LOS ANGELES– The Lakers added another statement win to their impressive March resume on Tuesday night. What began as a slow start turned into a blitzing of the Cavaliers, figuratively and literally, as the Lakers won their 10th straight home game.
Cleveland walked into Crypto.com Arena with the third-best offense in the league since swapping out Darius Garland with James Harden. The purple and gold impressively shut off their water, leading by as much as 27 after a dominant 33-19 second quarter. They
did so without the services of their defensive ace, Marcus Smart, who was missing the game with a right ankle contusion.
As has been the case all year, LA turned to the player that was their first call in free agency last summer, Jake LaRavia. While still not missing a game this season, an impressive feat in and of itself, LaRavia has leapfrogged himself into replacement starter status with his consistent motor, physicality and length on defense while being a connective piece for the team.
In 38 minutes against the Cavs on Tuesday, LaRavia led the team in plus-minus with a +23, including +31 through three quarters, showing his consistent impact on both ends of the floor.
“He played great today, but he’s been playing great for us,” Luka Dončić said postgame. “Sometimes you are not going to make shots, but you can impact the game doing other things. He’s been doing that. He’s been doing that every game, so we really appreciate what he’s been doing for us.”
This starts with constant defensive intensity and motor from LaRavia, as he never gives up on a play. He has quick hands and gets in passing lanes by leveraging his 6’9” wingspan.
In the clip below, LeBron James loses control of the ball on a spin move and turns it over in transition. Watch as Jake LaRavia forces Cleveland’s offensive player, Larry Nance, to give up the basketball, while simultaneously getting a hand on the pass for a deflection.
He doesn’t end up with the steal, but forces a rushed throw-ahead pass that eventually leads to a turnover. He leads the Lakers in total deflections and is second on the team in total steals.
This consistent energy and motion manifest themselves into valuable extra possessions for LA. Watch as he corner crashes in the clip below to steal a rebound from Evan Mobley and throws it off of him of bounds.
Head coach J.J. Redick credited his “physicality” pregame. LaRavia has no issues mixing it up with bigger-sized players, a crucial dimension for wings and guards on the team considering the amount of switching the Lakers do on defense.
Shooting just 31.7% in March before Tuesday, LaRavia knocked down his two 3-pointers to finish with 14 points, seven rebounds and added two massive dunks to all the little things he does.
In the playoffs, little things become major things as the value of each possession becomes exponentially greater. He’s become a staple in the rotation and seems poised to make good on being that first call made over the summer.
You can follow Raj on X at @RajChipalu
