LeBron rules Kobe with game on line

CLEVELAND -- The two superstars wanted to guard each other in the final moments: Kobe Bryant on LeBron James. LeBron on Kobe.

It had to end like that.

"I didn't even ask," James said. "I just told Sasha (Pavlovic) to go somewhere else."

James scored 33 points and shut out Bryant when the NBA's top two scorers went 1-on-1 in the final 2:23, and the Cleveland Cavaliers bounced back from a dismal loss with a 94-90 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday.

James added 10 rebounds and five assists. But it was his pressure on Bryant in the final minutes that helped the Cavs recover from their lousy defensive effort in a 108-90 loss at New York on Wednesday.

James relished the chance to match up against a player he believes is the league's best with the ball.

"If you want to win, you have to be able to defend the best player," James said. "I think we both took on the challenge."

Bryant scored 21 points, but missed two shots with James chasing him and the Lakers went 0-for-8 from the floor over the final four minutes.

Daniel Gibson added 15 points for the Cavs, who held the Lakers to 12 points -- on 5-for-22 shooting -- in the fourth quarter and won for just the third time in 12 games.

Lamar Odom added 19 points, and Andrew Bynum had 17 points for the Lakers, but Bynum missed two free throws with 11.9 seconds left that would have tied it at 92.

On the second miss, Bryant got away from James and grabbed a rebound in traffic before calling timeout with 10.3 seconds left.

But after taking the inbounds pass, Bryant missed a long 3-pointer with five seconds left and Lakers guard Derek Fisher was called for a loose-ball foul despite grabbing a rebound over Gibson.

Fisher thought he had got the ball cleanly.

"There was contact," Fisher said. "But I didn't push him."

Bryant thought he had a good shot at the missed 3.

"He (James) had his hands down on me. He knows better than that," Bryant said. "I was mad it didn't go in."

James was afraid Bryant had made a game winner.

"It looked good when I turned around," he said.

Gibson hit both free throws with 3.3 seconds left to seal it for the Cavs, who were coming off an inexcusable road loss to the Knicks. After that game, Cavs coach Mike Brown said he was embarrassed.

Amid Cleveland's poor performance in New York, James and Brown bumped shoulders on the floor as time was called in the fourth quarter. A video clip of the moment was shown repeatedly on ESPN, and because Brown and James were upset at the time, it led to speculation about a problem between the two.

Both said the incident was not an issue.

• Nuggets 112, Rockets 111 -- At Denver, Anthony Carter made a floater in the lane with 0.8 seconds left in double overtime to give Denver the win over shorthanded Houston.

Carmelo Anthony had 37 points and a career-high 16 rebounds, and Allen Iverson had 36 points and nine assists for the Nuggets, who ended a two-game losing streak.

Yao Ming had 26 points and 19 rebounds and Luther Head scored 22 for the Rockets, who have lost three straight and five of their last six. Houston was without top scorer Tracy McGrady (sore left knee).

Ming's two free throws with 4.5 seconds left gave the Rockets the lead, but Carter, who had six points in the game, hit a 15-footer for the winner.

• Nets 107, Heat 103 -- At Miami, Vince Carter scored 31 points, Richard Jefferson added 29 and New Jersey rallied to beat Miami in overtime.

Carter shot 10-for-10 from the free-throw line, including four in overtime.

Dwyane Wade scored a season-high 41 points on 15-for-23 shooting to lead the Heat, a night after he scored his previous high, 37, in an overtime loss at Atlanta. Shaquille O'Neal scored 12 points in 36 minutes before fouling out for the fourth straight game.