DENVER -- Two players on the Cavaliers were Los Angeles Lakers until a month ago.

But the buzz for the next four days surrounding Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance Jr. in L.A. will be minuscule compared to the hype generated by LeBron James.

Yes, there are billboards in Los Angeles to recruit James to the Lakers. The Cavs play the Clippers Friday and the Lakers Sunday at Staples Center.

But it goes beyond that. Clarkson said when he was a player for the Lakers, his teammates used to talk about James coming there as a free agent, which he could be free to do this summer if he opts out of his contract with the Cavs.

"I wouldn't say like management and the coaches or nobody, but in the locker room people talk when they see what's going on," Clarkson said, after the Cavs beat the Denver Nuggets 113-108. "That's probably the only thing, people talk in the locker room."

The All-Star Game was in L.A. last month, and thanks to Laura Ingraham and then a competitive (for a change) game itself, James was not asked a single question about his pending free agency and interest in the Lakers.

James has never said publicly he would consider going there, but he has a home in the Brentwood neighborhood of the city and his business interests are there. The questions are coming.

Also, Laker fan and personal-injury attorney Jacob Emrani paid for some billboards in Los Angeles that not only recruit James, but poke fun at the Philadelphia-area business that did the same thing last week.

"That's so crazy," Clarkson said. "That's like a thing now, isn't it?"

The Lakers traded Clarkson and Nance Jr. to the Cavs on Feb. 8 in exchange for the expiring contracts of Isaiah Thomas and Channing Frye, and Cleveland's No. 1 pick in the 2018 draft. They can clear cap space to attract two superstars now, which is what it would probably take for James to join the Lakers.

In the meantime, this is a homecoming of sorts for Nance and Clarkson.

"I can't wait," Nance said. "It was a really fun, really good 2 1/2 years and I'm looking forward to playing back there."

How to breathe the Mile High air

James went off for 39 against the Nuggets, including nine in the game's final 1:41 to push the Cavs to victory. Even more remarkable was how James was able to save his best for last in the Denver altitude, where playing in the thin air can impact Eastern teams that come to the Pepsi Center just once a year.

To get ready for the game, James pushed himself Wednesday morning at shootaround, sprinting to get his heart-rate up and gasp for air so he was more used to it when the game rolled around.

"Understanding I don't want tonight being the first time that the altitude hits my heart rate," James said. "At shootaround I was able to get my heart rate up going. I was gasping for air but I knew it would help me coming into the game tonight."

Lue said he thought the altitude did "get to a few of the guys." The Cavs led by as many as 16 in the second quarter but were blitzed by a 19-4 run in the second half that saw Denver take its first lead of the game with inside of nine minutes to go.

"I thought Bron fought through it," Lue said. "Guys were giving effort. It's tough to play here. Especially after the first half, we put so much on the line and to come back in the second half, in the third quarter I thought we got a little winded."

LeBron James is sizzling again

James is shooting 10-of-15 on 3s in his last two games. He's scored at least 30 points in five of the last games, and is up to second in the NBA in assists.

"I didn't know until today that he's second in the NBA in assists," Lue said. "I didn't even know that. So he's passing the ball, sharing the basketball, having 10 assists again tonight and he could have had 18-19, but we missed some open shots. So he has to continue to keep doing that for us."

Road, sweet road

The Cavs are 6-4 with Clarkson, Nance, Rodney Hood, and George Hill, but they're 4-0 on the road.

"A little bit very anxious," James said. "Our new guys are a little anxious at home and kind of want to please the fans a little bit. On the road it's just us. You use the adversity, you use the excitement from the crowd. I think that's definitely played into it a lot. I'm happy we're on the road right now for this six-game roader."

James said the Cavs don't know how good they can be yet because they are playing without Kevin Love and Tristan Thompson.

Road trip!! This guy @KingJames is unbelievable man. Wow! Great team win! #AllForOne — Rodney Hood (@rodneyhood) March 8, 2018

Hood either is or isn't on Twitter

Hood said he's not much of a standings watcher because he's "not really on social media."

As he said that to cleveland.com, the above Tweet buzzed our phones.

Anyway, Hood scored 15 points in his third start overall for the Cavs and second in a row. He was 1-of-2 on 3s, but says a better day from the 3-point line is coming.

"I can feel a game coming where I'm going to get hot from 3, where I can get some good looks," Hood said. "I'm used to getting six or seven looks a game, but I'm going to get hot one game. Now, I'm just trying to figure it out."