's
not just about jacking up 3s and taking bad shots,'' Brown said. "It's
about attacking the basket. LeBron has had this type of game before. He
played a different way tonight by taking it upon himself to get this
team scoring the right way.''Kyle Lowry led the Grizzlies with a
career-high 25 points, including 15 from the free throw line, and
reserve Hakim Warrick had 16 points and seven rebounds. Rookie guard
O.J. Mayo was limited to six points, a season-low.The Grizzlies
also got 13 points in 13 minutes from Darius Miles, who signed a 10-day
contract Saturday and is one game away from reaching the 10 appearances
that would put the remaining $18 million of his salary back on
Portland's payroll.Cleveland trailed for only a minute in the
first half and stretched a 10-point lead at the end of the third
quarter to as many as 20 points in the fourth. The Cavs shot 53
percent, including 57 percent from 3-point range, in their 30th victory
of the season. The Cavaliers became the fourth team to reach 30 wins,
joining Boston, Orlando and the Los Angeles Lakers."They made
their push in the third quarter and it made it difficult for us to get
back in it,'' Memphis coach Marc Iavaroni said. "We struggled with
containing LeBron James on the high pick-and-roll.''Memphis dropped its fourth straight and lost for the 12th time in 14 games."We've
got to battle and find a way to win games,'' Lowry said. "I don't know
what it is. We just seem like when we get hit, we get hit hard. We try
to bounce back, but the balls keep bouncing the wrong way.''The
Grizzlies started slowly, missing their first five shots to fall behind
7-0. After having not led at any point during back-to-back losses
entering the game, Memphis recovered to lead briefly, 13-12. It
was20the Grizzlies' only lead.With James allowing his teammates
to take most of the shots in the first half, the Cavaliers never built
more than a nine-point lead. The Grizzlies made a run late in the
second quarter as Lowry and Warrick fueled an 11-4 spurt that closed
the gap to 47-44 at the half."I was taking what the defense gave
me in the first half,'' James said. "I play the game the right way. I
let the game come to me. I took advantage of it in the third quarter.''Notes:
Grizzlies rookie forward Darrell Arthur started and played 10 minutes
in the first half before leaving the game with a hamstring injury. He
did not return. ... Memphis native Lorenzen Wright, who played at the
University of Memphis, made his first start of the season for
Cleveland. Wright, playing in his 11th game, started for Wallace. ...
James received a technical foul in the first for hanging on the rim and
slapping the backboard.