Cavaliers-Lakers Preview

By JEFF MEZYDLO
Posted Jan 12 2013 1:25PM

With the Los Angeles Lakers mired in their longest losing streak in almost six years, coach Mike D'Antoni wants his team to solely focus on the moment.

Looking to avoid a seventh consecutive defeat, the banged-up Lakers hope a matchup with one of the league's worst teams can help turn things around as they host the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday night.

Even without stars Dwight Howard (shoulder) and Pau Gasol (concussion), not to mention key reserve Jordan Hill (hip) possibly being done for the season, D'Antoni believes Los Angeles can quickly end its worst stretch since a seven-game slide March 2-15, 2007.

"I told the team, the biggest thing is our season starts Sunday," he said. "We've got to make a run. We've got one shot at it, and everybody needs to get ready mentally and physically.

"... We won't be mathematically out of it Tuesday if we don't do it Sunday, but it has got to turn around somewhere. And we have to make our stand and do it. I am an optimist and I think it can happen."

Though Howard and Gasol are both likely to miss a fourth straight game, the Lakers (15-21) might have a good chance to get back on track at home against Cleveland (9-29), owner of the NBA's second-worst record. Los Angeles is looking to avoid dropping four straight home games for the first time since a five-game skid Jan. 26-Feb. 21, 2007.

"They're not done," Russell Westbrook said after helping Oklahoma City to a 116-101 win at Los Angeles on Friday. "They have a lot more games left, and I'm pretty sure they're going to find a way to get it together."

If that's to happen, Los Angeles must improve defensively after yielding an average of 111.8 points on 49.1 percent shooting during the six-game slide. Kevin Durant scored 42 as the Thunder built a 27-point lead and shot 50.6 percent Friday.

"We're just very frustrated and upset about what we're going through right now, and how we're playing," star Kobe Bryant said. "We're going to have to make some big adjustments if we're going to be successful."

Though Bryant is averaging a league-leading 30.0 points and shooting a career-high 47.2 percent, he's averaged 25.0 points and shot 37.7 percent in three games since Howard and Gasol got hurt. Bryant is 13 of 50 (26.0 percent) from 3-point range over the last seven.

He's scored 42 in each of the last two games against the Cavaliers, most recently a 100-94 loss at Cleveland on Dec. 11.

These teams have split four meetings since LeBron James bolted Cleveland after the 2009-10 season. Both Lakers' victories were at Staples Center as they held the Cavs to a combined 34.0 percent from the field.

Though three of Cleveland's five total wins away from home have come over its last six road contests, it has lost the last two.

The Cavs opened a five-game western trip with a 98-91 loss at Denver on Friday. Kyrie Irving shook off an illness to post 28 points, seven assists and five steals, but Cleveland blew an 11-point halftime lead while being outscored 53-35 in the second half.

"We're still young and dumb and don't understand what we have to do in the third quarter," coach Byron Scott said. "It happens over and over. I'm tired of us giving games away."

Irving is averaging 27.8 points over his last five games and has totaled 49 in two matchups with Los Angeles.

Lakers beat Cavs 113-93, snap 6-game skid

By GREG BEACHAM
Posted Jan 14 2013 1:10AM

LOS ANGELES (AP) Dwight Howard arrived at Staples Center expecting to sit out another game to rest his injured shoulder. He ended up helping the Los Angeles Lakers out of their longest losing streak in nearly six years, which made that shoulder feel a whole lot better.

Howard had 22 points and 14 rebounds in his return from a three-game absence, and the Lakers snapped their six-game losing streak with a 113-93 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday night.

"When we play like this, we win, and we win big," Howard said. "We've just got to continue to learn from games like that, and hopefully we can just string together some wins."

Kobe Bryant scored 23 points for the Lakers, who finally earned their first victory of 2013 while ending their longest skid since February 2007. Howard went 9 for 11 despite his torn labrum while leading Los Angeles to a comfortable victory over the lowly Cavaliers, who beat the Lakers last month.

Steve Nash said the win was "mandatory" for the Lakers, and they played with an appropriate effort. Nash had 10 points and nine assists for the Lakers, whose skid has been severe enough to cause fans to worry about this star-packed roster's playoff chances even in mid-January.

"I don't want to overdo it, (but) I don't want to undersell it, either," Nash said. "We have to make up that ground. In so many areas, it was big to get a win tonight and have something to build on."

After Oklahoma City ran the Lakers out of Staples Center on Friday night in a 116-101 victory, a downbeat coach Mike D'Antoni told his players that "our season starts Sunday." Opening day went well for the Lakers, but much bigger challenges loom - including the Miami Heat's visit on Thursday.

The Lakers' hopes of a run hinge on their defensive effort, and Bryant led a strong push against the Cavs.

"I though Kobe set the tone hawking the ball with (Kyrie) Irving," D'Antoni said. "Defense was much better with Dwight back in there."

Irving and Dion Waiters scored 15 points apiece for Cleveland, which has lost seven of nine. Alonzo Gee added 14 points for the Cavaliers, who fell behind by 19 points in the first quarter of their second stop on a five-game West Coast road trip.

"We beat them the last time, but tonight they did a great job of containing me and everybody on the team," said Irving, who had seven assists. "We just got punched in the mouth in the first quarter. We just didn't have that fight in the first quarter, and it kind of killed us the rest of the game."

Cleveland (9-30) is barely ahead of Washington (6-28) for the NBA's worst record.

Pau Gasol missed his fourth straight game for Los Angeles with a concussion, while top backup Jordan Hill is likely out for the season with an injured hip. Earl Clark had another solid game in the starting lineup with 13 points, nine rebounds and three blocked shots, while Antawn Jamison added 16 points and hit four of the Lakers' 13 3-pointers.

Howard injured his shoulder earlier this month during a game against the Clippers, and he aggravated the injury last Sunday while grabbing a career high-tying 26 rebounds against Denver. He sat out for the past week to rest the injury, but didn't appear limited while patrolling the paint against the Cavs despite committing seven turnovers.

"Getting beat like that is embarrassing," said Cavs guard C.J. Miles, who had five points on 1-for-9 shooting. "You definitely can't live with this. That's the reason why it's really a big deal to us in this locker room, because we're striving to get better. There are going to be some bumps. We know that. We're not going to use that youth thing as a crutch, but there's some nights where we're playing a veteran team, and tonight it showed."

Before the game, Cavaliers coach Byron Scott declined to follow the lead of fellow `80s Lakers greats Magic Johnson and James Worthy in hammering the current Lakers for their defense, toughness and D'Antoni's strategy. Scott understandably has bigger concerns than his ex-teammates-turned-pundits who have mercilessly ripped D'Antoni, Howard and even Bryant in recent weeks.

Los Angeles looked sharp early, taking 37-18 lead in the final minute of the first quarter on a 3-pointer by Bryant. But the Lakers committed turnovers on six straight possessions late in the second half, allowing Cleveland to trim their lead to nine points.

The Lakers still scored 57 points in the first half with 17 assists on their 20 field goals.

NOTES: Nash hit three free throws, improving to 18 for 18 this season and increasing his minuscule lead on Mark Price for the best free throw percentage in NBA history. ... Cleveland continues its road trip in Sacramento on Monday night against the Kings, who have lost four straight. ... The Lakers won despite 22 turnovers, including 18 by their starting lineup.

Notebook: Lakers 113, Cavaliers 93

Dan Arritt, for NBA.com
Posted Mon Jan 14, 2013 12:43 AM - Updated Mon Jan 14, 2013 12:43 AM

THE FACTS: The Lakers welcomed back one of their missing pieces Sunday night, then went out and re-discovered what it feels like to win again. Dwight Howard returned after a three-game absence because of a shoulder injury and scored 22 points and grabbed 14 rebounds in the 113-93 victory against the visiting Cavaliers at Staples Center, helping the Lakers end a six-game losing streak, their longest in six years.

QUOTABLE: "It's a baby step, but it's a step."

-- Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni

THE STAT: The Lakers shot a season-high 58 percent from the floor, converting 40 of 69 shots. They reached that height by sharing the ball, finishing with 32 assists, one shy of another season high.

TURNING POINT: Maybe it was the return of Howard but the Lakers had a different look in their eyes when they took the floor against the Cavaliers. By the time the opening quarter was through, the Lakers had shot 65 percent while building a 37-20 lead. They assisted on 10 of 13 baskets in the opening 12 minutes and even converted all eight foul shots. Despite a hiccup by L.A. late in the first half, Cleveland never got closer than nine the rest of the way.

HOT: The best players for the Lakers were at their best against Cleveland. Kobe Bryant shot 9-for-14, including 3-for-4 from 3-point range, and scored 23 points. Howard made 9-of-11 shots and Steve Nash was 3-for-4 with 10 points and nine assists. Antawn Jamison and Earl Clark helped cover for power forward Pau Gasol, who missed his fourth straight game with concussion symptoms, combining for 29 points and 13 rebounds.

QUOTABLE II: "Earl Clark continues to play really well. He has a lot of body and that helps us. We're able to put him on different guys with the length."

-- D'Antoni

NOT: It seems like more players have fallen out of the rotation for the Lakers this season than have started games. The latest former regular to sit and watch was shooting guard Jodie Meeks. He had appeared in the last 31 games -- playing 32 minutes as recently as Tuesday against visiting Houston -- but didn't play against the Cavaliers until mop-up duty in the final minutes. D'Antoni elected to use Darius Morris and Chris Duhon as backcourt substitutions against Cleveland. As for the Cavaliers, starting small forward C.J. Miles made his second shot of the game, then missed his next seven, finishing 1-for-9. Miles shot 29.5 percent from the floor during the month of November but then improved to 46.7 in December. He's back down to 35.2 percent this month.

GOOD MOVE: After a rather quiet opening 27 minutes in which he was the only starter without a point, Lakers forward Metta World Peace made up for that in hurry with just under nine minutes remaining in the third quarter. He recorded two steals, a 3-point basket and a three-point play in a 15-second span that gave the Lakers their biggest lead to that point, 69-49. His second steal led to a fast break in which his slam dunk attempt rattled out and rose a couple feet above the rim before falling back through. With his momentum carrying him under the basket, World Peace took a second to kiss the hand of a female courtside spectator, then stepped to the line and completed the three-point play. World Peace has 16 steals in the last four games.

QUOTABLE III: "I think our defensive intelligence tonight was pretty good."

-- Bryant

BAD MOVE: After a dominant opening quarter, the Lakers extended their lead to as much as 19 in the second then began playing as if they dipped their fingers in butter. They committed seven consecutive turnovers late in the first half, allowing Cleveland to cut the deficit to nine with a minute remaining. The Lakers finished with nine of their 22 giveaways in the second quarter, ultimately taking a 57-45 lead into the locker room.

NOTABLE: The Lakers were playing a team with a worse record then them for just the second time in the last 11 games. They lost the other to the 76ers. ... The Lakers became the last NBA team to win a game in 2013. ... L.A. came in shooting 26.3 percent from 3-point range in last six home games. They were 13-for-25 against the Cavaliers (52 percent).

UP NEXT: For the Lakers, Tuesday vs. Milwaukee, Thursday vs. Miami, Sunday @ Toronto. For the Cavaliers, Monday @ Sacramento, Wednesday @ Portland, Saturday @ Utah.

• Cavaliers: Varejao
• Lakers: Blake, Hill

• Cavaliers: --
• Lakers: Howard

• Lead Changes: 0
• Times Tied: 1

• Arena: Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA
• Officials: #43 Dan Crawford, #61 Courtney Kirkland, #72 J.T. Orr
• Attendance: 18997
• Duration: 2:03