PHONEIX — The Phoenix Suns spoiled LeBron James' return to NBA action Tuesday, holding off “King” James and the Cleveland Cavaliers 107-100. James, sidelined for a fortnight with back and knee injuries, scored 33 points in just under 37 minutes on the floor. He delivered 12 points in the fourth quarter as the Cavaliers erased a 19-point deficit and even took the lead four times in the final eight minutes, but in the end the Suns prevailed. Markieff Morris scored a career-high 35 points to lead the Suns. P.J. Tucker had 10 points for Phoenix and made two key plays that led to four straight free throws down the stretch to help them hang on for the win. The Cavaliers had hoped James' return would make for a quick reversal of fortunes. They lost seven of the eight games he missed during the longest stretch on the sidelines of his career. James admitted before the game that he might have taken more time off if his team had been winning, and said it was hard to endure watching the Cavs lose as he was idle. “It's the most difficult thing I've ever been through,” James said. “I hated the fact we were playing some pretty decent ball when I went out and we've just dropped a lot of games when I was out.” The Cavaliers also had key reserve Shawn Marion back after missing two games with a strained hip. James said the team, which got off to a slow start as it adjusted to the return of the superstar to his first NBA club after four seasons in Miami, just needed to stay focused on the details that had them improving before his injury absence. Warriors 116, Jazz 105: Stephen Curry scored 27 points and Golden State used a huge third quarter to defeat Utah at EnergySolutions Arena. Curry hit 10-of-16 shots and dished out a game-high 11 assists to help the Warriors become the third NBA team to hit the 30-win mark. Wizards 101, Spurs 93: Guard John Wall scored 25 points and reserve center Kevin Seraphin dominated the fourth quarter as Washington snapped a 17-game losing streak to San Antonio with a 101-93 win. Seraphin scored 11 of his 17 points in the final quarter, including nine straight for the Wizards. The lead changed hands seven times in the fourth quarter before Seraphin's putback put Washington ahead for good at 88-87 with 5:44 remaining. Hawks 105, 76ers 87: Red-hot Atlanta rested three starters against Philadelphia, but one of those who remained, Al Horford, more than made up for their absence. Horford had the first triple-double of his eight-year career, logging 21 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in Atlanta's ninth straight win and its 23rd in the last 25 games. Timberwolves 110, Pacers 101: Guard Mo Williams scored 52 points, which is a Bankers Life Fieldhouse record for a visiting player, and Minnesota snapped a 15-game losing streak against struggling Indiana. Williams scored 37 second-half points, and the Timberwolves scored 41 fourth-quarter points to win for the first time since beating Portland on Dec. 10 in Minneapolis. — Agencies
