Cavaliers Spoil James Family Homecoming

The Lakers won the tip-off to begin tonight's highly anticipated contest, and in the first minute, we already saw a signature LeBron James tomahawk slam. The first half started with offensive match-up hunting for both teams. Mitchell came out ready to dominate if Austin Reaves was guarding him. He went 3-3 with 7 points in the first two minutes in this match-up. Western Conference Player of the Week Anthony Davis also looked to show he is match-up proof, switching onto Mobley, where he got an and-one in the paint. Defensively, Garland and Wade looked great, they had amazing hustle, sat in passing lanes and it is evident that with a higher expectation for this Cavs group, they have been forced to be more intentional on the defensive side of the ball. We saw two Mobley lobs to Allen early, while one of them was stolen, he is showing his expanded passing role. Nonetheless, it was two Mitchell 3's that forced Redick to take his first time-out.

After AD's eye was poked, Wade hit a three on the other end and Merrill followed that up with a made three on another possession. The score was 26-15 Cavs halfway through the 1st quarter: 6-1 Cavs from 3. The Cavs ability to play with pace is what fuelled the 14-0 run and coming out of another time-out, Atkinson deployed Niang on Davis, with Allen roaming in the paint for a double-team. This defensive strategy paired with Allen and Garland made baskets inside had Cleveland up big. But, it was a DG step-back three that gave the Cavs a 42-23 lead going into the second quarter. Pure domination (77% FG vs 45% FG). Wow.

Jarrett came out of the break aggressive on the offensive glass, seen with a put-back one hand slam and a captured ball in the air from Okoro, which he converted at the cup. The Cavs were playing complementary basketball all throughout the first half - the makes on offense had the group even more engaged on the other end. Despite a bit of foul trouble, it was these strong contests that forced the field goal discrepancy. Former OSU guard D'Angelo Russell led motion and flow for the Lakers offense with an assist and basket to chip at the Cavalier lead. Allen has always been relentless and he blocked his second shot of the first-half when he came from the weak-side, met Hachimura at the summit and stuffed his dunk attempt. A made Allen hook-shot gave him a double-double: 18 minutes into the game. A continuation of forced turnovers and three point makes in transition had the Cavs leading 67-48 at half. They had scored 19 points off 11 turnovers to this point.

From there, Cleveland never looked back. Mitchell and LeVert came out of the break making threes, a trend seen all throughout tonight's ballgame (17 Cavs 3PT - 6 Lakers 3PT). The Lakers went on an 8-0 run led by LeBron James, but the teams would trade scores for the rest of the quarter. A 20-point leading going into the fourth meant that if Cleveland could keep their foot on the pedal for a couple more minutes, they would come out with the win.

That is exactly what they, led by Evan Mobley did. Evan proceeded to score the next 10 Cavalier points. To do so, he showed his improved footwork in the paint, slamming home dunks, and using his touch to make close-shot layups. Just when you thought he was finished, he continued to attack. Mobley converted on and-one's and threw down some more powerful slams. By the time Evan was finished with his massacre of the Lakers defense, the Cavs were up 22 points and the game was out of reach. Evan Mobley had scored 17 points of his 25 on the night. This man is an all-star.

We got a very cool Bronny moment, as the fans cheered him onto the court in the city he grew up in. His first points of his NBA career were scored in his hometown as he knocked down a mid-range shot in the left-corner.

Cavalier fans, this team is starting to look extremely legit. Tonight we had contributions from all 10 guys who got serious playing time. But, by the time we needed to play more than seven, our hot start had given the squad all the momentum we needed. This team has not started 5-0 since 2016 and vibes around this group are at an all-time high. The eyes of the NBA were on this game tonight and the Cavs will be in the spotlight again on Friday. They will get a playoff rematch, against a great Magic team on ESPN. Another win on Friday would really show how elite this group can be.

5-0.

Final Score: 134-110 Cavs

Player of the Game: Jarrett Allen (20 points, 17 rebounds)

Junkyard Dog: Evan Mobley (25 points, 15 rebounds, 19 minutes)

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