James, Miller lead Cavaliers over Nets 95-91

CLEVELAND (AP) -- LeBron James scored 22 points and Mike Miller, making his first start of the season, added 21 on seven 3-pointers, leading the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 95-91 win over the Brooklyn Nets on Friday night.

James, who moved into 23rd place on the all-time scoring list, scored eight points in the fourth quarter as the Cavaliers bounced back from their biggest loss of the season Wednesday against Atlanta.

Joe Johnson led the Nets with 26 points. Brooklyn guard Deron Williams limped off the court in the second quarter with a strained right calf and didn't return.

Brooklyn cut an eight-point lead to 94-91 on Johnson's 3-pointer with 41 seconds remaining. The Cavaliers committed a turnover, but Kevin Garnett missed a contested 3-pointer and James split two free throws with 1.3 seconds left.

The Cavaliers were routed 127-98 on Wednesday, a loss coach David Blatt called "embarrassing." Cleveland fell behind by 11 points in the first quarter, but bounced back after losing three of four.

Miller hit his first three 3-point attempts, and was 5 of 6 from behind arc for 15 points in the first half. He appeared to injure his left ankle late in the second quarter, but waved off the bench and remained in the game.

Miller was 5 for 20 on 3-pointers going into the game.

James passed Charles Barkley on the all-time scoring list with a 3-pointer from the corner in the first quarter.

Irving, who returned to the court to work on his shot following Wednesday's game, added 16 points.

Mason Plumlee scored 14 points while Jarrett Jack added 13 for the Nets, who have lost three straight and six of eight.

Cleveland finished the first half with a 15-4 run. Irving scored six points, including four free throws and a fast break dunk, while James faked past Johnson and brought the crowd to its feet with a thunderous dunk.

The Cavaliers defeated the Nets 110-88 in Brooklyn on Dec. 8, breaking open a close game with a dominating second half in front of Prince William and Kate Middleton.

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TIP-INS

Nets: Williams finished with one point and five assists in 10 minutes. He missed all five shots. . G Sergey Karasev (strained left oblique) returned to the starting lineup after missing one game. G Alan Anderson returned to his usual role coming off the bench. . Karasev and G Jarrett Jack both played for the Cavaliers last season.

Cavaliers: F Shawn Marion was moved to the bench to make room for Miller in the lineup. The majority of Marion's playing time will come at small forward, the position he's played most of his career. That could also ease the workload for James, who is averaging 37.7 minutes, fourth in the league. . With Miller's return, the Cavaliers are at full strength for the first time in six weeks. Guard Matthew Dellavedova returned last week after missing 15 games because of a sprained knee.

UP NEXT

Nets: Host Detroit on Sunday.

Cavaliers: Host Memphis on Sunday.

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