James triple-double leads Cavs over Kings

LOS ANGELES — Cleveland superstar LeBron James posted his 40th career triple-double — and his first this season — to lead the Cavaliers to a 120-100 NBA win over the reeling Sacramento Kings Monday. James had 21 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists and teammate Kyrie Irving added 32 points and 12 assists to pile on the misery for the Kings, who have lost four straight and eight of their last nine. Sacramento coach George Karl reportedly could be fired before next weekend’s All-Star break. Cleveland was in control throughout, stretching a 16-point halftime lead to as many as 24 in the third quarter. James capped his triple-double with his 10th rebound in the final minute of the third period. He said he didn’t realize until the end of the quarter that he had achieved the triple-double. “I just go out and continue to play the game,” James said. “If it happens, it happens. If it don’t, it doesn’t. “The only concern is how we can close out quarters and win the ball game.” It was another encouraging performance from Irving, still returning to full strength after missing the first two months of the season as he continued to recover from the knee injury he suffered in the first game of last season’s NBA Finals. Cavs forward Kevin Love, back from a one-game absence with a bruised thigh, scored 11 points and surpassed 9,000 for his career in the first half. Nets 105, Nuggets 104: Forward Joe Johnson hit the game-winning 3-pointer with one-tenth of a second remaining and the Brooklyn Nets squandered a 16-point lead before pulling out a dramatic 105-104 victory over the Denver Nuggets. Johnson had been burned on a defensive switch when Denver forward Kenneth Faried put the Nuggets up 104-102 on a running jumper with 1.3 seconds remaining but atoned for it on the final possession. Trail Blazers 112, Grizzlies 106 (OT): Portland point guard Damian Lillard scored a game-high 33 points as the Trail Blazers defeated Memphis in overtime at FedExForum. Lillard made 10 of Portland’s 14 successful free throws on the night, including two late in overtime. The Trail Blazers outscored Memphis 10-4 in overtime. CJ McCollum finished with 21 points, six assists and three steals, and he scored six points in the overtime period. Pelicans 116, Timberwolves 102: New Orleans started its Mardi Gras celebration a few hours early, snapping a four-game losing streak by blitzing Minnesota. Anthony Davis led the way with 27 points on 13-of-22 shooting as the Pelicans blew open a close game in the second quarter and never looked back. Guard Jrue Holiday came off the bench to add another 27 for the Pelicans. And forward Ryan Anderson scored 15 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter for New Orleans. Clippers 98, 76ers 92 (OT): Jamal Crawford and J.J. Redick scored 23 points each, and DeAndre Jordan had four of his 12 in overtime as Los Angeles rallied to beat Philadelphia. Pacers 89, Lakers 87: Paul George scored seven of his 21 points during the final 1:11 and Indiana overcame a four-point deficit to defeat Los Angeles in Kobe Bryant’s final appearance in Bankers Life Fieldhouse. In other games it was: Hornets 108, Bulls 91; Magic 117, Hawks 110 (OT); Raptors 103, Pistons 89; Thunder 122, Suns 106.