CLEVELAND, March 9 – Cleveland, already resting superstar LeBron James, survived an injury to forward Antawn Jamison and rallied for a 97-95 NBA victory over San Antonio on Monday.Mo Williams made two free throws with nine seconds remaining and Delonte West made the kind of plays down the stretch usually reserved for league Most Valuable Player James – who was sitting out his second straight game with a sore ankle.
Cleveland were already missing center Shaquille O’Neal, who is out for another five weeks after undergoing thumb surgery.
Jamison left the contest in the third quarter after feeling stiffness behind his left knee.
It wasn’t clear when Jamison might have injured himself, but he walked carefully to the locker room to be evaluated by the team’s medical staff, who said he would not return.
Williams finished with 17 points for Cleveland. West had 16 points and made a key steal in the final minute as Cleveland became the first team to reach 50 victories this season.
Manu Ginobili scored a season-high 38 points to lead the Spurs, who were without guard Tony Parker. The Frenchman is expected to miss six weeks with a broken hand.