LeBron James scored 29 points to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers (2-1) to a 102-92 victory over his former team, the Miami Heat (1-1), on Friday night.
James was firing on all cylinders from the get go, finishing with 10 points in the first quarter and reaching 18 by halftime while shooting 8-for-12 from the field during that span. He would finish the night with an efficient 13-for-19 shooting mark In addition, the Cavaliers received the best performance of the young season so far from Kevin Love, who tallied 24 points, 14 boards, and five assists. Love and James represented the bulk of the offense for the Cavs in this one, as no other player in the starting lineup had more than nine points. Fortunately for Cleveland, Tristan Thompson was able to provide some complementary scoring off the bench, picking up 13 points on 6-for-9 shooting to go along with nine boards. Reserve guard Matthew Dellavedova handed out a team-leading 10 assists and grabbed five boards.
On the other side, James’ former compatriots of Miami’s “Big Three” — Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh — also turned in excellent outings. Wade contributed 25 points, four boards, and two assists, while Bosh churned out 16 points on 7-for-15 shooting. The lack of bench contributions ultimately spelled the difference, as the Heat only had 19 points from their reserves compared to the Cavs’ 32.
The Heat will return home Sunday to play their next game against the Houston Rockets. Cleveland, meanwhile will head to Philadelphia for a tilt with the 76ers on Monday.
