Murray comes to rescue as Cavaliers edge Bulls

March 4, 2006 - 0:0
NEW YORK (Reuters) -- Ronald Murray drained a three-pointer with 3.9 seconds left on the clock to give the Cleveland Cavaliers a 92-91 win over the Chicago Bulls on Thursday.

LeBron James hit a game-high 33 points, pulling down 11 rebounds and dishing out eight assists as the Cavaliers brought an end to a five-game losing streak.

Trailing by 15 entering the fourth, the Bulls rallied behind an 11-2 run to open the quarter, trimming the deficit to 77-71.

Another 11-point burst gave the Bulls their first lead of the game at 82-81 and they battled to a 90-87 advantage with 17 seconds remaining.

But it was Murray who came to the rescue with the game on the line, scoring 11 of his 13 points in the final quarter, including the game winner in the dying seconds.

Andres Nocioni had a chance to win it for the Bulls at the buzzer but watched his shot clang off the front of the rim.

In San Antonio, Tony Parker poured in 23 points and Michael Finley chipped in with 15 against his former team as the Spurs beat Dallas 98-89 in a top of the table Western conference clash.

The defending NBA champions had six players in double figures, Tim Duncan also hitting for 15 points while Robert Horry had 12 and Bruce Bowen 11 to help deliver coach Gregg Popovich his 500th career win.

Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Terry had 23 in the loss for the Mavericks, who lost for the first time in seven games.