The Cleveland Cavaliers struggled against the emerging Philadelphia 76ers but LeBron James took the high road and made a classy move after the game as he praised Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid. 

Cleveland were upstaged by the 76ers, who claimed an impressive 108-97 victory in the NBA on Thursday to snap a run of back-to-back defeats.

James – a good friend of Simmons who has been linked with a move to the 76ers at the end of the season – was glowing of the Philadelphia pair.

"I told y'all a while back that my young King was next in line! Getting better and better every night out! Tonight another example of that. Fun to watch and compete against you again and #TheProcess @joelembiid. Remember lil bro settle for nothing less than GREATNESS!!! @bensimmons," James wrote on Instagram, sharing a photo of him and Simmons on the court.

While the Cavaliers (36-25) should have been able to win against the 76ers (33-27), Philadelphia had a particularly strong night with six of their players reaching double-digits.

Simmons put up 18 points with eight assists, while Embiid scored 17 with 14 rebounds.

Embiid also took to social media to send James a message writing, "Trust the Process??? Always a great time playing against one of the best to ever play the game #summer2018goals," which only added more speculation to the rumours that have been going around about Philadelphia trying to land James. 

Shortly after, Embiid tweeted, "It's not what y'all think lol."

While the Cavaliers could not pull off the win, James still had a strong night, leading Cleveland with 30 points, nine rebounds and eight assists.