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Channing Frye contributes to Cleveland Cavaliers' 114-103 win

By The Sports Xchange

CLEVELAND -- As one of the Cleveland Cavaliers' trainers bent down to begin Kevin Love's postgame icing routine, a freshly showered Channing Frye asked for one of the ice bags and placed it on top of his head.

"I'm still hot," he said.

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Frye was referring to the sweat dripping off his forehead, but he could have just as easily been referring to his game.

The newly acquired center made four 3-pointers and scored 15 points off the bench and LeBron James returned to form in Cleveland's 114-103 victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday night, ending the Hornets' five-game winning streak.

Frye has yet to practice with his new teammates after the Cavs acquired him last week at the trade deadline. He went to the team's facility during Tuesday's off day to work with coaches, but he is essentially playing off instinct.

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Playing alongside dynamic scorers like James, Kyrie Irving and Love, the Cavs have stressed to Frye one simple rule.

"I told him to shoot every time I throw it to him," James said. "Because I won't throw it to him unless I know he's got a shot."

James and Irving each scored 23 points for the Cavs, who pushed the pace in the open court and extended the lead with a 40-point second quarter -- their first 40-point quarter of the season.

They maintained a double-digit advantage for much of the second half and Frye's 3-pointer with 8:42 left stretched the lead to 101-81. Cleveland led by as many as 24.

Frye is still adjusting to his move to Cleveland both on and off the court. He has spent the last seven years in warm climates and arrived in northeast Ohio with few winter clothes and just one jacket.

Frye had Nike expedite a shipment of winter coats, then provided his own fire Wednesday night. He splashed three 3-pointers in a 90-second span in the fourth quarter, the last one providing the 20-point lead.

Frye had essentially fallen out of the rotation with the Orlando Magic before his trade to Cleveland. Now he is pleasantly surprised by the amount of space he is getting on his shots because of the attention Irving and James command.

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"It took me a little bit to get used to being open like that," Frye said. "When they start yelling at you to shoot the ball, you just have to say, 'Screw it' and start shooting."

Guard Kemba Walker scored 20 points and center Frank Kaminsky had 16 off the bench for the Hornets. The 114 points were their most Charlotte surrendered in a regulation game since allowing 122 in a home loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Dec. 30.

"We couldn't guard them," Hornets coach Steve Clifford said. "We've got to be able to defend better than that."

James matched a season low with 12 points and committed six turnovers in Monday's loss to the Detroit Pistons but returned to form after a little rest. He spearheaded a defense that only forced 14 turnovers but turned them into 22 points.

The Cavs' new focus under coach Tyronn Lue was evident throughout the night: They outscored the Hornets 28-7 in fast-break points, ignited primarily off turnovers.

"Every time we turned it over, they found a way to score," Hornets forward Marvin Williams said. "You can't have that."

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The Cavs lost to the Hornets in Charlotte three weeks ago, ending James' streak of 21 consecutive victories over the franchise. He didn't take long planting the roots for another winning streak.

As for his rule that Frye has to shoot every time James throws it to him, the Cavs' best player would like to see that trickle down to his other teammates, too.

"I think I attract so much attention," James said. "I know my ability to pass the ball. I've got to try to put my guys in position where all they've got to do is just catch and shoot or catch and make a move.

"For Channing, he's going to do a lot of catch and shoot. And that's a big weapon for us. He's going to be guarded by a lot of bigs, so that gives us an opportunity to keep a lot of the bigs out of the paint. And he can spread the floor, so that helps."

NOTES: C Al Jefferson has taken on a more vocal role since returning from right knee surgery. Wednesday marked his third game back. "No question, Al is much more verbal now around the other guys," Hornets coach Steve Clifford said. "He's always been a great example because of his commitment, but this is another great asset he has added." ... The Hornets began the night with four consecutive road wins. The last time they won five straight on the road was the 2001-02 season. ... Cavs G Iman Shumpert missed his third game with a sprained left shoulder, although the Cavs are hopeful he can return to practice on Thursday. ... Cavs G Mo Williams visited noted surgeon Dr. James Andrews on Tuesday and was diagnosed with chondromalacia, or swelling under the knee. His left knee has been bothering him much of the season, but he was cleared to play through it.

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