A bunch of the Cleveland Cavaliers attended Saturday’s Ohio State-Michigan game, a contingent that included LeBron James and J.R. Smith.
Even though they left early, that could be part of the reason the team struggled in Sunday’s closer-than-expected 112-108 win on the road in a matinee contest against the (now) 4-13 Sixers. But Smith’s struggles individually were mightier than anyone’s in NBA history.
Smith played 38 minutes, 31 seconds and was 0-for-11 shooting to finish with zero points. According to Basketball Reference, the 38-minute threshold while going scoreless has been met 88 times — but Smith has a higher number of field-goal attempts than any player on the list.
Smith did contribute five rebounds, an assist and a blocked shot, while also finding other ways to help his teammates out.
Performing poorly in Sunday afternoon games was common for Smith when he played for the Knicks, and he admitted to partying too much due to the temptations available in NYC. That wasn’t supposed to be an issue in a smaller market like Cleveland, but it’s got to be much tougher to say no when LeBron invites you out.
