Lebron James,and the Cleveland Cavaliers made Yao Ming’s return to the court shaky at best.
Yao struggled in his first game after missing more than two months with a leg injury and the Cavaliers held off the Houston Rockets 91-85 Monday night, led by James’ 32 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists.
Yao finished with 16 points, 11 rebounds, two blocks and five turnovers.
The 7-foot-6 center had just one practice since recovering from a broken bone under his knee. It showed.
Wearing a black brace on his right knee, Yao looked slow and out of synch on offense, letting a crisp pass tip off his hands and missing open shots.
James, whose popularity in China helped him top Yao in All-Star voting this year, scored more than 30 points for the fourth straight game. The Cavaliers have won three of those four.
James got help from Larry Hughes, who had been struggling until recently and is finally starting to complement the superstar as the Cavaliers envisioned.
Hughes had 22 points, seven assists and six rebounds and said this is the most comfortable he’s felt since joining the Cavaliers as a free agent last season.
With rookie Daniel Gibson out with a sprained toe, Hughes played some point guard, which he said he’d like to do more often.
