NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. -- LeBron James scored 11 points and had five assists and Shaquille O'Neal had 12 points and four rebounds as they took their show on the road for the first time in a 102-96 win over the Charlotte Bobcats on Saturday night.
O'Neal is still trying to get used to his new teammates. He had a couple of no-look passes go awry in the first quarter.
But the Cavaliers' new center got into a groove during a brief third quarter appearance, making a short hook shot and a dunk and hitting Mo Williams for an open 3-pointer before leaving the game for good.
James played just 17 minutes, all in the first half, at the North Charleston Coliseum.
James had his highlight when he shook off a defender in isolation and drove for a dunk.
About half of the sellout crowd was gone by the time the Cavaliers held on to win.
Gerald Wallace led Charlotte with 18 points, while Alexis Ajinca added 15 points off the bench. Raymond Felton, returning to play in his home state of South Carolina for the first time as a pro, scored 11 points.
The Cavaliers started J.J. Hickson in place of Anderson Varejao, who was having lower back spasms. Hickson, whom James has mentored
during the offseason, had 15 points and six rebounds and was the only Cleveland starter playing in the final minutes.
Delonte West didn't play for the second straight preseason game. The team said he was out for personal reasons. The guard was expected to take a few days off as he deals with an arrest last month on misdemeanor gun possession charges in Maryland.
Boris Diaw and Tyson Chandler of the Bobcats both missed the game with ankle injuries.
