LeBron James drew cheers in his first Cleveland visit as a Sixer, then delivered a game the 2010 crowd would have loved. The Philadelphia 76ers fell 119-95 to the Cleveland Cavaliers in an NBA Cup matchup at Rocket Arena, according to ESPN. James finished with eight points on 3 of 12 shooting and coughed up six turnovers.
It also ended the 41-year-old’s run of 396 straight Cleveland games in double figures. His last single-digit outing in Cleveland came on Dec. 29, 2004, a day short of turning 20. Joel Embiid, Philadelphia’s other ex-MVP, fared no better.
He missed all nine of his field-goal tries and scored six points, his second-worst shooting night behind an 0 of 11 outing versus Toronto seven years earlier. Embiid and James are only the third pair of former MVPs in league history to both score fewer than 10 points while making 25% or less of their shots in one game. VJ Edgecombe was a rare bright spot, needing just 13 shots for his 19 points.
Cleveland made a summer push for James before he picked the 76ers over the Cavaliers, Miami Heat, Golden State Warriors and Minnesota Timberwolves. Most of the crowd stood to applaud James, and he drew a bigger roar than any Cavaliers starter. He barely reacted, and Dec. 2, 2010, explains why.
Cleveland fans booed the 25-year-old without mercy that night, his first game back as a member of the Heat. He answered with 38 points in a 118-90 Miami rout. So anything in between is easy money.” Philadelphia heads to Chicago next to face the Bulls.
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