LOS ANGELES — — Jarrett Allen scored a season-high 27 points, Donovan Mitchell added 26 and the Cleveland Cavaliers won their eighth straight game, beating the Los Angeles Lakers 122-110 on Wednesday night and spoiling the LeBron James' first game after turning 40.
James, who celebrated his birthday Monday, scored 23 points and became the first player in NBA history to appear in a game as a teenager and in his 40s. Coincidentally, the marquee game came against the team that first drafted James overall in 2020 and where he spent 12 seasons over two stints.
The Akron, Ohio native helped the Cavaliers win their first NBA championship in 2016.
Evan Mobley added 20 points for Cleveland, which enters the new year with an NBA-best 29-4 record, including a 9-0 mark against the Western Conference.
Austin Reaves had a game-high 35 points with 10 assists and nine rebounds for the Lakers. Anthony Davis added 28 points and 13 rebounds.
Los Angeles enters 2025 with an 18-14 record, seventh in the Western Conference.
Takeaways
Cavaliers: Sam Merrill sprained his right ankle during the second quarter and did not return. Darius Garland had a game-high 14 assists.
Lakers: Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton made their Los Angeles debuts after being acquired Monday in a trade with Brooklyn. Milton scored six points and Finney-Smith two.
Key moment
Cleveland led 96-80 less than three minutes into the fourth quarter before Los Angeles began to rally. The Lakers got as close as 112-107 before the Cavaliers closed the game on a 10-3 run. Allen's dunk with 1:58 left gave Cleveland a 116-107 advantage, putting it out of reach.
Key statistic
The Cavaliers made 18 3-pointers, the seventh straight game they had at least that many from beyond the arc.
To be continued
The Cavaliers finish their road trip in Dallas on Friday, while the Lakers host Portland on Thursday.
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba
