Drew Gooden scored a season-high 22 points, LeBron James kicked in 15 and Damon Jones dropped three 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, helping the Cleveland Cavaliers hold off the Memphis Grizzlies 97-94 on Tuesday.

LeBron James (23) of the Cleveland Cavaliers attempts a shot over Stromile Swift of the Memphis Grizzlies in the first quarter of their NBA game in Cleveland,Ohio November 21, 2006.[Reuters]

The Cavaliers, who have won six of seven, nearly blew a 20-point lead in the second half but made big shots and big plays down the stretch to improve the Eastern Conference's best record to 8-3.

Jones, who finished with 21 points _ 11 in the fourth _ made two free throws with 15 seconds left and Donyell Marshall added a pair of foul shots with 6.7 seconds to go for the Cavs, playing their third game without injured guard Larry Hughes.

Chucky Atkins had 17 to lead the Grizzlies. But it was Mike Miller (15 points) and Brian Cardinal (12) who rallied Memphis, which outscored Cleveland 28-17 in the final period but never took the lead. Hornets 101, Heat 86=

At Oklahoma City, Peja Stojakovic scored 23 points and New Orleans opened the fourth quarter with a 10-point run to pull away from Miami.

With mostly reserves on the floor, the Hornets scored 10 straight points to take an 85-71 lead after Bobby Jackson converted a three-point play off a floating finger roll down the left baseline.

Stojakovic stretched the lead to 15 with a 3-pointer near the top of the key. The defending NBA champions never got closer than 11 after that, and Miami coach Pat Riley pulled his starters with 3:17 left and the Hornets up 16.

Dwyane Wade had 29 points for Miami, and Jason Williams added 13. Mavericks 107, Wizards 80=

At Dallas, Dirk Nowitzki scored seven of his 30 points in a game-turning run that ended the third quarter, and Dallas won its seventh straight.

The Mavericks haven't lost since following their trip to the NBA finals by starting 0-4 for the first time. Their winning streak is the longest in the NBA, one more than Utah, which was off Tuesday night.

Washington is winless in its first five road games, the latest it has gone this deep in the season without a road victory since 1999-00. The Wizards play in Houston on Wednesday night.

Gilbert Arenas finished with 29 points for Washington. Pacers 93, Bucks 88=

At Indianapolis, Indiana rallied in the final three minutes by scoring the last 14 points to beat Milwaukee for the second time in four days.

Jermaine O'Neal finished with 26 points and 13 rebounds, including the final two free throws with 2.3 seconds left to seal the victory. Jamaal Tinsley added 17, and Al Harrington, who missed Saturday's game at Milwaukee with back spasms, finished with seven points and 18 rebounds.

Maurice Williams scored 22 points for the Bucks and Michael Redd had 21, well below his average of 30.3. Redd is the NBA's second-leading scorer. Pistons 97, 76ers 87=

At Philadelphia, Rasheed Wallace had 21 points and 11 rebounds, and Detroit took advantage of Allen Iverson's absence.

Tayshaun Prince added 25 points and Richard Hamilton scored 16 as Detroit (6-5) led all the way and won its third straight game. Chauncey Billups finished with 11 points and 11 assists.

Iverson, who leads Philadelphia and is third in the NBA in scoring, missed the game after undergoing oral surgery to remove an abscessed wisdom tooth earlier in the day. His status for Wednesday night's game at Milwaukee is uncertain.

His replacement in the starting lineup, Willie Green, led the 76ers with a season-high 24 points. Nuggets 113, Bulls 109=

At Denver, J.R. Smith scored a career-high 36 points, Carmelo Anthony added 29, and Denver beat struggling Chicago.

Anthony missed two free throws in the closing seconds, ending his streak of 30-point games at six. That left him tied for the franchise record with Alex English, who did it during the 1982-83 season.

But Smith picked up the slack down the stretch, scoring five points in the final three minutes against the team that traded him to Denver during the offseason.

Kirk Hinrich scored 28 points for the Bulls, who have lost five in a row. Luol Deng had 22 points, but only two after halftime. Lakers 105, Clippers 101=

At Los Angeles, Kobe Bryant scored 40 points, 10 in the final 5:38, and the Lakers beat the Clippers.

Lamar Odom added 18 points for the Lakers. Smush Parker had 15 points and Kwame Brown had 10 points and 14 rebounds.

Elton Brand led the Clippers with 20 points and 15 rebounds, and Corey Maggette had 20 points in the first of four meetings this season between the teams that share the same homecourt.