James, Cavaliers Snap Out of Slump

A bruised shin didn’t stop LeBron James from leading the Cleveland Cavaliers out of a slump or cheerfully singing in the locker room afterward.

James scored 26 points and got enough help to lead the Cavaliers past the Denver Nuggets, 94-85, on Thursday night at Cleveland.

James bruised his left shin and hobbled to the locker room with 29 seconds left in the first half. He returned with the shin wrapped for support.

He also got support from Damon Jones and Donyell Marshall. Jones scored 17 points and Marshall 11. Both made three-pointers down the stretch to help the Cavaliers end a three-game losing streak.

“Huge win,� Marshall said. “You always want to come out of a slump. It’s better to come out of a slump against a good team that’s playing well.�

The Nuggets had won four of five, and Carmelo Anthony was coming off a career-high 42 points in a victory over Charlotte on Tuesday. Anthony scored 23 to lead Denver but made only eight of 23 shots.

San Antonio 90, Minnesota 88 -- Michael Finley scored 21 points, including the last six for the Spurs, in a victory at Minneapolis.

Kevin Garnett (24 points and a season-high 21 rebounds) outplayed Tim Duncan (13 points and nine rebounds) but the Timberwolves lost their third in a row when Troy Hudson’s off-balance, running jumper in traffic at the buzzer fell short.

Houston 104, Seattle 98 -- Tracy McGrady scored 14 of his 34 points in the fourth quarter and played all but 18 seconds to help the Rockets win their fifth in a row and improve to 4-0 on their six-game trip. Ray Allen scored 30 for Seattle, which lost its fourth in a row at home.

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Indiana Pacer forward Ron Artest was fined $10,000 by the league for “making public statements detrimental to the NBA� when he expressed his desire to be traded to either the New York Knicks or Cleveland Cavaliers in a Dec. 11 story in the Indianapolis Star, the league said.