CLEVELAND — The Nets landed a shot on LeBron James when he took an elbow to the jaw from Dante Cunningham in the third quarter and went down for several seconds. But King James got back up and landed the knockout punch, a masterful triple-double that capped a historic month.
James had 31 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists in Tuesday’s 129-123 win over the Nets to average a triple-double for February. It’s the first time he averaged a triple-double for a month, and passed Wilt Chamberlain as the oldest NBA player to accomplish the feat.
“It’s a first. Just playing some good ball,” James said.
“He gets better with time,” Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue said.
James also became the first NBA player with 30,000 points, 8,000 rebounds and 8,000 assists, hitting the assist mark Tuesday.
“With the long list of so many great players that’ve come through this league in the history of this league, for me to be the only one in a category, I think that’s pretty cool,” James said.
“He’s great,” teammate Jordan Clarkson said. “There’s nothing like him we’ve ever seen before.”
Caris LeVert had 18 points in 18:42 and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson had 14 points in 20:43 in the second game back from injuries for both players.
“I feel pretty confident in being out there longer if they want to keep me out there. But at the end of the day its coach’s decision,” said Hollis-Jefferson, who missed 11 straight games with a groin injury.
“I feel like I’m all the way back,” said LeVert, who said he is physically 100 percent after a concussion and knee injury, but still trying to get in sync. “As far as rhythm and everything like that I’m still working my way back, especially defensively, trying to be in the right spots. I know the offense will come.”
The loss rubbed salt in the Nets’ wounds since Cleveland owns their first-round pick, thanks to the trade of Kyrie Irving to Boston, which previously held the pick from the 2013 trade that brought Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce to Brooklyn.
The Nets earned 24 free throws in the first half — a season-high — but just six after the break.
Jahlil Okafor was out with flu-like symptoms. After calf tightness and a healthy scratch, he has missed four straight games.