This night was supposed to be a homecoming for LeBron and Bronny James. That story quickly became a subplot to the Cleveland Cavaliers’ complete and utter dominance. The 134-110 win over the Los Angeles Lakers moves Cleveland to 5-0 on the young season. This was the fourth win by 10 or more points.
Donovan Mitchell quickly established that this would be his night, not LeBron’s. He scored Cleveland’s first seven points and finished the first quarter with 15 points on 6-8 shooting with three assists.
Mitchell wasn’t alone. Darius Garland closed the quarter with a flurry which included draining a three in LeBron’s eyes after hunting the switch at the close of the opening quarter. The Cavs ended the initial frame with a 19-point advantage.
Cleveland never let go of the rope from there. Their lead didn’t get below double digits thanks to their interior defense and ability to get out in transition.
Jarrett Allen was phenomenal once again. He continues to be the biggest beneficiary of the Cavs new spaced-out offense. Allen won his battle with Anthony Davis by completely shutting down the paint on a night Evan Mobley was in foul trouble in the first half. Allen continues to validate the franchise’s decision to keep and extend him this past summer. He finished with 20 points and 17 rebounds.
In his pregame press conference, Kenny Atkinson mentioned that his team needed to take advantage of Los Angeles in transition. They turned steals into points, outscoring the Lakers 31-12 in points off turnovers.
Cleveland didn’t allow Los Angeles off the mat in the second half. Caris LeVert contributed 11 points in the third quarter while Mobley closed the door with an aggressive fourth quarter where he repeatedly attacked the paint. Mobley scored 17 of his 25 points in the final frame. Mitchell contributed 24 points and seven assists.
LeBron and Bronny still had their moment. The Cavs welcomed them both home with this tribute video.
But the early deficit kept Bronny from getting into the game until garbage time after the hometown fans spent most of the fourth quarter chanting “We want Bronny.” They cheered every time he touched the ball, and had one of the loudest cheers of the night when he connected on a midrange jumper for his first points in the NBA.
The win brings the Cavs to 4-19 in games against LeBron. This was their third win at home, and their second in the last three years. LeBron contributed 26 points, six rebounds, and three assists in the loss.
Cleveland has had good regular-season teams the last two seasons. You don’t accidentally win 99 regular-season games in two years. But this team feels different. They’re playing with a level of cohesiveness on both sides of the floor that they never achieved in the previous two iterations. One that is more suited for playoff basketball. We’ll see whether or not they can keep that up over the next 77 games and the postseason.
The Cavaliers may never be out of LeBron’s shadow and that’s of no fault of their own. The greatest basketball player of all time played his best seasons in his hometown and brought the city its first professional championship in 52 years. However, this core is quickly establishing that this new era of Cavaliers basketball can be one of the best in franchise history. Showing up LeBron on a court he has dominated for over two decades proves that.
