NBA

Cleveland Cavaliers at Los Angeles Lakers

· National Basketball Association
29-4, 12-3 Away
Final
122 - 110

18-14, 10-5 Home

Cavaliers beat Lakers 122-110 for 8th straight win and spoil LeBron's first game since turning 40

Donovan Mitchell banks in layup with his left hand

James, who celebrated his birthday on Monday, scored 23 points as he became the first player in NBA history to appear in a game in his teens and 40s. Coincidentally, the milestone game came against the team that drafted James first overall in 2003 and where he spent 12 seasons in two stints.

The Akron, Ohio, native helped lead the Cavaliers to their first NBA championship in 2016.

Evan Mobley added 20 points for Cleveland, which enters the new year with an NBA-best 29-4 record, including a 9-0 against the Western Conference.

Austin Reaves had a season-high 35 points with 10 assists and nine rebounds for the Lakers. Anthony Davis added 28 points and 13 rebounds.

Los Angeles goes into 2025 with an 18-14 mark, seventh in the Western Conference.

Takeaways Cavaliers: Sam Merrill sprained his right ankle during the second quarter and did not return. Darius Garland had a season-high 14 assists.

Lakers: Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton made their Los Angeles debuts after being acquired in a trade with Brooklyn on Monday. Milton scored six points and Finney-Smith two.

Key moment Cleveland led 96-80 less than three minutes into the fourth quarter before Los Angeles started to rally. The Lakers got within 112-107 before the Cavaliers closed the game on a 10-3 run. Allen's dunk with 1:58 remaining gave Cleveland a 116-107 advantage, putting it out of reach.

Key stat The Cavaliers made 18 3-pointers, the seventh straight game they have had at least that many from beyond the arc.

Up next The Cavaliers wrap up their road trip at Dallas on Friday, while the Lakers host Portland on Thursday.

Regular Season Series

CLE wins series 2-0

Recent Plays

4th 0.0 End of Game 122 - 110
4th 0.0 End of the 4th Quarter 122 - 110
4th 23.1 Darius Garland makes driving layup 122 - 110
4th 33.0 Max Strus offensive rebound 120 - 110
4th 37.1 Darius Garland misses 27-foot three point jumper 120 - 110

Statistics

https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/nba/500/cle.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originCLE https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/nba/500/lal.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originLAL
45-93 FG 42-95
48.4 Field Goal % 44.2
18-46 3PT 9-35
39.1 Three Point % 25.7
14-17 FT 17-19
82.4 Free Throw % 89.5
48 Rebounds 43
10 Offensive Rebounds 8
38 Defensive Rebounds 35
32 Assists 26
5 Steals 7
8 Blocks 3
11 Turnovers 8
0 Team Turnovers 1
11 Total Turnovers 9
0 Technical Fouls 0
0 Total Technical Fouls 0
0 Flagrant Fouls 0
21 Points Conceded Off Turnovers 10
14 Fast Break Points 20
52 Points in Paint 62
15 Fouls 12
16 Largest Lead 2
Los Angeles Lakers Los Angeles Lakers Injuries
NAME, POS STATUS DATE
Augustas Marciulionis, G Day-To-Day Jul 26
Eric Dixon, F Day-To-Day Jul 26
Adou Thiero, F Day-To-Day Jul 22
Bronny James, G Day-To-Day Jul 18
Cleveland Cavaliers Cleveland Cavaliers Injuries
NAME, POS STATUS DATE
Max Strus, SG Out Aug 26
Craig Porter Jr., G Day-To-Day Jul 19
Sam Merrill, SG Day-To-Day Jul 3
Darius Garland, PG Out Jul 3
Lonzo Ball, PG Day-To-Day Jun 28

Game Information

crypto.com Arena

Location: Los Angeles, CA
Attendance: 18,997 · Capacity:

2025-26 Central Standings

TEAM W L PCT GB STRK
Chicago 0 0 .000 - -
Cleveland 0 0 .000 - -
Detroit 0 0 .000 - -
Indiana 0 0 .000 - -
Milwaukee 0 0 .000 - -

2025-26 Pacific Standings

TEAM W L PCT GB STRK
Golden State 0 0 .000 - -
LA Clippers 0 0 .000 - -
LA Lakers 0 0 .000 - -
Phoenix 0 0 .000 - -
Sacramento 0 0 .000 - -
Full Standings

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