CLEVELAND — Donovan Mitchell scored 23 points as the Cleveland Cavaliers held LeBron James to eight points in his return to Northeast Ohio and earned a 119-95 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers in an NBA Cup group stage game Friday night.
“I know I definitely wasn’t good at all,” James said, according to ESPN.com.
James — who opted to sign with Philadelphia during the offseason instead of returning for a third stint with Cleveland — finished 3 of 12 from the field, including 0 of 4 from 3-point range, in 31 minutes.
James received a few boos from Cavaliers fans every time he touched the ball during the first half and left the game with 3:54 remaining.
However, James said the reception could have been much worse.
And he would know best.
“At the end of the day, nothing can be worse than Dec. 2, 2010, from a receiving standpoint,” James said, referring to his first game in Cleveland after leaving his hometown team for the Heat in free agency.
“So I’ve seen the depths of hell in terms of reception here, all the way to heaven. So anything in between is easy money.”
And it was just the 10th time in James’ 24-year career that he scored in single digits in the regular season. The Akron, Ohio, native’s NBA record streak of 1,297 consecutive regular-season games with at least 10 points ended Dec. 4 of last season when the Los Angeles Lakers won at Toronto.
“Yeah, I definitely didn’t feel like I was in a good rhythm offensively,” James said. “We didn’t look like much offensively. … Too many turnovers on my part, and I didn’t feel in rhythm.”
Evan Mobley added 22 points for the Cavaliers, who bounced back from two losses to Oklahoma City. Mitchell also had seven rebounds and eight assists in 33 minutes. James Harden scored 17.
The 76ers shot 36.5% from the field, including 10 of 40 from 3-point range. It has otherwise been a dream start for the 76ers this season with an 8-2 start.
James and Jaylen Brown, who the 76ers acquired in a trade with the Celtics, have mixed well with Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid and VJ Edgecombe.
The 76ers had defeated the Cavaliers in their second game of the season, with their only other loss coming against the Pistons.
Brown led Philadelphia with 20 points, Edgecombe scored 19 and Maxey scored 17. Embiid missed all nine of his shots from the field but was 6 of 6 from the line.
— With PA
Gn sports
