LeBron feels love on Cleveland return, but shows no mercy in Lakers win
There were also wins for the Rockets, Sixers and Raptors.
LeBron James was given a hero’s welcome as he returned to Cleveland and was instrumental in the Los Angeles Lakers 109-105 victory.
James, who left the Cavaliers for the second time in the close season, had 32 points and 14 rebounds on the night at the Quicken Loans Arena.
The Lakers have now won two on the bounce, while the Cavaliers, who appeared in the NBA Finals last season, sit bottom of the Central Division and the league with a 2-14 record.
The Houston Rockets continued their purple patch, with James Harden scoring 43 as they beat the Detroit Pistons 126-124.
The Rockets, who have won five in a row, survived a scare after seeing a lead of 14 with five minutes left in the game cut down to two at the buzzer.
Joel Embiid had a double-double (31 point and 19 rebounds) as the Philadelphia 76ers continued their undefeated streak at home with a 121-120 win over the New Orleans Pelicans.
Anthony Davis missed a third free throw with 2.5 seconds which could have sent the game into overtime.
Elsewhere, the Charlotte Hornets breezed past the Indiana Pacers 127-109, Kyle Lowry had a triple-double as the Toronto Raptors beat the Atlanta Hawks 124-108 and the New York Knicks downed the Boston Celtics 117-109.
Giannis Antetokounmpo was an assist short of a triple-double as the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Portland Trail Blazers 143-100, the Chicago Bulls beat the Phoenix Suns 124-116 and the Denver Nuggets were victorious over the Minnesota Timberwolves 103-101.
The Dallas Mavericks prevailed over the Brooklyn Nets 119-113, the Memphis Grizzlies edged the San Antonio Spurs 104-103, and the Sacramento Kings saw off the Utah Jazz 119-110.
The Golden State Warriors lost their fourth game in a row,going down 123-95 to the Oklahoma City Thunder, with Dennis Schroder getting 32 against the Steph Curry-less Warriors.
