Cavaliers spoil LeBron James’ return, riding big 3rd quarter to 129-99 romp
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 28/01/2026 (254 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
CLEVELAND (AP) — Donovan Mitchell scored 25 points, Jaylon Tyson had 20 and the Cleveland Cavaliers used a big third quarter to beat the Los Angeles Lakers 129-99 and spoil LeBron James’ return to Northeast Ohio.
De’Andre Hunter added 19 points, and Jarrett Allen had 17 points and nine rebounds to help Cleveland to its season-best fifth straight victory.
James had only 11 points, the first time in 13 trips to Cleveland as an opposing player he has not had at least 20. The 41-year old Akron native was 3 of 10 from the field, including 0 of 3 on 3-pointers, and was 5 of 6 from the line in 27 minutes.
It also was James’ worst loss in Cleveland as a visiting player. He is 10-3, but has been on the losing end in his last two.
James teared up during a timeout with 7:46 remaining in the first quarter when the Cavaliers showed video highlights of him scoring 25 straight points during Game 5 of the 2007 Eastern Conference finals against the Detroit Pistons.
Luka Doncic led the Lakers with 29 points. Los Angeles fell to 3-2 on its seven-game road trip.
Doncic missed six minutes in the first quarter after having his left ankle looked at in the locker room. Doncic tweaked his ankle when he landed awkwardly near the Lakers’ bench after attempting a 3-pointer.
Cleveland led 57-55 at halftime, but took control in the third quarter, outscoring Los Angeles by 20 (42-22). It was the 12th time this season that the Cavaliers scored at least 40 points in a period.
It was tied at 57 when the Cavaliers went on a 25-8 run where Mitchell scored eight points and Tyson added seven.
Cleveland was 6 of 22 on 3-pointers in the first half, but went 7 of 11 in the third. It also was 17 of 25 from the field in the period.
Up next
Lakers: At Washington on Friday night.
Cavaliers: At Phoenix on Friday night.
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba