CLEVELAND - LeBron James scored 24 and the Cavaliers made sure they didn't give Ricky Davis anything more to say with a 97-89 victory over the Celtics Monday night.
James played the final 10:19 with a strained left calf muscle, but hit a crucial 3-pointer and grabbed a big rebound down the stretch as the Cavaliers snapped a three-game losing streak.
Most important for Cleveland fans was the Cavaliers beat Davis, who was back for the first time since he was traded to the Celtics Dec. 15 in a six-player swap.
Shortly after the deal, Davis criticized the Cavaliers, their front office and the city, calling Cleveland "a black hole."
Davis apologized about the remarks after Monday's shootaround. But that didn't stop fans in Gund Arena from booing him from the moment he came in with 3:45 left in the first quarter.
Davis scored 10 and had four turnovers in 28 minutes.
HAWKS 102, MAVERICKS 96: Stephen Jackson scored 11 of his career-high 30 during a fourth-quarter rally for host Atlanta. The Hawks improved to 8-7 over the past 15, including three victories in the past four with their first win over Dallas since Jan. 14, 1998. Dallas moved within three a couple of times, the final on a dunk by Michael Finley with 8:31 left. But the Hawks sealed it at the free-throw line. In the fourth quarter, they were 14-for-19.
LAKERS: Kobe Bryant had stitches removed from his right index finger but sat out most of practice and is expected to miss his seventh consecutive game tonight in Miami. He declined to talk to reporters.
MAGIC: Center Andrew DeClercq will have arthroscopic surgery on his right knee. DeClercq, a former Gator, is expected to be out 10-14 days.
RAPTORS: Toronto must pay center Nate Huffman the $2.56-million he is owed on his terminated contract, an arbitrator ruled. Huffman signed a three-year, $5.2-million contract before last season.
RODMAN PLEADS: Former NBA star Dennis Rodman pleaded not guilty to charges of drunken driving, reckless driving and obstruction in an October motorcycle crash in Las Vegas. Rodman's lawyer, Karen Winckler, made the plea on Rodman's behalf.
WILLIAMS TRIAL: More than half the people who qualified as potential jurors in the manslaughter trial of Jayson Williams in Somerville, N.J., were reinterviewed regarding recent media coverage, and nearly all were aware of reports that the former Net killed his dog. Four candidates were removed after state Superior Court Judge Edward M. Coleman found they would be unable to put those stories out of their minds.
