Cavs Dominate Lakers, Spoil LeBron's Return with Statement Win
The Cleveland Cavaliers didn’t just beat the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night - they sent a message. Behind a monster third quarter and balanced scoring, Cleveland ran away with a 129-99 win, notching their fifth straight victory and putting a damper on LeBron James’ return to his home state.
Donovan Mitchell led the charge with 25 points, while rookie Jaylon Tyson turned heads with a career-best 20. De’Andre Hunter added 19, and Jarrett Allen chipped in 17 points and nine rebounds. It was a complete team effort, the kind of performance that shows just how dangerous this Cavs squad can be when everything clicks.
And it clicked in a big way in the third quarter.
Tied at 57 early in the second half, the Cavaliers ripped off a 25-8 run that blew the game wide open. Mitchell scored eight during that stretch, Tyson poured in seven, and the rest of the team followed their lead.
Cleveland outscored L.A. 42-22 in the third - the 12th time this season they’ve dropped at least 40 in a single quarter. That kind of explosive scoring isn’t just impressive, it’s becoming a trend.
The Cavaliers went just 6-for-22 from beyond the arc in the first half, but came out of the locker room red-hot. They hit 7 of 11 from deep in the third and shot 68% from the field overall in the period (17-for-25). That offensive efficiency, paired with active defense and relentless energy, overwhelmed the Lakers.
For LeBron James, it was a night to forget on the court - and a night to remember off it.
The 41-year-old Akron native finished with just 11 points on 3-of-10 shooting, including 0-for-3 from three. It marked the first time in 13 visits to Cleveland as a Laker that he didn’t score at least 20 points.
In fact, it was his worst loss in Cleveland as a visiting player. He’s now 10-3 when facing the Cavs in their building, but has dropped the last two.
Still, emotions ran high early. With 7:46 left in the first quarter, the Cavaliers played a tribute video featuring highlights from LeBron’s iconic 25-point run in Game 5 of the 2007 Eastern Conference Finals. James, visibly moved, teared up during the tribute - a rare and powerful moment that reminded everyone just how deep his roots run in Northeast Ohio.
For the Lakers, Luka Doncic did his best to keep things close, finishing with 29 points. He briefly exited in the first quarter after tweaking his left ankle on a 3-point attempt, but returned and played through it. Still, L.A. couldn’t keep pace in the second half and dropped to 3-2 on their seven-game road trip.
This one was all about Cleveland. A team that’s quietly building momentum just made a loud statement - and they did it in front of the player who once defined their franchise.