LeBron James out vs. Thunder
— -- LeBron James will not play Thursday night against the Thunder in Oklahoma City due to knee soreness.
Cleveland Cavaliers coach David Blatt said the team does not believe James' knee issue is serious, but decided to hold him out as a precaution. Blatt said James is day-to-day and it is undetermined if he will play Friday against the Pelicans.
James missed the Cavs' morning shootaround in order to receive treatment on "general soreness" in his left knee, according to the team.
The Cavs are looking to extend their winning streak to nine games Thursday.
After sitting out several practices and exhibition games during the preseason for rest, James has played in all 20 of Cleveland's regular-season games up to this point, averaging 24.8 points, 7.7 assists and 5.5 rebounds per game.
This is the first time since the 2007-08 season that James has missed a game before Christmas, according to ESPN Stats & Information. James missed five straight games that season from Nov. 30 to Dec. 8 with a sprained left index finger.
James, who turns 30 later this month and is in his 12th season, is averaging 38.0 minutes per game this season, which is second-most in the league behind Chicago's Jimmy Butler and the most James played in any season since 2010-11 -- his first season with the Miami Heat.
Information from ESPN.com's Dave McMenamin is included in this report.
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