Dec 25, 2014; Miami, FL, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) drives to the basket around Miami Heat forward Luol Deng (9) during the first half at American Airlines Arena.
Dec 25, 2014; Miami, FL, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) drives to the basket around Miami Heat forward Luol Deng (9) during the first half at American Airlines Arena. REUTERS

Miami Heat forward Luol Deng almost had a triple double while guarding the game's best player in LeBron James as the home team spoiled the return of King James to South Beach with a 101-91 victory. The heat banked on the strong play of Deng (25 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists) and first half outburst of Dwayne Wade (31 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists) to stifle the Cleveland Cavaliers who had to play small ball for majority of the match-up due to the season ending injury of starting center Anderson Varejao.

Nevertheless, the spotlight still belonged to the come backing James who got a mix of chorus and boos during the player introductions. He was greeted to a standing ovation during a first quarter timeout when the Heat organization played a video of his highlights on the big screens. Former players James Jones and Mike Miller also got video tributes of their own much to the appreciation of the crowd. There was a lot of camaraderie in this one as James stayed on a few extra minutes to hug and shake hands with his former buddies Mario Chalmers, Wade and Chris Bosh who sat out due to an injury. James and Wade spent a lot of time laughing and conversing in the scorer's table before the second half started.

"I gave everything and more to this city when I was here," James said before the game according to ESPN. "I never disrespected this city or the franchise or any of my teammates. (I did) everything as a professional and I gave it all. That's all I can do."

In the end, the Cavaliers were not able to overcome their cold shooting and inability to stop dribble drives. The Cavs just shot an abysmal 23% from three point land, converting just 6 of 26 tries. They also committed 15 turnovers as compared to the Heat's 8. It did not help that big man Kevin Love had a mediocre game of 14 points and 5 rebounds and that James struggled mightily from the free throw line going just 10 of 18.

The Heat led by 13 points at the half and saw their lead balloon to as much as 17 points in the middle of the third quarter only to watch it dwindle down and the Cavs take a one point lead at the start of the fourth. The home team responded with a 9-0 run highlighted by a game saving play from Deng who threw an improbable pass to Danny Granger (season-high 9 points) who made a three in the left side of the court and broke the game open for the three-time NBA champions. In the end, the Cavaliers did not convert much of their opportunities and suffered just their fourth loss in 16 games.