As thousands of fans celebrated the New Year back home in Ohio, the Cleveland Cavaliers were celebrating their eighth-straight win in the visiting locker room of Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
One day after LeBron James turned 40 years old, his former team showed up and punched the Los Angeles Lakers in the mouth. A tight game at halftime was blown open by a Cleveland run late in the third and early in the fourth. The Lakers made a push late before a Jarrett Allen flurry slammed the door shut in the final minutes.
The Lakers are now 18-14, good for seventh in the Western Conference, although their -2.4 net rating is only 12th in the league. The Cavaliers, on the other hand, are now 29-4 and in first place in the Eastern Conference by a solid five games.
Who had the best performances of the night for this holiday showdown between The King and his former kingdom? Who stumbled in the game? Let's look at the standouts for both teams and highlight the top performances from an entertaining game.
Jarrett Allen Popped
We start with the best player on the court for the Cavaliers, center Jarrett Allen. Just one day after we highlighted how his role has been minimized this season and how the spotlight tends to shine on his star teammates instead of on Allen, he came out with one of his very best games of the season.
Allen led the Cavs with 27 points to go with 14 rebounds and three blocks. He also had the best plus-minus on the team with +12. The Lakers had no answers for him in the pick-and-roll, and he cleaned the glass consistently to prevent second chance opportunities for L.A.
The defining moment of the game came in the fourth quarter. Evan Mobley subbed back into the game with 4.5 minutes remaining and the game still undecided. Kenny Atkinson has tended to bring Allen out in such situations to maximize the shooting on the floor.
He didn't do that last night, and Allen proceeded to take over. In this final 4:27 of the game he scored 11 points and had four rebounds, closing the water off for the Lakers as they tried to claw their way back. Los Angeles got as close as five points before Allen's personal 6-0 run pushed the lead to 11 and effectively ended the game.
Dalton Knecht Flopped
The Los Angeles Lakers seem to have landed on a legitimate NBA player in Dalton Knecht, their first-round draft pick from June's draft. He is a confident shooter and savvy player overall and should have a long NBA career.
On Tuesday night, however, the shot wasn't there for Knecht, and he had few answers for the physicality of the Cavaliers. He shot just 2-for-8 from the field, including 0-for-5 from deep, for just four points and three rebounds. He has now cooled off to 35.5 percent shooting from deep; if he isn't knocking down shots, his value to the Lakers is going to be extremely limited down the stretch of this year.
Rui Hachimura Flopped
If Knecht was bad on Tuesday, the Lakers' starting forward alongside LeBron James was even worse. Rui Hachimura is a wildly inconsistent offensive player and subpar defender, and he showed off both shortcomings against a superior Cleveland Cavaliers frontcourt on New Year's Eve.
Hachimura shot only 3-for-10 from the field, including 0-for-3 from deep, and scored seven points against the Cavs. He also contributed zero assists; when his shot isn't falling there is not much he provides on offense. He was also a wreck defensively, and finished with a game-worst -17 point differential on the night.
Anthony Davis Popped
Let's highlight the two Lakers who played well. Anthony Davis was not frightened by the star-studded front line of the Cavaliers, battling with them all night long and finishing with a line of 28 points, 13 rebounds and four assists. What's more, he was extremely active on defense, with three steals and a pair of blocks.
The impact of Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley was still present, however, as they often forced Davis to take shots from further out. Davis was 7-for-7 when he shot right at the rim, but he was 5-for-14 on all other shots. That's a lot of jumpers and floaters for him to take, a credit to Cleveland's defense.
Austin Reaves Popped
The other Lakers player who came to play was Austin Reaves, and he continued his recent heater with another standout performance. Reaves shot a whopping 13 free-throws and scored a game-high 35 points. He was also the conductor of the offense as the full-time starting point guard, and he tallied 10 assists and nine rebounds. In a 12-point loss, Reaves was only -3 for the night, most of that margin coming right at the end as Cleveland pulled away.
The Lakers are trying to figure out their best rotation, and they experimented with bringing in the newly-acquired Shake Milton as the backup point guard. On other nights, Gabe Vincent will be available. With D'Angelo Russell gone, however, Reaves is now the point guard, and he balled out in that role on New Year's Eve.
Caris LeVert Flopped
In the midst of an impressive season, Caris LeVert did not have his "A" game on Tuesday against the Lakers. The Sixth Man of the Year candidate struggled against the defensive length of the Lakers, often finding himself matchup up with Dorian Finney-Smith and with Anthony Davis protecting the paint behind him.
LeVert shot just 1-for-4 in his 23 minutes, scoring three points with just two assists and a single rebound. He wasn't terrible, but this was not the Caris LeVert who is scorching the nets of late. It's hard for an entire team to all sing together, and LeVert's pitch was off a bit against the Lakers.
Max Strus Popped
Finally, we point to Max Strus, the starter in disguise coming off of the bench as he ramps up his conditioning upon returning from a nasty ankle injury. He played 26 minutes and scored a tidy 15 points on 5-for-9 shooting, including 4-for-8 from deep. He also had four assists, settling into the offense and making the right plays when the ball found its way to him.
The Cavaliers will have a difficult decision ahead of them, as Dean Wade has been tremendous as a starter and was solid on both ends again vs the Lakers. One of the two players won't get to start, and that is probably Wade, but the Cavs have an embarrassment of riches.
Shouts to Donovan Mitchell and his 26 points, Evan Mobley on dropping another 20, and Darius Garland dishing 14 assists even when his shot wasn't falling. Another game, another win for the red-hot Cleveland Cavaliers.