One has to go all the way back to a 92-86 home loss December 15, 2007, for the last time LeBron James was on the losing end of a game against the Philadelphia 76ers while playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers. In the 19 victories he has been a part of since that defeat, James has averaged 27.6 points, 8.8 assists and 7.3 rebounds while recording two triple-doubles and eight double-doubles in that span.
That second triple-double came in the most recent meeting, a 105-98 victory December 9 in which James totaled 30 points, 13 rebounds and 13 assists. When including his stint with Miami, he has lost only once in his last 32 games facing Philadelphia, averaging 26.6 points, 8.1 assists and 7.5 rebounds while shooting 51.6 percent.
His current version of the Cavaliers (36-24) remain a work in progress, but they had enough firepower to defeat the Brooklyn Nets 129-123 on Tuesday night. James had a triple-double in this game as well, finishing with 31 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists as he became the first player in NBA history with at least 30,000 points, 8,000 rebounds and 8,000 assists.
George Hill added a season-high 26 points in his best game of the six he has played with the Cavaliers since being acquired from Sacramento before the trade deadline. Cleveland have won four of six since their flurry of trades, averaging 113.2 points while shooting 49.0 percent.
Philadelphia (32-27) have lost back-to-back games after a seven-game winning streak and are coming off a 102-101 loss at Miami on Tuesday night. Joel Embiid scored 23 points and Dario Saric added 21 for the 76ers, who were unable to stop James' ex-teammate Dwyane Wade as he scored 15 of Miami's final 17 points and hit a game-winning jumper at the buzzer.
The 76ers have lost six of their last seven on the road, with the lone win coming at lowly Chicago.
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