Lakers top Cavaliers, 113-101; LeBron Scores 26, Carmelo Adds 24 Off The Bench
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) - On the 18th anniversary of his NBA Debut, LeBron James has once again bested his hometown and original team as the Lakers overcome the Cleveland Cavaliers, 113-101. After tonight's game, LeBron is now 16-1 against his former team.
In his first game back after missing the previous two games to injury, LeBron put up 26 points with three rebounds and seven assists. He had 15 first half points to go along with 11 from Russell Westbrook, who finished the game with 19 points.
The teams were tied 54-54 going into the half, but the Lakers made up for a lousy first quarter by outscoring the Cavaliers 33-26 in the second quarter, thanks to nine points from James and six points off the bench from Carmelo Anthony.
L.A. once again got off to a slow start out of the tunnel, getting outscored heading into the final minutes of the third quarter, but the Lakers stormed back and finished with 34 points, leading 88-85 heading into the fourth quarter.
Carmelo finished with 24 points off the bench on 6-of-8 shooting from three, while Anthony Davis added 15 points and nine rebounds to the Lakers' game totals.
The cherry on top of the victory was a beautiful Dwight Howard three-pointer from 27-feet out, the 15th of his NBA career.
The Cavaliers had four score in the double digits, with Evan Mobley leading the way at 23 points. Lauri Markkanen added 17, Darius Garland had 18 points to go along with his 11 assists and Ricky Rubio scored 18 off the bench.
Following the loss, Cleveland is now 3-3 on the season.
The Lakers are are 3-3 on the year, having just returned home tonight from a 1-1 road trip which saw the team venture to San Antonio (win in overtime, 125-121) and Oklahoma (loss, 123-115). They have back-t0-back games against the Rockets coming up, with the first on Sunday night, followed by one more on Tuesday.
The Rockets are 1-4 to start the 2021-22 season.