Cavs vs. Lakers Preview
By Sam Beech
The Cleveland Cavaliers look to get back to their winning ways tonight when they visit the Los Angeles Lakers.
This will be the second straight game the Cavs play in the Staples Center; the Cavs opted to rest their starters last night in a blowout loss to the Los Angeles Clippers.
The Lakers were eliminated from playoff contention Friday night when they lost to the Milwaukee Bucks at home, and are clearly a team that is in rebuilding mode. They sit at the bottom of the Western Conference standings with a 20-49 record.
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Despite its woes, Los Angeles does have some exciting young talent. D’Angelo Russell has been a solid playmaker at the point guard position in his second NBA season, averaging 14.9 points and 4.7 points per game. Jordan Clarkson has complimented Russell well in the backcourt, averaging 14.6 points per game. Julius Randle has done most of the work down low for the Lakers, leading the team with 8.7 rebounds per game. Rookie Brandon Ingram has shown glimpses of talent in his short time with the team, starting in 30 games this season.
The glaring problem with Los Angeles is its defense. The Lakers rank 28th in the league in points allowed, giving up 111.7 points per game. On top of that, the Lakers rank dead last in defensive efficiency. Opponents have been able to shoot 48.2% from the floor against the Lakers this season, which is the highest field-goal percentage allowed this season.
The Season Series
The Cavs won the only other meeting between the two teams this season, a 119-108 win in Cleveland back in December. This will be the final meeting between the two teams this year.
How It Could Play Out
The Cavs should play at full strength tonight, after resting their stars last night. Russell could give Kyrie Irving a nice test on the defensive end tonight, but I do not see how the Lakers can slow Irving down.
The Lakers will also have an issue matching up with LeBron James. As high of a ceiling Ingram appears to have, he will more than have his hands full with James tonight. The Lakers may be able to put up some points tonight, but its hard to see how they will be able to keep up with simply a much, much better team.