Here is what you need to know before the Lakers’ tilt with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
1)
Ryan Kelly is coming off a breakout performance, as he scored a season-high 20 points by shooting 5-for-6 on 3-pointers against Orlando on Friday. The second-year pro will look to continue that success against the team he burned last time he visited Cleveland. Kelly dropped a career-high 26 points on the road against the Cavaliers last season, leading the Lakers to an 11-point victory by shooting 8-for-16 from the field.
2)
The Lakers, who average the league’s seventh-fewest turnovers (13.3), have experienced much more success when they take care of the ball. L.A. is just 2-20 when it turns the ball over more than its opponent, but 11-17 when committing fewer giveaways.
3)
The Lakers are looking to avoid coming up empty on their four-game road trip. Defense has been the issue during this slide, as opponents are shooting 48.6 percent from the field en route to a 103-94 average final score. L.A.’s road woes go back even further, as it has lost nine straight off its home floor.
4)
LeBron James, who is the league’s second-highest scorer (26.1 ppg), has been a menace for the Lakers lately, winning 10 of his last 11 games against L.A. Since this stretch began on Dec. 25, 2009, James has averaged 28.9 points, 8.0 rebounds and 7.2 assists against the Lakers.
5)
Kyrie Irving is the reigning Eastern Conference Player of the Week after averaging a league-high 31.5 points on 47.7 percent shooting in four games. Irving’s blistering week included Cleveland’s win over Portland, when he poured in an NBA season-high 55 points, while becoming the youngest player in league history (22) to make 11 3-pointers in a game.
6)
Kevin Love, who has gone just 9-for-29 from the field in his last three games, is struggling to find his shot this season. The UCLA product is currently shooting a career-low 42.2 percent from the field, which is second-to-last among bigs, ahead of only Ryan Anderson (41.4).
Kevin Love Shot Chart
7)
The Cavaliers have a pair of sharpshooters looking to climb the NBA’s all-time 3-point list. J.R. Smith needs just one triple to pass Brent Barry for the 25th-most 3-pointers in league history (1,395), while Mike Miller sits just one 3-pointer behind Glen Rice for 17th place (1,559). Moving up should be no problem for Smith, who has at least one triple in his last 11 games. But it could be an issue for Miller, who hasn’t made one in Cleveland’s last five games.
8)
Tristan Thompson has been one of the NBA’s best big men off the pine this season. The fourth-year pro is not only shooting a career-best 51.9 percent from the field, but he also leads all bench players in rebounds (8.4) and offensive boards (3.8).
9)
The Cavaliers had their 12-game winning streak snapped by Indiana on Friday, falling just one victory short of tying the franchise record. Cleveland has been a juggernaut over the last 13 games, ranking second in the NBA in both points (107.4) and rebounds (47.1), while outscoring its opponents by a league-high 11.5 points per game.
10)
The Cavaliers still have a pair of streaks to protect against the Lakers. They have won eight straight at home, which is their longest unbeaten run in Cleveland since winning 11 in a row in 2010. The Cavaliers have also beaten eight consecutive Western Conference foes for the first time since 2009.