Sportstar·India·Saturday, November 7, 2026 at 05:29 AM UTC

LeBron James has rough return to Cleveland with only his 10th regular-season single-digit game

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LeBron James was held to eight points as the Cleveland Cavaliers routed his team, Philadelphia 76ers, 119-95 in an NBA Cup group stage game. | Photo Credit: Getty Images via AFP

LeBron James was held to eight points as the Cleveland Cavaliers routed his team, Philadelphia 76ers, 119-95 in an NBA Cup group stage game. | Photo Credit: Getty Images via AFP

LeBron James got a warm reception from Northeast Ohio fans when he was the last of the Philadelphia 76ers’ starters introduced before Friday night’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

That was the only highlight for James, who scored in single digits for only the 10th time in 1,630 NBA regular-season games.

James was held to eight points as the Cavaliers routed the 76ers 119-95 in an NBA Cup group stage game.

The Akron, Ohio, native — who elected to sign with Philadelphia in the offseason instead of returning to Cleveland for a third stint — was 3-of-12 from the field, including 0-for-4 on 3-pointers, and committed six turnovers in 31 minutes.

James came out with 3:54 remaining and the 76ers trailing by 19 points.

James received a smattering of boos from Cavaliers fans every time he touched the ball during the first half.

There was no video tribute to James, a surprising omission from recent years. Last season, the Cavaliers showed highlights of James scoring 25 straight points during Game 5 of the 2007 Eastern Conference Finals against the Detroit Pistons, which prompted him to tear up.

The Cavaliers have often shown clips of Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals — when Cleveland won its first championship — or when James was the first overall pick in the 2003 draft.

James spent 11 seasons over two stints with the Cavs. He left as a free agent in 2010 to join the Miami Heat, came back in 2014 and departed again in 2018 to join the Los Angeles Lakers.

James missed his first two shots from beyond the arc before scoring on a driving layup with 6:37 remaining in the first quarter.

Cleveland centre Evan Mobley, who had 22 points, said a major emphasis coming into the game was protecting the paint. James was 2-for-6 in the paint.

Donovan Mitchell, who led the Cavs with 23 points along with seven rebounds and eight assists, was happy with his team’s defensive mentality.

James had his double-digit points streak in Cleveland snapped at 396 games. The NBA’s career scoring leader had three points on December 30, 2004, against Houston.

His NBA-record run of 1,297 consecutive regular-season games with at least 10 points ended on Dec. 4 last season in the Lakers’ victory at Toronto.

The 76ers’ loss was James’ second-worst in Cleveland as a visiting player. He is 9-5, but has been on the losing end in his last three trips. Philadelphia will return to Cleveland on March 1.

The Sixers came in with the NBA’s best record but fell to 8-2. Coach Nick Nurse was already looking ahead to Sunday’s game in Chicago.

Published on Nov 07, 2026

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