There’s only one way LeBron James’ return to Cleveland could’ve gone worse: ‘Depths of hell’
CLEVELAND — Donovan Mitchell scored 23 points as the Cleveland Cavaliers held LeBron James to eight points in his return to Northeast Ohio and rolled to a 119-95 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers in an NBA Cup group stage game Friday night.
“I know I damn sure wasn’t good at all,” James said, according to ESPN.com.
James — who elected to sign with Philadelphia in the offseason instead of returning for a third stint with Cleveland — was 3 of 12 from the field, including 0 for 4 on 3-pointers, in 31 minutes.
James received a smattering of 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 get worse than Dec. 2, 2010, from a reception standpoint,” James said, referencing his first game in Cleveland after leaving his hometown team for the Heat in frree agency.
“So, I’ve seen the depths of hell when it comes to reception here, all the way to the heavens above. So, anything in between is easy money.”
And It was only the 10th time in his 24-year career that James has scored in single digits in the regular season. The Akron, Ohio, native’s NBA-record run of 1,297 consecutive regular-season games with at least 10 points ended on Dec. 4 last season in the Los Angeles Lakers’ victory at Toronto.
“Yeah, I definitely did not feel in a good rhythm offensively,” James said. “We didn’t look like much offensively. … Too many turnovers on my behalf, and I didn’t feel in a rhythm.”
Evan Mobley added 22 points for the Cavaliers, who bounced back after 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 on 3-pointers. It has otherwise been a dream start for the 76ers this season with the team off to an 8-2 start.
James and Jaylen Brown, who the 76ers acquired in a trade with the Celtics, has blended together well with Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid and VJ Edgecombe.
The 76ers had beaten 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 had 17. Embiid missed all nine of his shots from the field but was 6 of 6 from the line.
— With AP
