Win’s all a setup by LeBron James

LeBron James tied a career high with 15 assists and Shaquille O’Neal ruled underneath, collecting 13 points and 13 rebounds in 21 minutes to help the Cavaliers beat the worn-down Memphis Grizzlies, 105-89, last night in Cleveland for their ninth straight victory.

James scored 22 but was more focused on setting up his teammates. It was the fifth time in six games he has had at least 10 assists, accepting the challenge of running Cleveland’s offense while the club waits for guards Mo Williams and Delonte West to return from injuries.

Rudy Gay scored 15 for Memphis, playing its fourth game in five nights. Zach Randolph finished with eight points, 13 below his average.

Magic 99, Bucks 82 - Vince Carter had 17 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists to lead shorthanded Orlando to an easy victory against visiting Milwaukee.

The struggling shooting guard had by far his most efficient game in more than a month, giving Orlando its seventh win in its last eight games.

Charlie Bell and Luke Ridnour had 13 points apiece for the Bucks, who had their three-game winning streak end. Milwaukee fell to 0-3 against Orlando this season.

Thunder 106, Hawks 99 - Kevin Durant had 33 points and 11 rebounds, Jeff Green added 19 points and two key baskets down the stretch, and Oklahoma City recovered after letting a 13-point lead slip away to beat Atlanta.

Durant became the first player since Allen Iverson [stats] nine seasons ago to score at least 25 points in 22 consecutive games and came up big down the stretch.

Pacers 130, Raptors 115 - Danny Granger scored 23 points and Indiana snapped Toronto’s five-game winning streak with a victory in Indianapolis.

Troy Murphy had 20 points and 14 rebounds for Indiana, which ended a three-game skid. Roy Hibbert had 18 points and nine boards and Earl Watson added 15 points and a season-high 11 assists.

Pistons 97, Nets 93 - In East Rutherford, N.J., Tayshaun Prince slammed down a tiebreaking dunk on an inbounds play with 45.6 seconds left and Detroit snapped a five-game losing streak with a victory against New Jersey.

Richard Hamilton had 11 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter, including three free throws in the final 21.3 seconds to play, as the Pistons won for only the fifth time in 24 games.

Clippers 90, Bulls 82 - Chris Kaman had 21 points and 11 rebounds in his return from injury and Eric Gordon scored 24 points as host Los Angeles snapped a four-game losing streak with a victory against Chicago.

Bulls guard Derrick Rose has been excused from the rookie challenge at All-Star weekend and will be replaced by Golden State’s Anthony Morrow.

Rockets 119, Warriors 97 - Aaron Brooks and Carl Landry scored 24 points apiece, and Houston salvaged the last game of its longest homestand of the season by beating Golden State.

The Rockets finished their six-game homestand with a disappointing 2-4 record.

Elsewhere in the NBA - Javaris Crittenton won’t contest his NBA suspension for bringing a gun into the Wizards locker room.