The Los Angeles Lakers were defeated by the Cleveland Cavaliers 116-102 in LeBron James’ return to the Rocket Mortgage Field-House in Cleveland.
The Cavaliers led by eight points through the first two quarters, but a Lakers’ resurgence in the third quarter saw them reduce the deficit to two points heading into the fourth quarter.
However, the duo of Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell combined for 64 points to secure a fourteen-point win for the third-placed team in the Eastern Conference, after a twelve-point fourth-quarter lead.
James was unable to lead the Lakers to a fourth straight win after Anthony Davis was unable to return to the game due to a flu-like illness.
The 37-year-old finished the game with 21 points, 17 rebounds, and four assists, his seventh double-double game of the season. He is averaging 25.8 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 6.4 assists in his 20th NBA season.
Russell Westbrook supplied the Lakers with 16 points from the bench, but Cavaliers’ center Jarett Allen’s 24 points and 11 rebounds—his tenth double-double of the season—was enough to secure the win for them.
James was initially selected by the Cavaliers in the 2003 NBA Draft with the first overall pick, winning the rookie of the year award in 2004.
After a four-year stint with the Miami Heat that saw him emerge as an NBA champion twice, James returned to the Cavaliers in 2014.
He claimed the franchise’s first-ever NBA championship in a historic 4-3 comeback victory over the Golden State Warriors in 2016, ending the series as the Finals’ Most Valuable Player.
In other results, Luka Doncic continued his rich vein of form in the Dallas Mavericks’ fourth win in their last five games.
The Slovenian led his team to a 116-115 victory over the Denver Nuggets, led by current league MVP Nikola Jokic, who finished the game with 22 points, 10 rebounds, and 12 assists in 37 minutes.
Albeit not scoring a single point in the fourth quarter, the 23-year-old made big plays down the stretch; his sublime assist to Dorian Finney-Smith for a clutch three restored the lead for the Mavericks with 16.8 seconds remaining in the game.
Dorian Finney-Smith and Tim Hardaway Jr. helped the seventh-ranked team in the Western Conference with a combined 48 points to continue their fine form.
Aaron Gordon and Nah’Shon Hyland finished the game with 27 points and 20 points, respectively, in the Denver Nuggets’ third consecutive loss.
Veteran forward Bojan Bogdanović led the Detroit Pistons to an emphatic 116-96 win over the Miami Heats at the FTX Arena.
Bogdanović led his team in scoring with 31 points, 5 assists, and 3 rebounds to grab the Pistons’ seventh win of the season and their second in three games.
Tyler Herro tied his season high of 34 points, while Nigerian-descent Bam Adebayo finished the game with a double-double of 21 points and 15 rebounds in 34 minutes.
