Philadelphia 76ers 127-121 Chicago Bulls
Veteran superstar James scored 22 points -- his highest tally since joining the Sixers this summer -- and a return to form after a paltry eight points in Friday's disappointing loss to Cleveland.
James also had five assists while Jaylen Brown top-scored with 29, Tyrese Maxey poured in 27 and Joel Embiid pulled down 10 rebounds.
The star-studded Sixers have lost just twice so far this season, for their best start after 11 games since 2000.
Philadelphia grabbed the lead early in the second quarter and never trailed from there, though a resilient Chicago pulled within two points in the closing stages.
"We have a lot of guys that's been in situations, late-game situations, and we have a 'no panic' button," said James.
"We understand that we got to get stops on this end, but if teams make a run, we understand how to be calm on the other end as well."
The Bulls remain joint-bottom of the Eastern Conference with the Milwaukee Bucks -- the only team Chicago has beaten so far this campaign.
They were without shooting guard Norman Powell, their second-leading scorer this season, who was placed on the injury report hours before tip-off with back discomfort.
But Josh Giddey provided some hope with a double-double including 19 points and 15 assists.
Los Angeles Lakers 121-116 Detroit Pistons
Meanwhile, James' former Los Angeles Lakers team overcame the absence of red-hot talisman Luka Doncic to beat the Detroit Pistons 121-116, and also move to 9-2.
Doncic, who has been averaging more than 40 points per game this season, was left out with lower back tightness, the team announced.
Austin Reaves stepped up, scoring 43 points, including two calm free throws in the final seconds to take the game beyond Detroit's reach.
The Lakers never trailed but had to fight hard to retain a razor-thin lead for most of the fourth quarter.
Daniss Jenkins led the Pistons' comeback attempt from the bench with 31 points, while Kevin Huerter added 24.
Minnesota Timberwolves 115-100 Utah Jazz
Another team overcoming a missing star are the Minnesota Timberwolves, and on Sunday they did it again by committee, with Ayo Dosunmu and LaMelo Ball combining for 50 points while Jaden McDaniels put up 16 in support. Rudy Gobert added a double-double with 10 points and 15 rebounds on the night, with the Timberwolves winning every quarter as they cruised to the 115-100 victory.
It wasn't for a lack of trying from Utah, as star rookie Darryn Peterson had a stellar game, posting 26 points on 11-21 shooting with 6 rebounds and 4 assists to go alongside it, proving this team may have a superstar of the future.
Beyond that however, there was little support beyond 19 points from Keyonte George, with the latest loss for the Jazz seeing them fall to 1-9 on the season as they search for answers both in the present and for the future of the organization.
Around the League
Elsewhere, the Dallas Mavericks demolished the Brookyln Nets by 37 points led by Cooper Flagg with 25 points and 12 assists, with Kyrie Irving adding 21 points on top of that. It was another tough night for a Nets team that now moves to 2-8 on the season with Michael Porter Jr. adding 19 points and 9 rebounds while three other starters entered double digits, but it wasn't enough as their struggles early in the year continue.
In Milwaukee, the Boston Celtics put up another dominant performance, with Paul George's 27 points leading the way as the Celtics beat their conference rival by a score of 117-97, moving to 8-2 on the season in the process. In the loss, Kyle Kuzma added 27 points while no other Bucks player had over 15 in the game as their spiral continues, moving to 1-9 on the season with the future of the organization certainly unclear.
After a slow start, the Los Angeles Clippers picked up a big win over the New Orleans Pelicans, with Darius Garland and Brook Lopez combining for 44 points as the team put up an impressive 139 points. Beyond those two, Kris Dunn and Rui Hachimura had 14 points a piece, with the Clippers now sitting at 2-7 after arguably their best game of the campaign.
The Pelicans are now 4-6 on the campaign following the loss, but took plenty of positives out of the loss as Trey Murphy led the way with 26 points while both Zion Williamson and Jeremiah Fears had 25 points each as they came up short in a very winnable game.
Finally, the Miami Heat outlasted the Sacramento Kings in a very tight clash, with Giannis Antetokounmpo having his best game as a member of the Heat with 29 points and 14 rebounds as Klay Thompson added 23 with all five Heat starters in double digits. The Kings are now 1-9 on the season despite 32 points from Darius Acuff Jr. who shot 11-21 from the field, but with no other player scoring over 15 points in the game, Sacramento once again struggled in a game they could have won.
