National Basketball Association

James returns to Cavaliers' lineup against Pistons

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 8:03 p.m. ET

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CLEVELAND (AP) LeBron James will return to the Cleveland Cavaliers' lineup Friday night against the Detroit Pistons.

James rested in Wednesday night's loss at Indiana, the second game of a back-to-back set for the Cavaliers, who defeated Toronto on Tuesday.

J.R. Smith also returned after missing three games with a sprained right ankle. He needs three 3-pointers to pass Dirk Nowitzki (1,705) for 15th place on the NBA's all-time list.

Cleveland has four consecutive days off following the Detroit game and won't play again until Tuesday. The defending NBA champions are 9-2 and tied for the best record in the Eastern Conference.

James is averaging 23.4 points, 8.9 rebounds and 9.4 assists in 10 games this season.