The King Claims His Throne: Cavs Destroy Lakers

Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images

LeBron and Co. headed off to the Staples Center to take on the defending champs for Christmas.  And oh what a Merry Christmas it was.

The league’s most potent offensive attack poured in a combined 54 points and 16 assists on Friday evening.  Mo Williams led the team with 28 points on 8 of 13 from the field while adding 7 assists and 6 rebounds in the contest.  LeBron James was harassed by Ron Artest for much of the night but still managed to connect for 26 points and 9 assists.

Shaquille O’Neal muscled his way to 11 points on 5 dunks to go with 7 rebounds against his former team and Anderson Varejao tossed in another solid 9 point-9 rebound performance.  Anthony Parker and Jamario Moon teamed up to slow down Kobe Bryant, who was a disgusting 11 of 32 from the floor.  Moon also notched 13 points on 6 of 7 from the field.

The Cavaliers started slow but gained control of the lead later in the first period.  They built their lead to nine at the end of the first half and headed to the locker room up 51-42.  Kobe Bryant and his crew spent much of the second half complaining about (non)foul calls and, in the end, were unable to handle the physicality of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Las Angeles had more technical fouls (5) than their starting center had points (4) and were picked apart in a frustrating 102-87 defeat.

With 4:04 left in the fourth quarter, the crowd in the Staples Center seemed to lose sight of their holiday spirit and began hurling foam fingers on to the floor.  Lamar Odom was spared the humiliation and had the luxury of watching the rest of the game from the home team’s locker room.

The Wine and Gold will return home with a three game winning streak following a brutal western road trip in which they managed an impressive 3-1 record.  They’ll take on the Houston Rockets on Sunday evening (6 pm) at the Q.