Doncic stars as Lakers down Cavaliers 127-113
Luka Doncic delivered a standout performance with 42 points and 12 assists, while Deandre Ayton contributed 18 points and nine rebounds as the Los Angeles Lakers secured a 127–113 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday night, extending their winning streak to four games.
Austin Reaves added 19 points, and LeBron James, Jake LaRavia, and Rui Hachimura each scored 14, News.Az reports, citing AP.
The victory came shortly after the Lakers clinched the Pacific Division title and a top-six seed in the Western Conference playoffs, following the Phoenix Suns loss to the Orlando Magic earlier in the day.
Doncic shot 13-of-26 from the field, recording his 16th 40-point game of the season after missing Monday’s win over the Washington Wizards due to technical foul accumulation. James, dealing with left foot soreness, was listed as a game-time decision.
For Cleveland, Jarrett Allen scored 18 points, while James Harden added 17 in his first game in his hometown since being traded from the Los Angeles Clippers on Feb. 4. Donovan Mitchell was limited to 10 points on 4-of-10 shooting.
Thomas Bryant finished with 14 points for the Cavaliers, who had already secured a playoff berth. The loss marked Cleveland’s second in eight games since March 17 and evened their record at 1-1 on a three-game Western Conference road trip.
The Cavaliers led by seven late in the first quarter, but the Lakers took control in the second, building a lead of up to 15 and heading into halftime ahead 65–53 after shooting 53.2% from the field. Los Angeles extended its advantage to 86–66 midway through the third quarter and entered the final period with a commanding 110–83 lead.
The Lakers shot 54.2% overall, compared to 49.4% for Cleveland. The win also marked Los Angeles’ second straight 50-win season, their first such streak since 2007–11.
Up Next:
Cavaliers: Visit the Golden State Warriors on Thursday.
Lakers: Travel to face the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday.
News.Az
By Nijat Babayev
