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AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP) — LeBron James was left out of the lineup for Cleveland's game at Detroit on Monday night, part of coach Tyronn Lue's continuing effort to manage the workload of his star players.
Kyrie Irving was in his usual spot in the starting five, but Lue said beforehand that James would miss his third game of the season. The Cavaliers were playing their fifth game in seven days, and James went 40 minutes in Sunday's 109-108 victory over Golden State.
Cleveland lost the first two games James didn't play — at Indiana on Nov. 16 and at Memphis on Dec. 14.
Irving played 44 minutes Sunday, but he had more recent rest than James, sitting out the Dec. 14 game at Memphis and a home game against the Grizzlies the previous night.
"Kyrie had six days off last week," Lue said. "Playing five games in seven nights, which would be tonight, played a big factor in my decision to hold LeBron out."
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