The Los Angeles Lakers began a difficult four-game road trip on Saturday with a contest against the Cleveland Cavaliers. It looked to be a good test for them, especially considering they came into the game with a 2-5 record away from Crypto.com Arena.
The Lakers got off to a fast 16-8 start, but Donovan Mitchell helped erase that lead with the aid of some Lakers turnovers within the next several minutes. The team gave up 40 points in the first quarter with 30 of them coming in the last five minutes and change of the quarter, as Cleveland shot a high percentage and scored a dozen fast-break points in the period.
Los Angeles fought back to come to within one at halftime, and it finally flexed its defensive muscles afterward, holding the Cavs to 23 points in the third quarter and surging ahead by eight points with less than four minutes left in the fourth quarter. The Cavs challenged afterward, but the Lakers were able to hold on for a 121-115 victory.
They were able to outrebound the Cavs, even though the Cavs have a strong frontline that includes Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley, who combined for 20 boards. L.A. also managed to get offensive production from its non-stars, something it has had trouble doing this season.
Anthony Davis: A-minus
Davis had nine points and only three rebounds in the first half. But he scored five quick points to start the third quarter while doing some work on the boards, and he ended the period with 15 points. Overall, Davis had 32 points on 13-of-20 shooting and 6-of-7 from the free throw line, 13 rebounds, three assists, three blocked shots and two steals. As usual, he bounced back after a bad performance on Wednesday, and he was clearly the MVP of this game.
Defensively, Cleveland started to go at Davis in the third quarter, especially off dribble penetration, and he wasn’t able to provide enough resistance at or near the rim defensively. It is something the Lakers as a team will need to fix moving forward, as this issue doesn’t all fall on Davis.
Taurean Prince: B
This wasn’t a great offensive outing for Prince, who shot 3-of-8 from the field and 1-of-3 from 3-point range. But he helped in other facets of the game.
Defensively, Prince got the assignment of guarding Donovan Mitchell, and outside of a flurry late in the first quarter, he did a great job on the Cavs’ main offensive threat. While Mitchell got to the free throw line a lot, he shot a frigid 4-of-18 and was held to 22 points.
The Lakers wing also dished off six assists, got four rebounds, blocked two shots and added a steal to contribute to this victory.
Max Christie: A
Christie got the start again in lieu of Cam Reddish, who has groin soreness, and he turned in an excellent game. He started the game with two dunks off of cuts to the hoop, and he finally showed some range by hitting from downtown. He finished with 12 points on 5-of-7 overall shooting and 2-of-4 from 3-point land plus five rebounds and three assists in 33 minutes.
He was assigned to guard Darius Garland, and later in the game, he guarded Mitchell. His defensive effort helped, as Garland shot just 2-of-6 and committed two turnovers in 14 minutes before leaving the game with a neck ailment.
D'Angelo Russell: C-minus
Russell had three early turnovers, and he struggled a bit with his shooting in the first half. Things got even worse for him in the third quarter, and he was never able to find the range offensively.
He finished with 10 points on 4-of-12 shooting, five rebounds, five assists and two steals in 32 minutes.
LeBron James: C-minus
James has had a history of putting up some big games when returning to his old stomping grounds in Cleveland, especially as a member of the Purple and Gold. But this wasn’t one of those nights.
He never was able to get things going, as he shot 8-of-23 overall and 1-of-9 from 3-point range while committing four turnovers. But he did make back-to-back buckets in the final 100 seconds of the game to boost L.A.’s lead to five points and help ensure victory.
While he scored an inefficient 22 points, he did help out with six rebounds, six assists, two blocked shots and two steals in 35 minutes.
Christian Wood: A-minus
Wood has a breakout performance on Saturday. He really got going in the second quarter, and he already had 13 points by halftime on some hot shooting. That ended up being his total for the game, as he played only a few minutes in the second half.
The big man shot 5-of-7 from the floor and 2-of-3 from beyond the arc while adding three rebounds in 17 minutes.
Jaxson Hayes: A-
Hayes made an impact once he entered the game, blocking a shot, providing rim protection and getting multiple easy baskets near the rim. He scored 10 points and made all five of his shot attempts, but the Lakers do need more rebounding from him — he grabbed just three boards in 21 minutes.
Austin Reaves: A/A-minus
Reaves did an excellent job of setting the table in this game. He dropped seven dimes in the first half alone, with a couple of them resulting in easy hoops for Hayes. In the final seconds of the game, he made four free throws to ensure a win.
Overall, he scored 15 efficient points and had 10 assists, five rebounds and two steals in 32 minutes.
