Cavaliers' LeBron James 'wouldn't mind' playing fewer minutes

Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James said he "wouldn't mind" playing fewer minutes in games.

Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James said he "wouldn't mind" playing fewer minutes in games, according to the Plain Dealer in Cleveland. 

James, who's averaging the third-most minutes in the NBA with 39.1 per game, said that number "needs to come down" and that the Cavaliers' bench players deserve more of an opportunity. 

"For me, I don't want to do that all year," James said. "Obviously right now it's difficult because we're trying to find a groove and we're trying to find a rhythm and we're trying to find something that you can't really, you don't want to shortcut it but at the same time you gotta be smart about it."

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Teammates Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love are averaging 38.4 and 37.0 minutes, respectively, which is fourth and fifth in the league, putting three Cavaliers players in the top five. 

"I don't mind giving some of my minutes up just to help the team and help my minutes go down, I think it's for the best," James said.

The fewest minutes James has averaged in a season in his career was 37.5, which came in 2011-12 while with the Miami Heat. His career average is 39.5 minutes per game. 

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Cleveland had its four-game winning streak snapped Monday night with a 106-97 loss to the Denver Nuggets. The Cavaliers (5-4) host the San Antonio Spurs (6-4) on Wednesday.

- Molly Geary