LOS ANGELES — Editor's note: the Locked On Cavs podcast in the player above is from Oct. 25, 2021.
With eight minutes and 32 seconds remaining in the second quarter of the Cleveland Cavaliers' matchup with the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night, Collin Sexton received an outlet pass from Lauri Markkanen just past midcourt and proceeded to dribble around Nicolas Batum with his left hand.
While Batum managed to keep pace with the Cavs' guard, his attempt to block his dunk proved ill-fated with the 6-foot-1 Sexton rising up for a one-handed slam over the 6-foot-8 Clippers forward.
Sexton's posterization of Batum proceeded to viral on social media and even caught the attention of LeBron James, whose Los Angeles Lakers had just suffered a loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. James, who missed the Lakers' loss with an ankle injury, shouted out Sexton for the slam, referring to the fourth-year guard by his nickname.
"My goodness Young Bull!" James tweeted. "With the left too."
Two days later, James and Sexton could find themselves on the same court as the Cavs remain in Southern California for a 10:30 p.m. ET tip-off with the Lakers. After missing Los Angeles' last two games with his injury, it appears the four-time NBA MVP will make his return to the Lakers' lineup to face his former team on Friday night, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
Should James, in fact, return on Friday, it will mark his first game against Cleveland since Jan. 25 of this year when he tallied 46 points, eight rebounds and six assists in a 115-108 Lakers win over the Cavs. Cleveland, meanwhile, is looking to earn its fourth straight win after picking up victories over the Atlanta Hawks, Denver Nuggets and Clippers over the course of the past week.
After Friday's matchup with the Lakers, the Cavs will finish their four-game West Coast road trip against the Phoenix Suns on Saturday before returning to the East Coast to face the Charlotte Hornets on the road on Monday. Cleveland's next home game will come on Wednesday, Nov. 3 when the Cavs host the Portland Trail Blazers at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.