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CLEVELAND — As shot after shot dropped through the net, it became clear LeBron James was going to have one of those special nights. Steve Smith Jersey . The kind he has every so often. The kind he has when Dwyane Wade sits. James scored 43 points — 25 in a bewildering first-quarter shooting display — and Chris Bosh added 21, leading the Miami Heat to a 100-96 win Tuesday night over the Cleveland Cavaliers, who played their first game without injured All-Star guard Kyrie Irving. With Wade out resting his sore knees, James took it upon himself to carry the Heat. The same thing happened on March 3 and James responded by scoring a career-high 61 against Charlotte. „I dont know, its one of those zones,“ James said, trying to explain how he made 10 of 11 shot and five 3-pointers in the dizzying opening quarter. „When I started the game off, I felt like I could have gone for 50 or 60.“ James added two crucial blocks and dropped six free throws in the final two minutes, and Bosh had a key rejection to lead the Heat to just their third win in eight games. With Wade out, the Heats two other megastars picked up the slack. Jarrett Jack scored 22 and Dion Waiters added 17 and 11 assists for Cleveland, which was also without starting forward Luol Deng (sprained ankle). Irvings expected to miss two weeks with a strained biceps tendon, an injury that further damages the Cavs fading playoff hopes. Cleveland fell six games behind Atlanta for the final playoff spot. „Our guys hung in there and they competed,“ Cavs coach Mike Brown said. After one quarter, it was: James 25, Cavs 25. And like the other 20,000 plus in attendance, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra marveled at James accuracy. „That had nothing to do with me,“ Spoelstra said. „Truth be told, its not like Im absolutely in love with those type of plays, but he had it rolling. So I took a step back for a little bit.“ The four-time MVP had 31 points at halftime and 37 after three quarters, but the Heat entered the final 12 minutes tied as they were unable to shake off the Cavs, who shot 60 per cent from the floor through three and had all five starters in double figures. With James content to distribute the ball, Bosh scored nine straight points to put Miami ahead 93-88 with 2:24 remaining. Cleveland cut it to three on a basket by Anderson Varejao and had a chance to get closer but James — with an assist from Udonis Haslem — snuffed a dunk attempt by Spencer Hawes. Just 11 seconds later, Bosh turned away Waiters and James made a pair of free throws to make it 95-90 with 1:06 remaining. After empty possessions by both teams, James blocked a drive by Waiters and Bosh split a pair of free throws, giving the Heat a 96-90 lead. Jack made two 3-pointers in the final 15.7 seconds, but both times James answered by hitting two free throws to close it out. Spoelstra was most pleased with Miamis defence down the stretch. „Probably my favourite play was the double block,“ he said. „U.D. and L.J. going for that. It should be a layup. It should be a dunk. To make that play, those are the things I like to see.“ James improved to 13-1 against the Cavaliers, the team he left after seven seasons as a free agent in 2010. James made his first six shots — four of them 3s — and showed most of his offensive repertoire in the first quarter. He hit fadeaways, runners and a thunderous breakaway dunk. The only shot James missed came on a „heat-check“ 3-pointer from way beyond the arc. „Thats what makes LeBron unique in this league,“ Spoelstra said. „In todays age, there are players who would be looking for numbers with that type of start to see if you can go for 70. LeBrons just trying to play the game the right way. It takes great maturity. Hes selfless.“ It was James second visit to Cleveland in 10 days. He had been back on March 8, when former teammate Zydrunas Ilgauskas had his jersey retired by the Cavs, who may one day raise the No. 23 James wore to the rafters of Quicken Loans Arena. Much pregame hype focused on the All-Stars future. James can opt out of his contract with Miami this summer and become a free agent, and one of his possible destinations could be Cleveland. Asked directly if he wants to play for his former team again, James was noncommittal. „As of right now, its too hard for me to think about,“ he said. „We have 20 or less games before we gear up for no sleep for two months, hopefully. So for me to try and take my mind somewhere else when I know whats on its way is almost impossible.“ NOTES: Wade will be re-evaluated Wednesday when the Heat visit Boston. … James has yet to fill out his NCAA tournament brackets and didnt seem to be in a hurry to do it anytime soon. „Im terrible,“ he said. He was then reminded about the $1 billion Gilbert and tycoon Warren Buffett are offering for anyone who picks the games perfectly. Doesnt he want the billion? „No,“ James said. „Im just going to ask him for it.“ Its unclear whether he meant Gilbert or Buffett. … Spoelstra intends to keep C Greg Oden in the starting lineup, a drastic change for Miami, which has favoured smaller, shooter-heavy lineups. Oden made his third start and finished with six points in 14 minutes. San Antonio Spurs Gear . Moments after scoring and setting off another wild celebration at Minsk arena, Platt leapt into the arms of Belarusian captain Alexei Kalyuzhny. Patty Mills Jersey . Fourteen players were suspended last summer by Major League Baseball as part of the Biogenesis drug scandal, ranging from All-Stars to also-rans. MILWAUKEE — After a stretch of inconsistency, Matt Garza is beginning to resemble the pitcher the Brewers envisioned when they signed him to a $50 million deal last off-season. Garza took a shutout into the seventh inning and Mark Reynolds hit a two-run homer, sending Milwaukee to a 6-2 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Monday night. „This was a really nice ballgame,“ Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said. „He came out with a great fastball, he located it well, it had life on it. His sliders were outstanding. He threw good curveballs, so yes, I thought this was a really good game for him.“ Garza (3-4) scattered six hits over 6 1-3 scoreless innings against the team that brought him to the big leagues in 2006. Garza, signed to a four-year contract as a free agent, struck out eight and walked two for his first win since May 5. „Ive been feeling good,“ Garza said after his best outing since his first start of the season, when he allowed one run and two hits in eight innings of a 1-0 loss to Atlanta. „Baby steps. Ive felt great. My mechanics are where I want them to be and Im getting back to where Ive been.“ Kyle Gibson (4-5) allowed four runs and six hits in six innings. Gibson has won just one of his last eight starts after winning his first three. The Brewers took a 2-0 lead in the fourth on consecutive RBI singles by Jonathan Lucroy and Carlos Gomez. Reynolds followed Scooter Gennetts leadoff double in the fifth with an opposite-field shot to right for his team-leading 13th home run to make it 4-0. „I just made the wrong pitch,“ Gibson said. „I had a guy on second with less than two outs and I had gotten Reynolds away his first at-bat. And any good hitter right there is trying to move the runner over to third. And I got beat on not my best pitch. I threw him a four-seamer away and the sinkers obviously my best pitch. A sinker there, Id probably feel a whole lot better about it. Should have gone in. He was trying to hit a ball the other way and I gave him the pitch he needed to do it.“ Milwaukee added an unearned run in the seventh and another on Lucroys third homer in the eighth. After three perfect innings by Gibson, Jean Segura opened the fourth with his sixth bunt hit of the season. Segura advanced tto second on Ryan Brauns groundout and scored on Lucroys single up the middle, with Lucroy going to second on the throw. Billy Paultz Jersey. Gomez followed with another single back through the box. „They earned their way on,“ Gibson said. „The great bunt by Segura to start the inning, then Lucroy hit the ball up the middle. I got Gomez in a good situation, threw him a good slider and he did what good hitters do, he put the ball in play and found the hole with it.“ Milwaukee scored in the seventh on consecutive two-out errors by third baseman Trevor Plouffe. The Twins got a run in the eighth on an RBI infield single by Josh Willingham and another in the ninth on an RBI infield single by Brian Dozier. Minnesota, which stranded nine runners, squandered several scoring chances against Garza. Joe Mauer doubled with one out in the first, but was stranded at third. Mauer doubled again to open the fourth and did not advance. In the fifth, Gibson singled with two outs for his first major league hit and Dozier followed with a double, but Mauer struck out to end the inning. „It was more about keeping the runs off the board,“ Garza said. „We had some momentum and the last thing I wanted to do was go out there and break it. Mauer is a great hitter. He already hit two doubles and I just basically said, If youre not going to hit this, no one is.“ I just tried to get it really far in there. He swung and it worked out.“ NOTES: Brewers 3B Aramis Ramirez, on the 15-day disabled list with a left hamstring injury, went 2 for 4 as the designated hitter in his second rehab game for Class-A Wisconsin. Ramirez is expected to be activated for Wednesdays game at Minnesota and could be the DH in the American League ballpark. … It was the first of four consecutive interleague games between the Brewers and Twins, two in Milwaukee followed by two in Minnesota. … Gibsons soft liner just beyond the reach of Gennett at second was his first hit in four major league at-bats. … Mauers two doubles gave him 290 for his career, moving him past Justin Morneau for fourth place on the Twins all-time list (since 1961). … Brewers reliever Will Smith has made 14 consecutive appearances without allowing an earned run, covering 13 2-3 innings. ‚ ‚ ‚