LeBron scores 31 as Cavaliers down Hornets 112-103
CLEVELAND (AP) -- LeBron James scored 31 points, J.R. Smith matched a season high with 27 and the Cleveland Cavaliers knocked down 16 3-pointers while playing without an injured Kyrie Irving in a 112-103 win over the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday.
James added 12 assists and eight rebounds and Kevin Love added 25 points for the Cavs, who held off a comeback in the fourth quarter to open a 3-game lead over idle Toronto for the top playoff seed in the Eastern Conference. Smith made six 3-pointers and Love had five.
Cleveland has five games left in the regular season, including four against teams fighting for postseason positioning.
Kemba Walker scored 29 points -- 21 in the second half -- and Marvin Williams added 22 for the Hornets, who got within 96-92 in the fourth before Smith and Love answered with 3-pointers.
Charlotte clinched a playoff spot on Saturday and came in temporarily holding the No. 3 spot in the East. The Hornets are 21-7 since Feb. 1.
Irving injured his ankle late in the first half of Friday's overtime win at Atlanta. He played in the second half and OT session, but still has some soreness and swelling and the Cavs played it safe and rested their star point guard. Coach Tyronn Lue doesn't know yet if Irving will sit more than one game.
For three quarters, the Cavs barely missed him.
Cleveland shot 68 percent from the floor in the first quarter and barely cooled off, making 8 of 14 3-pointers in the opening half to take a 58-42 lead at the break.
The ball movement was better and so was Cleveland's defense as Matthew Dellavedova, who started in place of Irving, held Walker to eight points in the first 24 minutes.
The Cavs pushed their lead to 21 on a 3-pointer by Smith, but as so often been the case this season, they couldn't maintain their big advantage.
Walker scored 15 points and the Hornets crept within eight, but Smith made a pair of 3s and Mo Williams knocked down a deep shot to put the Cavs ahead 86-71 after three.
Every time the Hornets put together a run in the fourth, the Cavs were able to get a clutch basket from James, Love or Smith, who combined for 83 points.
