Bobcats contain James; best Cavs for first time in franchise history

Nov 5, 2006, 3:15 GMT

Charlotte, NC - Raymond Felton scored 23 points and Brevin Knight added 17 as the Bobcats shut down LeBron James and beat the Cavaliers for the first time in franchise history, 92-88, for their first win of the season.

Sean May ended with 14 points and nine rebounds, and had a big block on James with just over a minute left, as the Bobcats moved to 1-7 all-time against Cleveland and posted their first win after losses to Indiana and Memphis to begin the season.

'It's a big win for us, a win we needed,' Felton said. 'We started off 0-2 so we needed to get that monkey off our back early.'

James, who came into the contest averaging 34 points in his last three games against the Bobcats, was limited to 16 on 3-of-13 shooting. James also had nine rebounds and seven assists.

'They are an NBA team just like we are,' James said. 'I don't know if we took them lightly. They just executed better.'

Drew Gooden led the way for Cleveland with 21 points and 16 boards, but the Cavs were dealt their first defeat in three games this season.

'We haven't arrived and we have a long way to go,' Cavs coach Mike Brown said. 'If we think we can show up and just beat team, we are going to have a long season.'

A scary moment for Cavalier fans came with 1:41 left in the game when James and Knight collided near mid-court. Larry Hughes saved the ball from going out of bounds, and James and Knight collided going for the ball.

James winced in pain, and after being seen by a trainer stayed in the game.

James then drove to the hoop, but was snuffed by May, who stared at the fallen Cavalier.

Knight then hit one free throw for an 86-80 Charlotte lead with 54.6 seconds left.

The Cavaliers could only get as close as the final score.

Rookie Adam Morrison tallied 13 points and Emeka Okafor added 12 points before fouling out for the Bobcats, who forced 19 turnovers.

Zydrunas Ilgauskas had 14 points and nine rebounds, but also seven turnovers for the Cavs. Donyell Marshall added 14 points and Hughes scored 12 for Cleveland.

The Cavaliers scored 14 straight points during the first quarter for a 24-13 lead.

Charlotte was behind 28-20 after 12 minutes, but closed the gap within 50-46 at the half. The Bobcats had a strong third quarter for a 69-66 lead going into the fourth.

The decisive run by the Bobcats came early in the fourth when they scored 10 in a row. Felton's three-pointer capped the flurry for a 79-71 lead with 8:21 left.

Game Notes

The attendance was 19,147, which is a Bobcats record.

Memphis is the only team the Bobcats have yet to beat.

Cleveland held the advantage on the glass, 46-34.

© 2006 The Sports Network