CLEVELAND -- With his feet still soaking in ice water not long after the Heat completed Tuesday night’s back-to-back-to-back feat in Indiana, LeBron James was asked what his mind-set was going into Friday’s “return home” to Cleveland.

“Once I get to shootaround [Thursday], I’ll answer questions about that,” said James, who was bombarded by insults and plenty of hate the two times he played in front of the Cavaliers fans last season.

“Right now, I need a day off. [Wednesday] is going to be the best day of my life. I need it. As soon as we land, I’ll be heading home [to Akron].”

James, playing arguably the best basketball of his career, poured in a combined 81 points, 30 rebounds and 16 assists for the Heat as it dispatched the Pacers, Bucks and Hawks. Quality work for sure. But hard work?

Perhaps the best news for the Heat coming out of its three games in three nights road stint is that its three All-Stars all got considerable rest at the end of each blowout. Dwyane Wade (19.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists) played a season-low 24 minutes twice during the stretch. Chris Bosh (11.7 points, 10.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists) averaged 29.3 minutes, more than six minutes less per game than his season average. James averaged 32 minutes — roughly five minutes shy of his season average.

The bench has put together a four-game stretch in which it provided at least 30 points or more. That’s the longest productive stretch the Heat bench has produced since 2010. Since the beginning of last season, the Heat is 24-5 when receiving at least 30 bench points.

“The year [Gary Payton], Shannon Anderson, James Posey, those guys were coming off the bench [in the Heat’s championship season of 2006] — that was a great bench as well. But this is one of those kind of benches right here,” Wade said. “With Norris [Cole], Shane [Battier], Mike [Miller] and [Udonis Haslem], and we have more, [James Jones], [Dexter Pittman] we have a very deep bench.

“It’s something that enables us as starters, allows us to go out and play a certain way because we know we have those guys who are going to come in and relieve us.”

Miller, who returned from a sports hernia Jan. 17, is the second-leading three-point shooter in the league. Haslem is the leading rebounder off the bench in the NBA.

Battier, signed in the offseason to provide solid perimeter defense, has started to find his shooting touch. He connected on 18 of 27 shots (.667) since the six-game road trip began at Orlando a week ago. He was 28 of 97 (.289) prior to that for the season.

Cole, meanwhile, has scored in double digits in three consecutive games.

“[He’s] a nice luxury we have, and we don’t take it for granted,” coach Erik Spoelstra said of Cole.

“[Our bench play] is a residual [effect] of a couple things. Those guys have proven themselves as competent NBA players and contributors on winning teams. ... The second part of it is the purity of the way the ball is moving. Those guys are recipients. They need the ball to move. They need execution to be able to line up open shots and shoot them with confidence. The ball movement has been much better, and it has benefited them and naturally it’s benefitted us as well."

•  Point guard Mario Chalmers said he aggravated the injury to his left hand Tuesday night when Darren Collison reached in and tried to slap the ball away from him. But Chalmers said the pain wore off and he feels pretty good about playing Friday in Cleveland.