LOS ANGELES, Calif. - Kobe Bryant and LeBron James traded hugs, big shots and verbal jabs all night with warmth and humour. In the waning minutes, they went head-to-head in yet another entertaining duel between two of this generations greatest talents.Although LeBron ended up topping his friendly rival again, King James relished what could be one of his final chances to share a court with one of his few true peers.James scored 36 points and the Cleveland Cavaliers snapped their six-game losing streak with a 109-102 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night despite Bryants 19 points and career-high 17 assists.Its always fun, a pleasure, James said. Its two of the best competitors this game has probably ever seen, and to be on the same floor with him, somebody I looked up to when I was a child growing up, seeing him go straight from high school to the NBA, its fun, its great. I hated him being out of the NBA last year because of injury, and its fun having him back.Cleveland had lost nine of 10 before James held off Bryant down the stretch in a scintillating exchange between the basketball icons.Bryant hit a 3-pointer with 1:54 left and two free throws with 43 seconds to play, cutting Clevelands lead to 103-99. But James drove past Bryant for an acrobatic layup with 20.9 seconds left, and Bryant missed a jumper that essentially ended it.Bryant and James embraced again afterward, and even Kobe allowed himself to relish the moment.If we were contending for a championship, Id be my same moody self, Bryant said. But right now, I tend to have a little more perspective, knowing I really wont get a chance to play against him for much longer. So you want to enjoy it.Bryant set a career high for assists in his 1,279th regular-season game, playing in his second straight after skipping three of four games to rest his 36-year-old body. He showed off his playmaking skills, but James got the Cavs comfortably ahead while Kobe sat out the start of the fourth quarter under a strict minutes limit.James and Bryant laughed and joked throughout the game, exchanging good-natured jibes while waiting to check into the game together. James turned 30 last month, while Bryants season has been defined by his weariness from a 19-year career.Kobe even had something to say when LeBron spectacularly clanged a dunk attempt off the rim.He said, Thats what old age will get you, James said with a laugh. You start missing dunks when you thought you was up there.James has won 13 of his last 16 matchups with Kobe since 2006. When Bryant went back to the bench after getting his 15th assist in the third quarter, James took charge of the Cavs rally to an 11-point lead in the fourth.For all of us, those are two all-time greats going at it ... like two prizefighters, Cavs coach David Blatt said. Its great to see two guys playing the game at that level for so many years and still involving their teammates in the way that they did.Kyrie Irving added 22 points and Kevin Love scored 17 for the Cavaliers, who moved back to .500 with their first victory since Jan. 2.On the fourth stop of Clevelands five-game West Coast trip, James hit four 3-pointers in his second game back from an eight-game absence with an injured right knee.Jordan Hill scored 20 points in the Lakers ninth loss in 12 games.TIP-INSCavaliers: James ripped off the protective sleeve on his elbow in frustration after missing his first three free throws, only to miss a fourth without the support. ... Loves back appeared to be bothering him throughout the game. A trainer attended to him during a second-quarter timeout. ... Cleveland began the night under .500 for the first time since Nov. 24.Lakers: Bryant set his previous career high in assists on Feb. 2, 2002, against Michael Jordan and the Washington Wizards. ... Nick Young scored 14 points, but his streak of consecutive free throws made ended at 31 in the fourth quarter. ... NBA career assists leader John Stockton also played 19 seasons, getting a season high of 13 assists that year.TIGHT COREBlatt used just three reserves, but got significant contributions from all eight players. J.R. Smith had three 3-pointers and 14 points, while Timofey Mozgov had 10 rebounds.SHUTDOWNBryant wont travel to the Lakers road game against the Jazz on Friday, and he realizes coach Byron Scott has suggested the team might decide to shut him down for the season in several weeks. Thats a tough one for me, Bryant said. I want to play, but at the same time, I understand his position, and I understand managements position, and I will do what they ask of me. But its very, very hard for me to miss one game.UP NEXTCavaliers: At Clippers on Friday.Lakers: At Utah on Friday. Wholesale USA Soccer Jerseys . Wheeler scored at 4:58 of overtime, with Scheifele getting an assist, and the Jets beat the slumping Colorado Avalanche 2-1 on Sunday night. USA Soccer Jerseys 2019 . Moments after scoring and setting off another wild celebration at Minsk arena, Platt leapt into the arms of Belarusian captain Alexei Kalyuzhny. https://www.cheapusasoccer.com/. Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone dismissed Tuesdays massive anti-government protest in Manama as "a lot of kids having a go at the police." "I dont think its anything serious at all," Ecclestone was quoted as saying in The Guardian newspaper on Wednesday. USA Soccer Shirts . on the 15-day disabled Monday list because of a strained right hamstring. Stitched USA Soccer Jerseys . Ryan Callahan trade talks caught a lot of people off guard. Details are now emerging about why the Rangers would consider such a move. Darren Dreger: He wants a lot of money. Its been widely reported that Callahan is looking for a seven-year term around $6 million per year. That is not accurate. Im told that it is more than $6.GLENDALE, Ariz. – Randy Carlyle could only sigh at the awful manner in which his team started in the Arizona desert. Turtle start, he said regretfully afterward, it was slower than slow. The Maple Leafs couldnt overcome those lousy first 20 minutes, their comeback attempt coming up just short in Glendale, their three-game win streak put to bed on a warm Tuesday night. Its a bad start, said Dion Phaneuf after the 3-2 loss to Arizona, who had won just twice in the previous eight games. Its unacceptable to start that way. When you have a start like that it puts you behind the eight-ball and we were playing catch-up all night. Toronto mustered a measly three shots in that first frame. They turned pucks over with uneasy regularity. They failed to complete passes of any kind, the rock bouncing everywhere on Gila River Arenas choppy ice. They failed to skate with any urgency. They just werent sharp in any regard and it was all too obvious. Even an early 5-on-3 advantage did little to shake the disjointedness. The Leafs couldnt even muster a shot with more than a minutes worth of advantage. They dropped to 1-5-1 this season when failing to score first – a perfect 5-0-0, conversely, when managing the first goal. No explanation for that one other than the fact that we just seemed like we were in neutral and they were in third gear, Carlyle said. Our execution level was nowhere near where it needed to be. The Coyotes, who entered the night yielding a league-worst of nearly four goals per game, took advantage of that sloppy execution. They capitalized when Jake Gardiner flubbed a pass behind the Toronto goal, adding a second marker five minutes later on some disorderly defensive zone coverage. They were sharper, said James van Riemsdyk, who played more than 25 minutes in defeat. We were a little bit loose with the puck and loose in our systems. Hoping to spark some kind of change after watching the early malaise, Carlyle juggled his line combinations and defence pairings in the second, notably reuniting Phil Kessel with van Riemsdyk and Tyler Bozak while flipping Gardiner onto the left side of Roman Polak. And he got the desired pushback. Phaneuf and Cody Franson both scored power-play goals, but that was it for the Leafs. The balloon of a three-game win streak was popped just like that. A return to inconsistency. To us as a coaching staff we felt that this was a game that we could give ourselves the best chance to win with the type of game that weve been playing, Carlyle said. We played it for 35 minutes tonight, maybe 35 minutes. We werent very good in the first period and it cost us. Five Points 1. Goalie Decisions When training camp opened Carlyle made it clear, again, that he had no defined No. 1. Instead, he said, a duo would compete to own the position. You laugh at me and you say hes full of this, hes full of that, said Carlyle. [But] the reality is if you go to every team you have to have somebody thats going to emerge and be your guy. And so despite Jonathan Bernier winning three of his past four starts with a .930 save percentage, Carlyle opted to ride what he deemed the hotter hand – seemingly changing his plan of starting Bernier in doing so. James Reimers third period performance against Chicago over the weekend was enough to sway his decision. You have some sort of an idea of what youd like to do, Carlyle said before the game against Phoenix, but if people perform to a high level its hard not to go back to them. It was a bold decision in many ways, one that risks ruffling Berniers feathers. Reimer certainly performed admirably on Saturday – making 26 saves in the third period alone – but Bernier did nothing in his previous starts not to earn the next look after the back-to-back – yielding one goal on 39 total shots in wins over Buffalo and Columbus. Not only had he been playing well recently, but happened to win the job a year ago and then, probably to some frustration, was asked to win it all over again this fall. Its up to Randy I guess, Bernier said early this season when questioned on being the teams No. 1. To me, Im not going to say Im the No. 1 [because] if I play 20 games this year then I look like a fool right? So it just depends on Randy, how much he wants to play me, how much he wants to play [Reimer]. But obviously it comes from the head coach. If thee head coach says Ive got my No.dddddddddddd 1 guy thats when you feel you are. Like any coach, Carlyle did what he felt would give his team the best chance to win against Arizona. And it may not matter in the end if Bernier is perturbed for a day or two, but in opting for Reimer on Tuesday, Carlyle risks stoking a fire in a market that craves goalie controversy. 2. Hard to Fathom The Leafs had an early opportunity to right their stunted start with two Coyotes wedged in the penalty box in the opening minutes of the first frame. But they mustered nothing, not even a single shot at Mike Smith. Its hard to fathom that we were so inept with it at that time, Carlyle said. We couldnt make two passes and we had one player [Franson] fall down twice on it. Those are the things that [cause you to think] whats going on out there? and thats when youre helpless. The Leafs have yet to score with a 5-on-3 advantage this season. 3. Reimers Follow-Up Not quite as sharp as three days earlier, Reimer could hardly be pinned for the defeat. All three goals featured strange bounces and errors of some kind in and around the goal. It wasnt goaltending that was our main issue, Carlyle said. [Reimer] gave us a chance and thats all you can ask of your goaltender. [Were] there some rebounds that he kicked out or is there something youd like to improve on? For sure, but he was one of our better players tonight thats for sure. You just try and make the most of every opportunity youre given, said Reimer, who ended up with 30 saves. When you go in there you want to play hard, you want to battle and you want to give your team a chance. And leave the decision-making up to the coaches. They get paid to coach and I get paid to get in front of the puck and I enjoy doing it. Bernier could be in line to get the next two starts. Hes the likely bet to start in Colorado on Thursday and may just be the guy again on Saturday against New York, given Reimers stellar history against their Sunday opponent. The Leafs play in Ottawa that night, where Reimer boasts a 7-1-0 career record with a .971 save percentage. 4. Komarov Offence The Maple Leafs believed they missed the presence of Leo Komarov when he left the club to return to the KHL last season. All the things that you look for in a player he ticks a lot of boxes, general manager Dave Nonis said when they signed the 27-year-old to a four-year deal this past July. Komarov is bringing many of those same elements to the table this fall with one notable addition: offence. While he led his Moscow Dynamo squad in scoring last year, Komarov produced only nine points in his first 42 NHL games in 2013. Hes nearly matched that mark already this fall, setting a career-high for assists last week; he now has seven, tied for second behind Kessel for the team lead. I wouldnt say hes a natural offensive player, but I think he can still provide some [offence], Carlyle said. He still gets his chances and he works well within the framework of his linemates … Hes a hard guy to play against and those are things that make him what he is. 5. Desert Memories Daniel Winnik started his career in the desert with the Coyotes. His first NHL head coach just happened to be the Great One. It was a little awe-inspiring to be honest, Winnik said. My first camp, it was like holy crap, this is Wayne Gretzky being my coach. Gretzkys coaching staff also included fellow Hall of Famer, Grant Fuhr. Winnik remembers hearing a fascinating tale or two from their highly successful playing days. As for Gretzky, Winnik looks back on the experience with a grin, I always said it mustve been hard for him just watching us chip pucks in all the time. Stats-Pack 1-5-1 – Leafs record when failing to score the first goal this season. 11:48 – Ice-time for Stephane Robidas on Tuesday, a season-low. 6 – Goals from the Toronto defence, including a pair against the Coyotes. 13-7 – Mark by which the Leafs have been outscored in first periods. 16 – Points for Phil Kessel, now third in league scoring. Special Teams Capsule PP: 2-5 Season: 19.2% PK: 4-4 Season: 82.6% Quote of the Night Turtle start, it was slower than slow. -Randy Carlyle, on the Leafs first period in Glendale. Up Next The Leafs finish their mini two-game road swing in Colorado on Thursday night. ' ' '