Behind a monster night from LeBron James (29 points, 16 rebounds, nine assists), the Cleveland Cavaliers held off Kyrie Irving and the visiting Boston Celtics 102-99.
Irving finished with 22 points and 10 assists, and got an earful from Cavs fans in his first game back in Cleveland since demanding a trade over the summer.
The C’s also lost Gordon Hayward to a grisly leg injury in the first quarter.
Per the AP:
James scored 29 points — 13 in the fourth quarter — in his most extensive action in three weeks because of a sprained left ankle. The superstar also fed Kevin Love for a critical 3-pointer with 46.3 seconds left to put the Cavs up 102-98.
Irving, who asked to be traded this summer after six seasons in Cleveland, had a chance to tie it with a 3-pointer at the horn but his shot was short. As the crowd exhaled, Irving shared a warm handshake and embrace with James, his teammate for three seasons and the one he wanted to get away from by demanding a trade this summer.
“It’s a really hard game for a guy to play, especially the first game of the season with all the emotion you have to go through,” (Brad) Stevens said. “How he can play at that level is beyond me.”
