LeBron James Posts 38 Points, Triple-Double in Los Angeles Lakers Win Over Cleveland Cavaliers
Los Angeles Lakers LeBron James got some major contributions from his teammates, particularly D.J. Augustin, during Monday night's game against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
At the start of the night, it seemed the Cavaliers were on due to their second win ever against a James team, and the first since a 2011 squad led by Baron Davis managed an upset victory over the Lakers' star when he was in Miami.
But the Los Angeles Lakers had other intentions, overcoming a sluggish start to close out their road trip with one of their most fun and impressive victories of the season, Lakers Nation reported.
James always likes to put on a show in Cleveland, and that was again the case as he finished with 38 points, 12 assists, and 11 rebounds to lead the Lakers to a 131-120 victory, finishing their four-game trip at .500.
It was James' 17th win against the Cavaliers in 18 tries, as he made jumper after difficult jumper - calming down the Cleveland bench and posing for fans who still wear his Cavaliers jerseys.
LeBron James, D.J. Augustin Lead Los Angeles Lakers to Victory Over Cleveland Cavaliers
To no surprise, LeBron James got off to a strong start in his hometown with a bucket on the first possession. The Lakers started the game with six straight points, playing with a lot of energy, but it was short-lived.
In response to some silly Lakers turnovers, the Cavaliers went on a 9-0 run, eventually increasing their advantage to double digits at 23-11 midway through the first quarter.
After that run, reserve guard D.J. Augustin entered for the first time and scored back-to-back threes to help his team out. Cavaliers forward Kevin Love came off the bench and quickly matched him with a pair of triples to restore Cleveland's double-digit lead, according to Silver Screen and Roll.
While things might have quickly spiraled out of control from there, Augustin and Malik Monk were responsible with some nice bench play to close the first quarter, cutting the deficit to 35-28.
The Lakers came out more aggressively in the second quarter, with James and Russell Westbrook, who finished 20 points and 11 assists, in attack mode to get the team going offensively.
Carmelo Anthony also chipped in with a few threes and midrange to give the Lakers their first lead since the game's opening minutes.
Augustin's hot shooting continued, with five three-pointers made without a miss in the first half alone. James then bought the road crowd with a spectacular poster dunk on his friend Kevin Love.
The Los Angeles Lakers carried that momentum through the completion of the first half to take a 67-62 edge into the locker room.
LeBron James Records Triple-Double Against His Former Team
Neither team played much defense in the third quarter, with both teams essentially swapping buckets. The Cleveland Cavaliers went on a late run to take a 97-96 lead into the fourth due to the Los Angeles Lakers' inability to rebound.
To start the fourth quarter, it was all LeBron James, as he made an insane pass to Stanley Johnson for an easy bucket, then followed it up with a three-point performance and another slick pass to Malik Monk to put the team back in front.
Johnson and James then knocked down threes, and suddenly, the Lakers had their largest lead of the game at nine.
Later in the quarter, James connected with Wenyen Gabriel for a three-point play to push the lead to double digits for the first time, with The King recording a triple-double against his former team.
LeBron James' dominance continued down the line, as he easily dispatched his former team to complete the road trip.
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Written by: Jess Smith
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