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Wrap-Up -- One thing the Cavaliers have done since they turned the campaign around in early November is to take care of young squads looking to make their mark against the Eastern Conference champs.
The up-and-coming Lakers were the Wine & Gold’s most recent victim – with Cleveland grabbing a first half lead and never looking back, dropping Los Angeles for the seventh consecutive occasion, 121-112, on Thursday night at The Q.
The victory was the Cavaliers’ 16th in their last 17 outings and their 10th straight on the corner of Huron and Ontario. Hitting on all cylinders once again, the Cavs improved to 4-0 against the Western Conference at home, canned double-digit triples for the 17th consecutive game and topped the century mark in their 22nd straight.
LeBron James notched his third triple-double of the season – finishing with 25 points, 12 boards, 12 assists, two steals and a pair of blocks. It was also the 59th triple-double of his illustrious career, tying him with Larry Bird for 6th on the all-time list.
On the night, the four-time MVP was 8-for-18 from the floor and 8-of-12 from the stripe, posting a game-high +14 in 39 minutes of work.
Kevin Love doubled-up for the third straight game against the Lakers and for the sixth time in his last seven outings – leading both squads with 28 points, going 9-for-15 from the floor and 4-of-6 from long-distance, to go with 11 boards, three assists, two steals and a blocked shot.
Cleveland got another solid effort from Jose Calderon, who upped his starting record to 12-2, chipping in with a season-high 17 points, going 6-of-9 from the field, including 5-of-8 from beyond the arc.
Jae Crowder improved upon his record as well – netting 11 points on 5-for-11 shooting as the Wine & Gold improved to 12-0 this season when the sixth-year forward tallies double-figures.
Dwyane Wade, returning to the lineup after missing Tuesday’s contest with a sore knee, and Kyle Korver finished with 10 points apiece to round out the Cavaliers in double-figures.
Luke Walton’s feisty Lakers also featured six players in double-figures, led by Brandon Ingram’s 26 points. Larry Nance Jr.’s 12 boards led Los Angeles and Josh Hart doubled-up with 11 points and 10 boards.
But the spotlight was mostly on prized rookie, Lonzo Ball, who was solid-but-not-spectacular on Thursday – finishing with 13 points on 5-of-11 shooting, to go with 11 assists, eight boards and a pair of steals. On the negative side, Ball led both teams with six turnovers.
The Cavs notched their 10th win in a row at Quicken Loans Arena with a victory over the Lakers.
Both teams shot 50 percent from the floor, but the Wine & Gold canned 15 three-pointers and took 11 more free throws. Cleveland also posted its second game of 30-plus assists – dealing out 32 dimes on 43 made baskets.
Turning Point -- After a back-and-forth first quarter, the Cavaliers found themselves down nine, 37-28, early in the second. But that’s as good as it would get for the Lakers.
From that point, Kevin Love and JR Smith keyed a 17-8 run that tied the game with just under five minutes to play in the half. Kevin Love’s triple on Cleveland’s next possession gave the Wine & Gold a three-point edge – and the Cavaliers wouldn’t trail at any point during the rest of the night.
By the Numbers – 12.0, .654, .667 … Jose Calderon’s scoring average, shooting percentages from the field (17-for-26) and from long-range (12-of-18) over his last four games.
Quotable – LeBron James, on the Wine & Gold’s recent run …
”I just like the way we’re playing ball as of late. (We’ve won) 16 of our last 17, but more importantly, it’s the way we’ve been playing. Defensively, we’re playing inspired ball. Offensively, we’re moving the ball, sharing the ball and everyone is in a great rhythm. It doesn’t mean everyone shoots the ball extremely well every night, but everyone is in a good rhythm. Everyone feels a part of what we’re trying to do and we want to continue to build off that.”
Up Next -- After dropping the Lakers on Thursday night at The Q, the Wine & Gold wrap up their four-game homestand on Saturday night when they welcome Quin Snyder’s Jazz to Cleveland. The following evening, the Cavs travel to D.C. for their second meeting with the Wizards at Capital One Arena. On Tuesday night, Cleveland takes on the Bucks for the third time this season before heading home for a Thursday night meeting with the Bulls back at The Q in the final game before the Christmas Day showdown with the Warriors.