The Lakers suffered a brutal third-quarter meltdown, getting outscored 42–22 as the Cavaliers pulled away for a 129-99 win Wednesday night.
The game began with the Cavaliers quickly going up by five. LA missed their first two shot attempts, both by Luka Dončić. The deficit grew to seven after a dunk by Jarrett Allen. Deandre Ayton got the Lakers on the board with a layup. Los Angeles went on an 8-0 run to take over the lead.
Luka, unfortunately, went to the locker room at the 7:46 mark with an apparent
ankle injury. He bounced a few too many steps back, causing him to fall off their raised court.
Cleveland responded with an 8-0 run themselves to retake the lead. A very welcome sight was Gabe Vincent draining two 3-pointers. He and Jake LaRavia were leading the Lakers with six points each. Luka returned to the game at the 1:32 mark.
At the end of the first, the purple and gold were up by four.
The second period began with Jarred Vanderbilt dunking off an assist from LeBron. Luka finally converted on a shot, hitting a fadeaway jumper. LA was on another 8-0 scoring run. Donovan Mitchell stopped some of Los Angeles’ momentum with a layup.
Vincent responded with his third triple of the half.
Los Angeles had jumped ahead by 10, but the Cavaliers responded immediately, scoring six straight points to inch closer.
It was a one-point game after Cleveland’s run extended to 11-2. Both teams traded baskets, with the Cavaliers eventually taking the lead. LeBron picked up two quick fouls as the half was winding down. Mitchell ended the half with 11 points for the Cavs.
At halftime, the Lakers were down by two.
The second half started with Ayton tying the game at the charity stripe. Cleveland countered with a 7-0 scoring run. The triples were falling for the Cavs, who had already drained three in the quarter. Luka had 6 points early in the quarter.
Cleveland jumped ahead by their largest margin of the night, 11, as LA struggled to defend its sharpshooters. The Cavs were shooting 87% from the field in the quarter.
After a quick four points from Jaylon Tyson, the lead exploded to 15 for Cleveland. Four of their starters were in double figures. Luka and Ayton were the only starters in double figures for LA.
Things went from bad to worse for the Lakers as they looked flat-out awful on all cylinders. The Cavs closed the quarter shooting 6-10 from behind the arc and extended their lead to 22.
Deandre Hunter converted on a jumper to start the final frame, further extending Cleveland’s big lead. Hunter was up to 17 points. At the 8:56 mark, it was a rough 27-point game.
To make matters worse, LeBron also suffered a sprained ankle, but was able to stay in the game. The Lakers waved the white flag at the 8:23 mark.
Bronny James scored eight points in this quarter, including a dunk that dazzled his hometown crowd.
Key Player Stats
LeBron finished with 11 points, three rebounds and five assists. Luka had 29 points with five rebounds and six assists. Vincent notched 11 points, going 3-4 from behind the field. LaRavia scored six points, two assists and two steals.
Ayton pitched in with 10 points and four rebounds. Jaxson Hayes ended with seven points and five rebounds. Vanderbilt logged in four points, six rebounds and two assists.
The Lakers’ next matchup will be against the Washington Wizards on Friday at 4:00 PM PT.
You can follow Karin on Twitter at @KarinAbcarians.
