With the 2023-24 season winding down, the Los Angeles Lakers have kicked things up a notch as they’ve put together their most impressive stretch.
The Lakers returned home from their road trip where they went 5-1, though they hosted the Cleveland Cavaliers for a Saturday matinee. Cleveland’s been a great team during the regular season and has the size and shooting to give Los Angeles problems.
However, with a chance to move up the Western Conference standings and build on their momentum, the Lakers made easy work of the Cavaliers, improving their win streak to four games and claiming sole possession of the No. 8 seed.
LeBron James seems to relish playing his former team and he looked like he had an extra pep in his step for the weekend matchup. James was active from the opening tip, moving well off the ball and using his speed and strength to score inside against the formidable Cleveland frontcourt.
James controlled the offense in the first half as both a scorer and playmaker but also came up big in the third quarter when Los Angeles went on a 19-0 run to seal the game. The King finished the afternoon with a double-double of 24 points and 12 assists to go along with five rebounds, one steal and one block.
While James got things started in the first half for the Lakers, Anthony Davis led the way in the second half on both ends of the floor. Even though he was going against Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley, Davis was by far and away the best big in the game as he dominated the painted area.
When the Cavaliers went on their run in the fourth, head coach Darvin Ham went back to Davis and he instantly changed the flow of the game with his defense and rebounding. Davis finished with another double-double of 22 points and 13 rebounds, but he stuffed the stat sheet with four assists, three steals and six blocks.
Meanwhile, D’Angelo Russell led the team in scoring with 28 points on an efficient 11-of-17 shooting including 6-of-11 from the 3-point line. He wasn’t the only one hot from beyond the arc as Taurean Prince contributed four makes on six attempts en route to 18 points off the bench.
What’s next for Lakers
The Lakers will wrap up their final back-to-back set on Sunday night against the Minnesota Timberwolves. They’ll then play host to the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday before hitting the road to take on the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday.
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