Cavaliers beat 76ers in LeBron James's Cleveland return; Celtics rout Hornets

The Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Philadelphia 76ers 119-95 on Friday, ending Philadelphia's five-game NBA winning streak and spoiling LeBron James's latest homecoming. It was the 76ers' second defeat of the young season.

James returns to Cleveland

James played his first game in Cleveland since choosing to join Philadelphia as a free agent in June rather than return for a third stint with his hometown Cavs. He received warm cheers and some boos when he was introduced, and he was cheered again when he left the game late in the fourth quarter.

It was a difficult night for James, who finished with eight points on three-of-12 shooting, along with seven rebounds, three assists, two steals and six turnovers. Joel Embiid missed all nine of his field-goal attempts and scored six points from the free-throw line. Jaylen Brown led the 76ers with 20 points.

Cleveland took control early. Donovan Mitchell scored 10 of his 23 points in the first quarter, and Evan Mobley added 22. The Cavaliers out-rebounded Philadelphia 56-42 even without center Jarrett Allen, who was injured.

"I did not feel in a good rhythm offensively," James said. "We didn't look like much offensively. We had a couple of spurts. We were able to cut (the deficit) to three in the third quarter. But too many turnovers on my behalf."

Celtics crush Hornets

In Charlotte, the Boston Celtics won 119-80, making 24 three-pointers on 44 attempts. Boston led by as many as 46 points in the wire-to-wire win.

Jayson Tatum returned after sitting out Wednesday's win over the Milwaukee Bucks and scored a game-high 34 points. He also made five three-pointers, grabbed eight rebounds and handed out nine assists. Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla praised his performance. "I thought every shot he took was a great shot," Mazzulla said.

Thunder and Mavericks also win

The Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Memphis Grizzlies 128-97 in Memphis, extending their winning run over Memphis to 13 straight regular-season games. Ajay Mitchell scored a career-high 35 points, and two-time defending NBA Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 28. Oklahoma City were missing injured starters Jaylen Williams, Cason Wallace and Chet Holmgren, and led 71-49 at halftime. Memphis lost their third straight game after opening the season with six consecutive wins.

In Dallas, the Mavericks beat the Utah Jazz 112-100 after a first half that ended 57-57. P.J. Washington scored 22 of his 26 points before the break. Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving were much more productive after halftime, with Flagg finishing with 21 points and Irving with 14. Dallas used a strong third quarter to take control and held on late.

Friday's games were part of NBA Cup group-stage action, and all group-stage games throughout November count in the regular-season standings. The quarter-finals are scheduled for December 4-5, the semi-finals for December 8-9, and the final for December 11 at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana.