CLEVELAND – – LeBron James broke it all out – the Fadeaway Jumper, the Fly-through-the-Lane Shot, a couple of signature dunks, one about former teammate and friend Kevin Love, the patented pregame chalk toss.
At home, in front of fans who know him almost like family, James has shown that he is still the dominant force of the game.
James scored 38 points, notched another triple-double and led memories of his time in Cleveland, leading the Los Angeles Lakers to a 131-120 victory Monday over the Cavaliers, who had a terrible defensive night.
It was James’ only visit home this season – apart from the All-Star Game last month – and the Akron star has impressed fans who have followed him since he was a boy. He added 10 rebounds and 12 assists for his 105th triple-double career and sixth this season.
“I’m all out of words,” Lakers coach Frank Vogel said. “I did not anymore. He was in control, had an all-time dunk on his old teammate – his old friend who I sure enjoyed and talked about. What a hell of a night.”
James has played 11 seasons in two stints with the Cavs, who are trying to get back to the playoffs for the first time since leaving in 2018. The 37-year-old said playing in front of a Cleveland audience will always bring out his best.
“They’ve seen almost my whole life in basketball,” he said. “Either see me or hear about it, who is this kid 40 minutes south of here at the age of 9, 10, 11, 12? Who is this LeBron kid? And they either drove down to see me or saw me like that. I came to Cleveland and played in AAU tournaments and it seems like I play in high school games in the Cleveland region, so they have seen me for almost 30 years since I picked up a basketball.
“That’s the difference between this arena and every other arena in the world.”
James tries to keep the Lakers in the postseason picture in what has so far been a disappointing season. They are ninth in the Western Conference, but as long as they have James, they have a shot.
He has heard every narrative about the Lakers – too old, too hurt, and too disconnected – and can not be disturbed.
“None of those things are important to me,” he said. “I enjoy playing basketball. When I leave the arena, I leave it there. I really have the time of my life now. I work through and we work through and that’s all that matters.
Russell Westbrook, who had a bad season, had 20 and 11 assists, and DJ Augustin added 20 points to make all six 3-pointers.
“There’s nothing better than closing people down,” Westbrook said.
Darius Garland shot 29 and added 17 assists for Cleveland, leading Toronto with a game for No. 6 spot in the East. The Cavs play the Raptors on Thursday night.
Cleveland coach JB Bickerstaff was angry as his young team performance.
“We’re caught up in the show,” Bickerstaff said. “We allowed this moment to take over. You’re asking yourself if we’re really competing to win or were we just a part of it? I think tonight we were mostly just a part of it.
James scored five points as the Lakers opened the fourth quarter with a 12-2 run to go up to nine. Cleveland was still in the distance when James, as he had done so many times before on so many teams before, removed the Cavs with a thunderous dunk and jumper in the final 2:34.
After his post-game TV interview, James left hands with the fans on his way to the wardrobe.
James improved on games 17-1 against the Cavs. He averaged 29.6 points against Cleveland – his most against any opponent.
The four-time MVP and champion was celebrated from the moment he stepped on the floor for the warmups. He got a big ovation during game introduction and again in a first quarter timeout when the Cavs saluted him for being the number 2 scorer in league history.
James waved, clapped his heart, put his hands together as if in prayer, and prayed to the Cleveland fans.
He had just started.
TIP-INS
Lakers: Stanley Johnson scored all of his 12 points in the fourth. … Anthony Davis, who has been out with a foot injury since February 16, came to the floor in an extended pregame workout. It is still unclear when – or whether – he will return this season. … G Talen Horton-Tucker (left ankle sprain) sat for the second time in three games.
Cavaliers: All-Star center Jarrett Allen (broken finger) missed his eighth game straight away. Allen is second in the NBA with a .677 field goal percentage and has enough marks to qualify for the season-end leader … G Rajon Rondo (dead ankle) and F Dean Wade (knee pain) were up for their fifth game hannereneen inactive. .
OP Next
Lakers: Host Philadelphia Wednesday night.
Cavaliers: Visit Toronto Thursday night.
——
Add Comment