The Cleveland Cavaliers turned LeBron James’s latest homecoming into a long, quiet night for the hometown hero. Cleveland beat the Philadelphia 76ers 119-95 at Rocket Arena on Friday night in an NBA Cup group game, snapping Philadelphia’s five-game winning streak and holding James to eight points, one of the lowest scoring games of his career.
A warm welcome, then a rough night
Fans greeted James with warm cheers and a few scattered boos when he was introduced, and they cheered again when he checked out for good late in the fourth quarter, according to AFP. It was his first game in Cleveland since he chose to sign with Philadelphia as a free agent over the summer instead of coming back for a third run with the Cavaliers, the team that drafted him and the one he led to a title in 2016.
The welcome was kind. The game was not. James finished with eight points on 3-of-12 shooting, missed all four of his three-point tries, and added seven rebounds, three assists and six turnovers in about 32 minutes. The Associated Press noted it was only the 10th time in his 24-year career that he scored in single digits in a regular season game. Reuters added a piece of history: the quiet night snapped his streak of 396 straight games scoring in double figures in Cleveland, a run that went back to December 29, 2004.
Mitchell and Mobley took control early
Donovan Mitchell scored 10 of his 23 points in the first quarter and filled the box score with seven rebounds and eight assists. Evan Mobley added 22 points, and James Harden scored 17 for Cleveland. An alley-oop dunk by Mobley three minutes into the second quarter gave the Cavaliers a 46-30 lead, the AP reported.
Philadelphia’s only lead all night came on the game’s opening basket, scored by VJ Edgecombe. The 76ers did make one push, cutting the margin to two points early in the third quarter, but a Mitchell three-pointer just before the third-quarter buzzer stretched the lead back to 91-74, and Cleveland went up by as many as 25 in the fourth, according to Reuters.
Winning the boards without Jarrett Allen
The most surprising part of the rout came inside. Cleveland out-rebounded Philadelphia 56-42 even though starting center Jarrett Allen sat out with a bruised right knee. Mario Hezonja gave the Cavaliers a double-double off the bench, and Peyton Watson returned from a right hamstring injury to add 13 points and nine rebounds, Reuters reported.
Philadelphia’s stars had a miserable shooting night. Jaylen Brown led the 76ers with 20 points, Edgecombe scored 19 and Tyrese Maxey had 17, but Joel Embiid missed all nine of his shots from the floor and scored only six points at the free throw line, according to AFP. As a team, the 76ers shot just 36.5 percent.
What it means for the Cup and the rematch
The win moved Cleveland to 1-0 in East Group B of the NBA Cup, while Philadelphia dropped to 1-1, Reuters reported. It also ended a two-game skid for the Cavaliers, who improved to 5-4. The 76ers fell to 8-2 but still own one of the league’s best records.
There was a measure of payback in it, too. In the season opener on October 22, Cleveland blew a 29-point lead and lost 114-106 in Philadelphia, the Akron Beacon Journal noted. This time the Cavaliers built the big lead and kept it. The two teams meet once more this season, on March 1 in Cleveland. Follow every big night in our Sports coverage.
Sources: Associated Press game recap; Reuters game recap; AFP recap via Philstar; sportradar box score; Akron Beacon Journal.