James passes Olajuwon, joins top 10

PHILADELPHIA — LeBron James scored 25 points Saturday, passing Hakeem Olajuwon for 10th on the NBA all-time scoring list, as the Cleveland Cavaliers remained unbeaten by defeating Philadelphia 102-101. James also added eight rebounds and 14 assists, the last on Channing Frye’s 3-pointer to create the final margin with 65 seconds remaining. The Philadelphia 76ers, winless at 0-5, turned the ball over three times in the final minute to ensure a victory by the Cavaliers, now 6-0. Kevin Love added 20 points and 11 rebounds for the Cavaliers while Joel Embiid led the 76ers with 22 points. Four-time NBA Most Valuable Player James scored on a fast-break layup with 6:02 remaining in the first quarter against the host 76ers to move one point ahead of Olajuwon’s career total of 26,946 points. “King” James took only 993 career games over 14 seasons to surpass Hakeem “The Dream,” who needed 1,238 games over 18 campaigns to achieve his total. James worked out with former Houston Rockets center Olajuwon in 2011. “I knew he worked guys out that wanted to get better and I wanted to expand my game in the low post,” James said. “I felt like if I could do that then I could be more dynamic and make our team better.” He won NBA crowns with Miami the next two seasons and took his third crown, and first with Cleveland, last June. The next target on the NBA all-time scoring list is Elvin Hayes with 27,313 points. Of the top 10, only James, Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan were players that weren’t centers or power forwards with dominating inside games. Magic 88, Wizards 86: Reserve forward Jeff Green scored 18 points, including 10 in the final period, to lead Orlando to a victory over Washington. The Magic won their third consecutive game after rebounding from a 10-point deficit early in the fourth quarter. Green hit a 3-pointer with 3:20 remaining for a 84-82 lead they never lost. Pistons 103, Nuggets 86: Andre Drummond powered for 19 points and 20 rebounds, and Detroit romped past Denver. The Pistons center notched his third 20-rebound game of the season. He also made three blocks, giving him 500 for his career. Pacers 111, Bulls 94: Jeff Teague scored 21 points to lead six Indiana players in double figures, and the Pacers dominated Chicago from start to finish to get the win. Thunder 112, Timberwolves 92: Russell Westbrook scored 28 points to lead Oklahoma City to a victory over Minnesota. Westbrook shot 9 of 18 from the field to go along with eight assists, six rebounds and three assists. Center Enes Kanter came off the bench to pour in 20 points and grab 10 rebounds. Center Steven Adams added 14 points and eight boards. Hawks 112, Rockets 97: Guard Kent Bazemore, held scoreless one night earlier, bounced back to score a season-high 20 points and spark Atlanta to a win over Houston at Philips Arena. The win broke Atlanta’s two-game losing streak and extended its winning streak over Houston to six games. It was the most points scored by the Hawks this season. Bucks 117, Kings 91: Some players, when they find themselves in a funk, try working on their shot mechanics or spend more time out on the court, working out flaws in their shot. Mirza Teletovic, however, decided to get a haircut. The pampering paid off as Teletovic knocked down seven 3-pointers and finished with a game-high 22 as Milwaukee extended its winning streak to three games with a victory over Sacramento at the Bradley Center. Clippers 116, Spurs 92: Blake Griffin scored a season-best 28 points in just 29 minutes as Los Angeles crushed San Antonio. Guard Jamal Crawford scored 16 points for the Clippers and forward Marreese Speights added 15. Guard Chris Paul had 10 assists. — Reuters