Rookie LeBron James had 23 points and nine assists, and Carlos Boozer scored a career-high 28 as the Cleveland Cavaliers finally won on national TV, 95-86 over the Detroit Pistons on Thursday night.

James, whose addition to the Cavs has given them unprecedented exposure and pressure, helped Cleveland improve to 1-5 in prime-time telecasts. The Cavs have won just two of 11.

Cleveland also snapped an eight-game losing streak to Detroit. The Cavs hadn't beaten the Pistons since Dec. 4, 2001.

The win was also Cleveland's first over a team with a winning record since the Cavs defeated New Orleans last April 5.

Ricky Davis, whose name continually pops up in trade rumors, had 15 points, nine rebounds and five assists. Davis also had a vicious dunk, cutting through four Pistons in the fourth quarter to throw one down as the Cavs were putting it away.

Richard Hamilton, who scored a career-high 44 points in a win over Cleveland on Nov. 28, led the Pistons with 19 points but was bottled up by the Cavs.

Tayshaun Prince added 14 points for Detroit, which shot just 36 percent from the floor and were outrebounded 45-28.

Pistons rookie Darko Milicic, selected with the No. 2 pick after James in the NBA draft, had a shot blocked and missed a wide-open dunk in the final seconds.

Milicic still hasn't scored this season.

Leading by nine, the Cavaliers scored the first seven points of the fourth quarter to open a 77-61 lead on two free throws by Boozer 9:09 remaining.

However, the Pistons countered with a 14-6 run, capped by Prince's 3-pointer from the left wing to close within 83-75 with 4:52 remaining.

But the Cavs, who have been unable to close out games this season, showed some maturity down the stretch. James hitting a pair of jumpers on consecutive possessions and Kevin Ollie draining an open jumper to help Cleveland hang on.

James fed Darius Miles for an alley-oop, Davis hit a jumper and Boozer jammed with 1.5 seconds to go in the third quarter as the Cavs took a 70-61 lead entering the fourth.

Cavaliers coach Paul Silas has been urging James to be more aggressive on offense, and the rookie was just that in the first half with several drives to the basket.

He scored 16 points in the opening half, including the Cavs' last seven.

Despite missing 18 of 21 shots in a prolonged drought stretching into the second quarter, the Pistons managed to stay close and pulled within 46-49 at halftime.

Notes:@ James is fourth among Eastern Conference guards in the NBA All-Star balloting released on Thursday. James (242,695 votes) trails Allen Iverson, Tracy McGrady and Jason Kidd, but said making the squad wasn't a goal. "It shows I've got a lot of fans," he said of the early returns for the Feb. 15 game. "All-Star voting doesn't matter to me, the only thing that matters to me are the fans." ... James has been named one of "The 10 Most Fascinating People of 2003" for an upcoming Barbara Walters' TV special. ... The Pistons are 8-2 against teams under .500. ... Cleveland's 95 points are the most Detroit has given up in 11 games.

Close

Today's Top News		Top Sports News
+China, Canada ink seven agreements ( 2003-12-12) +Greenspan: Pricier Yuan won't help US trade deficit ( 2003-12-12) +US rules for food may harm trade ( 2003-12-11) +Logistics cost of 2008 Games to top 40b yuan ( 2003-12-11) +Nation lifts oil import quotas ( 2003-12-11)		+Bryant leads West in vote for All-Stars ( 2003-12-12) +Serena Williams signs deal with Nike ( 2003-12-12) +Cavaliers gain victory over Pistons 95-86 ( 2003-12-12) +Chinese men faces big challenge in ITTF: coach ( 2003-12-12) +World's top two ousted from ITTF Pro Tour Finals ( 2003-12-12)