Just when the Cavaliers appeared to be headed in the wrong direction, a familiar face saved it once again.
The Cavaliers (4-5) entered Friday's matchup against the Wizards on a four-game losing streak, but LeBron James scored 57 points on 23-of-34 shooting with 11 rebounds and seven assists in a 130-122 win.
James' explosion marked his 11th career 50-point game, tying Allen Iverson for the sixth-most all time. James also became the youngest player in NBA history to score 29,000 career points.
"Every shot that I took," the four-time league MVP said, "I felt like it was going in."
Wizards guard Bradley Beal, who scored 36 points Friday, said before the game that he believed Washington was the best team in the East. James reminded him who the three-time Conference champ was with his impressive performance.
READ: Resurgent Warriors down slumping Spurs, Trail Blazers pip Lakers
Cleveland spent most of the off-season getting older by adding Dwyane Wade and Derrick Rose to the roster. The team looked less dynamic before Friday's explosion. With Isaiah Thomas and Tristan Thompson injured, James was asked to dominate, and he was up to the task.
James looks poised for another MVP-caliber season.
STUDS OF THE NIGHT
76ers guard Ben Simmons scored 14 points with 11 assists and 11 rebounds Friday in a 121-110 win over the Pacers. Simmons joined Oscar Robertson as the only players in NBA history with multiple triple-doubles in their first nine career games, and he helped Philadelphia to its fourth-straight win.
ALSO READ: LeBron happy after Cavs clear-the-air meeting
Pistons center Andre Drummond scored 24 points with 15 rebounds to help Detroit to a 105-96 win over the Bucks. More impressively, Drummond, a notoriously bad free-throw shooter, drained 14 of his 16 attempts from the charity stripe.
DUD OF THE NIGHT
Hornets point guard Kemba Walker scored just 13 points on 4-of-12 shooting (1 of 6 from 3-point range), which led to a 108-101 loss to the Spurs. Walker also had just four assists to go with two turnovers, while being outshined by San Antonio starter Patty Mills.
HIGHLIGHT
Don't leave Mavericks rookie Dennis Smith Jr. open in transition:
WHAT'S NEXT
Warriors (6-3) at Nuggets (5-4) — Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant will march into Denver having won five of their last six games. The defending champ got off to a slow start, but Curry, Durant and Klay Thompson are all averaging more than 20 points per game. Paul Millsap scored 27 Friday to lead the Nuggets past the Heat, which was Denver's fourth win in its last five games.
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