127-113 Loss Against Lakers

*** So-Cal is the home of Hollywood endings, but after a tight first quarter on Tuesday night, there wasn’t much drama to the rest of Cleveland’s lopsided loss to the Lakers. 

In his second game back from a 10-game absence, Jarrett Allen got the Cavs off to a strong start, but after trailing by just a deuce after the opening period, the red-hot Lakers outscored the Wine & Gold by 14 points in the second quarter and by 15 in the third – cruising to the 127-113 victory in which none of the Cleveland’s starters logged a single minute in the final stanza. 

After sitting out the opening game of the three-game West Coast trip in Utah, Allen was nearly unstoppable in the first half on Tuesday – going 9-for-11 from the floor and leading all scorers at the break. But he didn’t get much help, as the Lakers – winners of 12 of their previous 13 games – used a 12-2 run late in the second quarter to take a double-digit lead at intermission. 

Things only got worse in the third quarter, with Luka Doncic scoring 15 of his game-high 42 points in the period as L.A. opened up a 27-point lead heading into the fourth. Kenny Atkinson pulled his starters from there, and Cleveland’s reserves kept things respectable down the stretch. 

J.A. led the Cavaliers with 18 points after going scoreless in the third quarter, adding four boards, a pair of assists and a steal in 19 minutes of work.  

James Harden followed up with 17 points on 6-for-13 shooting, adding three assists. Max Strus pitched in with 11 points on 3-of-7 shooting from deep and Donovan Mitchell added 10 points and led the Cavaliers with six assists. No Cleveland starter logged more than 28 minutes in Tuesday’s loss. 

Thomas Bryant led Cleveland’s second unit with 14 points, going 5-of-7 from the floor, including 3-of-4 from deep, and led the Cavaliers with six rebounds in 25 minutes of action off the bench. 

Tyrese Proctor was the only other Cavalier in double-figures on Tuesday, finishing with 10 points on 3-of-5 shooting. 

As a team, Cleveland shot 49 percent from the floor but committed 14 miscues. The Lakers shot 54 percent and were 24-of-26 from the stripe. Luka led both teams with 12 assists, drilled six three-pointers and was a perfect 10-for-10 from the stripe. LeBron James added 14 points, six dimes and four boards in the win. 

*** The Cavaliers close out their final multi-game trip of the regular season on Thursday night, traveling up the coast to take on the Warriors in San Francisco. From there, the Wine & Gold rotate home and away games the rest of the way, beginning with an Easter Sunday matchup against the Pacers at Rocket Arena followed by a trip to Memphis the following night. On Wednesday night – in what could be a First Round playoff preview – Cleveland welcomes the Hawks to town, with a rapid rematch two nights later in Atlanta. Next Sunday, the Wizards come to town to wrap up the 82-game slate.