Cavaliers Hold LeBron James to Eight Points in His Cleveland Return, Jayson Tatum Scores 34 as Boston Hits 24 Threes and Kyshawn George Drops 33: Friday NBA Fantasy Notes

Friday's nine-game NBA Cup group-play slate delivered a historic scoring night from Luka Doncic in Los Angeles, a rough return to Cleveland for LeBron James, a three-point barrage from the Celtics and a breakout scoring performance from Washington's Kyshawn George. Here are the results and the fantasy takeaways that matter heading into the weekend.

Cavaliers 119, 76ers 95: LeBron's homecoming goes sideways

The Cleveland Cavaliers routed the Philadelphia 76ers 119-95 and held LeBron James to eight points in his return to Cleveland. James shot 3 of 12 from the field, missed all four of his three-point attempts and committed six turnovers in 31 minutes. The performance ended his streak of 396 consecutive games in Cleveland scoring at least 10 points, dating to December 2004, and it was only the 10th single-digit scoring game of his regular-season career.

Donovan Mitchell led the Cavaliers with 23 points, and Cleveland out-rebounded Philadelphia by 14 despite playing without center Jarrett Allen, who sat with a bruised right knee. Jaylen Brown led the 76ers with 20. Philadelphia, which entered the night with the league's best record, fell to 8-2.

Fantasy takeaway: One bad night is not a reason to panic on James, whose role in Philadelphia's offense is secure. The more relevant item is Allen's knee. Cleveland's ability to dominate the glass without him shows how much depth the frontcourt has, and if Allen misses more time, the Cavaliers' backup big becomes a streaming target for rebounds and blocks.

Celtics 119, Hornets 80: Tatum leads a record-setting first half

Boston hit 24 of 44 three-pointers (54.5 percent) in a 119-80 rout of Charlotte, and its 17 first-half threes tied a franchise record. Jayson Tatum scored 34 points on 9-of-16 shooting, including 5 of 8 from three, and added nine assists and eight rebounds. Derrick White scored 18, all in the first half.

Fantasy takeaway: Tatum is playing like a first-round fantasy asset across every category. On Charlotte's side, the team's injury list keeps growing, with one report noting Brandon Miller exited with groin soreness. Monitor Miller's status before Charlotte's next game; if he misses time, the Hornets' secondary scorers absorb more shots.

Hawks 139, Wizards 132: George breaks out, Trae returns to Atlanta

Atlanta beat Washington 139-132 behind 28 points from Nickeil Alexander-Walker, moving to 6-4 overall and 1-0 in NBA Cup play. Trae Young made his first trip back to Atlanta as a visiting player and finished with 23 points and 10 assists for Washington. Kyshawn George led the Wizards with 33 points.

Both teams were short-handed. Anthony Davis did not play because of a sprained right ankle after being listed as questionable, and Atlanta's Jalen Johnson missed his third straight game with a left ankle sprain.

Fantasy takeaway: George is the pickup. A 33-point night with Davis sidelined shows the scoring ceiling he carries when Washington's frontcourt is thin, and he should be added in all 12-team leagues while Davis is out. Alexander-Walker is a streaming option while Johnson sits, given the scoring and minutes he has absorbed.

The rest of the slate

The Lakers beat Portland 124-118 behind Doncic's 53 points, his fourth straight 40-point game. San Antonio beat Sacramento 124-109, Toronto beat Milwaukee 121-107, Minnesota beat New Orleans 115-109 and Dallas beat Utah 112-100. Toronto played without Kawhi Leonard, who remains in the team's return-to-play process for his left knee, while Scottie Barnes was listed as questionable with adductor soreness before the game.

Saturday watch list

Golden State lists Draymond Green (elbow), Gary Payton II (calf) and Gui Santos (knee) as questionable against Orlando, a day after Kristaps Porzingis announced he is stepping away from basketball for his health. Davis and Johnson are the other key statuses to monitor, along with Allen in Cleveland.

Waiver and streaming priorities

The adds from Friday follow the injuries. Kyshawn George is the top pickup while Davis is out, and he carries scoring and minutes upside every night that Washington's frontcourt is short-handed. Nickeil Alexander-Walker is a short-term stream while Johnson recovers. In Cleveland, the backup center who absorbs Allen's minutes is a rebounds-and-blocks stream for as long as Allen sits. In Charlotte, any secondary ball handler who inherits Miller's shots is worth a look in deeper leagues if Miller misses time.

On the hold side, LeBron James and Jaylen Brown remain locked-in starters for Philadelphia despite Friday's loss, and nothing about one off night changes their roles.

The Verdexed angle

The nightly NBA picks are published by Verdexed's backend each day on the blog, and the NBA predictions page carries the model's view on every game. For fantasy, the actionable moves from Friday are to add Kyshawn George, keep starting Tatum without hesitation, and hold LeBron through one bad night.