When I saw Los Angles Laker LeBron James bear hug Cleveland Cavaliers big Jarrett Allen in the paint midway through the second quarter, not to say hello, but to draw contact and get the referee to call the foul on an innocent bystander, I knew this game at the Staples Center with Hollywood stars courtside, was already a done deal for the Lakers and James who always gets preferential treatment. In the end the Cavs bowed down to King James and the Lakers 113-101.
The Cavaliers came into the game on a nice three-game win streak and played a pretty good game for the most part but the teams’ mistakes and not being able to defend at the end of quarters, like at the end of the first half, really affected the outcome of this game.
Early on the the game, the Wine and Gold went on an impressive 13-0 run to capture the lead at the end of the first quarter 28-21. They carried that lead through most of the second quarter but faltered at the close of the half allowing the Lakers to tie the score at 54-54 at the break.
Again the Cavs grabbed the lead back in the third quarter, but poor defense again doomed the team as they closed the frame and the Lakers took the lead going into the last quarter. From there it was the LeBron James show, like usual, where he was making halfcourt shots and driving to the rim without much resistance.
There were several good performances by certain Cavalier players and then there were those that will not be ones that you want to replay again as they were very subpar for these players. Let’s first dive into our Cavalier studs and duds for this game.