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Report: Teammates 'grumbled' about LeBron slowing down ball movement

Thearon W. Henderson / Getty Images Sport / Getty

LeBron James is dishing out more dimes than ever, but his teammates may not be lining up to thank him.

Other Cavaliers players have "grumbled" that James has slowed down Cleveland's overall ball movement by holding onto the ball until he finds a pass that will earn him an assist, according to Cleveland.com's Joe Vardon.

The report comes on the heels of Cleveland's second straight blowout loss, as the Cavaliers fell 133-99 to the Toronto Raptors on Thursday. James recorded a game-high 26 points, but had just one assist to two turnovers and finished a game-worst minus-22 in 32 minutes of action.

Related - LeBron after another blowout loss: Cavaliers 'are so fragile'

The performance was a smudge on what has been another MVP-caliber year for the superstar. In his 15th season, James is averaging a career-best 8.8 assists per game and setting up 44.3 percent of his teammate's field goals when he's on the floor. While James ranks fifth in the NBA in helpers per game, he's actually second in potential assists with 17.9.

The Cavaliers have the fourth-ranked offense in the league and are smack in the middle of the pack in terms of pace. They rack up 23.4 assists per contest, which is tied for seventh in the NBA.

However, the East's No. 3 team has lost seven of its last 10 games, ranking 16th in offensive rating and 21st in assists over that span, and frustration appears to be mounting.

- With h/t to SLAM

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