LeBron James thinks a rocky January can help the Cleveland Cavaliers in the long run.
"The road to a championship or the road to success shouldn't be a bed of roses," he said after scoring 31 points Friday night in a 124-116 victory over the Brooklyn Nets. "It's never been my road. I shouldn't expect anything different. So having bumps in the road, I think it builds character."
Kyrie Irving added 28 points and the Cavaliers ended a turbulent week with a much-needed victory. The NBA champions had lost three straight and six of eight while James questioned whether the organization was fully committed to winning a second title.
The Cavaliers took advantage of a timely visit from the NBA's worst team. Irving scored 20 points, and James added 10 in the third quarter when Cleveland built an 86-62 lead.
"Yeah, I feel better," said Cleveland coach Tyronn Lue, whose team is 6-7 this month. "It feels good to get a win anyway you can get it."
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Elsewhere, Carmelo Anthony shook off some boos and a rough shooting night to score 18 points, Courtney Lee added 16 against his former team and the New York Knicks beat the Charlotte Hornets 110-107.
James Harden scored 51 points and added 13 rebounds and 13 assists to lead the Houston Rockets to a 123-118 victory over Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers.
Goran Dragic had 26 points and 11 assists, Willie Reed scored 20 points and Dion Waiters added 19 to lead the Miami Heat to their sixth straight, a 100-88 victory over the bickering Chicago Bulls.
Dwyane Wade had 15 points to lead the Bulls, who began the day with a team meeting and ended it with a second straight frustrating loss.
Otto Porter Jr. had 21 points and 11 rebounds, John Wall scored 19 and the Washington Wizards moved within a half-game of the Southeast Division lead with an easy 112-86 victory over the Atlanta Hawks
Isaiah Thomas had 21 points and eight assists in just three quarters, extending his streak of scoring at least 20 points to 30 straight games, as Boston beat the Orlando Magic 128-98.
Paul George scored 12 of Indiana's last 16 points and finished with 33 as the Pacers overcame a 16-point third-quarter deficit to beat the Sacramento Kings 115-111 in overtime.
Jrue Holiday scored 23 points, Anthony Davis had 16 points and tied a career high with 22 rebounds as the New Orleans Pelicans snapped San Antonio's five-game winning streak with a 119-103 victory over the Spurs.
Kyle Lowry had 32 points, Norman Powell added 19 and the Toronto Raptors snapped their longest losing streak of the season at five games with a 102-86 win over the Milwaukee Bucks.
Damian Lillard scored 33 points, including 13 straight for Portland late in the fourth quarter as the Trail Blazers held off the Memphis Grizzlies 112-109.
