Lakers continue rolling behind D’Angelo Russell, Anthony Davis
To keep the good times flowing, D’Angelo Russell and Anthony Davis lead the Lakers to a crucial victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Lakers defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 116-97 on Saturday afternoon, earning a crucial victory that propelled them up to the eighth spot.
D’Angelo Russell scored 28 points and went 6–12 from beyond the arc in yet another masterpiece.
LeBron James scored 24 points and dished out 12 assists in a terrific performance. Swatting six shots and scoring 22 points with 13 rebounds, three thefts, and four assists, Anthony Davis had himself a block party.
With 18 points and 4-5 shooting from three, Taurean Prince had a fantastic performance coming off the bench.
The Cavaliers took an early three-point lead, but both sides quickly heated up and traded baskets. The Lakers succeeded in taking a four-point advantage.
Austin has had trouble shooting from beyond the arc, but he has consistently produced assists, and he thrilled the crowd with a lob to LeBron for a two-handed slam.
LA’s lead quickly dissipated, and the Cavs took a four-point advantage of their own. The Lakers maintained a three-point advantage at the end of the first quarter thanks to a strong defensive effort that prevented the Cavaliers from making a three-point shot.
Following a flurry of shots from Taurean, LeBron, and D’Lo, the second quarter got underway. LA went up to one of their fastest leads of 13 points over the entire season. The Lakers tightened up their defense and made it difficult for the Cavaliers to make baskets.
While bench output has been a problem for LA, Taurean’s 11 points in the first half on Saturday afternoon made it seem unimportant.
Following that crazy run, the Lakers led by 16. The Cavs started to find their shot again, and the lead shrank to nine points. As each team continued to fire up, it became more and more obvious that this game would remain an offensive struggle.
The Cavs’ 9-0 scoring run reduced the margin to five points, but LA managed to hold them off and lead by nine at the half.
The Cavs narrowed the deficit to three points in the third quarter, while the Lakers played sloppily. Darvin Ham had to call a timeout to stem the hemorrhage after Darius Garland’s shot tied the score. Both sides struggled to maintain self-control during this quarter, which resulted in numerous errors, but the Cavaliers managed to take a four-point advantage.
With a strong effort from Austin, LA responded with an 11-0 win, regaining the lead by seven points. After a three by AD put LA ahead by thirteen, the scoring streak reached 17-0. In the third quarter, the Cavs were behind 12 and unable to find a response.
As the Lakers were still heating up in the fourth quarter, the Cavs gradually narrowed the gap to 10. But the Cavs were able to reclaim some confidence thanks to a couple errors. After LeBron and AD connected on a layup, LA scored 14.
To keep the Cavaliers struggling, the Lakers put their foot on their necks. The Cavs were without a spark with three minutes remaining in the game. It was trash time, and the Lakers emerged victorious from the ninth seed!
Maintaining focus to maintain a significant lead was something the Lakers struggled mightily this season. Maintaining momentum in your favor after you have eliminated a team from the game requires you to maintain your foot on the gas pedal.
Put an end to the turnovers. The Lakers must remain focused on the task at hand. The turnovers mount up and constantly cause problems for LA.
