NBA: James scores 34 as Cavs stop slide with win over Sixers

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — LeBron James scored 34 points as the NBA champion Cleveland Cavaliers brought their miserable March to a close with a 122-105 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers.

Kyrie Irving scored 24 points while Kevin Love added 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Cavaliers, who still trail the Boston Celtics for first place in the Eastern Conference.

The Cavaliers had lost three straight and five of their prior seven games, posting a 7-10 record in the month of March.

James acknowledged after their loss to the Chicago Bulls on Thursday that the reigning champs were “in a bad spot.”

But they encountered little resistance from the 76ers, who had just nine players in uniform thanks to a litany of injuries.

James added nine rebounds and six assists in just 30 minutes on the floor. Neither Love nor Irving played at all in the fourth quarter of a game in which the Cavaliers led by as many as 32.