LeBron James returned with 21 points as the Cleveland Cavaliers got back to winning ways with a 104-81 win over the Detroit Pistons on Friday (Saturday in Manila) in the NBA.
James, who was rested for the Cavs defeat to the the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday, added three rebounds and three assists as the NBA Champions improved to 10-2.
Kyrie Irving topscored with 25 points and claimed 11 assists while Kevin Love chipped in with 12 points and 13 rebounds.
"Offensively and defensively this is the best we've played all year," James said afterwards.
The defeat continues Detroit's poor record on the road this season. The Pistons have now gone 1-7 on their travels, shooting just 31 percent on Friday.
The Cavs meanwhile maintained their strong start to the season, extending their NBA record run of games in which they have made at least 10 three-pointers to 12.
"I thought what we did defensively was really good," Cavs coach Tyronn Lue said.
"We made some mistakes, but we played hard. When you play hard, you can cover for mistakes. I thought we did a great job of just playing hard in that first half."
Thompson, Duran shine in Warriors’ win over Celts
Klay Thompson scored 28 points while Kevin Durant reminded the Boston Celtics what they missed out on as the Golden State Warriors romped to a 104-88 win for their sixth straight victory on Friday.
Thompson led a decisive third quarter run as the Warriors took the game away from Boston to silence the home crowd at the TD Garden, who jeered Durant repeatedly during the contest.
Thompson scored 11 points in the quarter that saw the Warriors pull clear after a 24-3 run that included 18 unanswered points to help the Dubs improve to 10-2.
A makeshift Boston side missing both Al Horford through concussion and Jae Crowder, who has an ankle knock, were always struggling to contain the Warriors' all-star offense.
Durant, meanwhile, who had been aggressively courted by the Celtics this summer before his move to Golden State from Oklahoma City, finished with 23 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists.
Steph Curry, however, needed a late three-pointer and a basket to avoid a season-low total, finishing with 16 points. Draymond Green scored 11 points with eight rebounds.
