The Cleveland Cavaliers put together a dominant performance on their home floor Wednesday night, rolling past the Los Angeles Lakers 129-99 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. It was one of those nights where everything clicked for Cleveland - crisp ball movement, stifling defense, and a balanced scoring attack that overwhelmed a Lakers squad still trying to find its rhythm.
For Los Angeles, Luka Dončić did everything he could to keep his team in it, pouring in a team-high 29 points. But the rest of the roster struggled to match Cleveland’s energy and execution.
LeBron James, returning to the city where his legendary career began, finished with 11 points in 27 minutes. It was a quieter night for the four-time MVP, who received the usual warm welcome from the Cleveland faithful but couldn’t spark a turnaround for the Lakers.
One bright spot for L.A. came in the form of rookie Dalton Knecht. The former Tennessee star logged eight minutes off the bench and made the most of his limited run, scoring five points on 2-of-3 shooting, including a three-pointer.
He also added a rebound. It wasn’t a huge stat line, but it was another encouraging sign for the Lakers’ first-round pick as he works to carve out a consistent role in the rotation.
Knecht’s journey to the NBA has been anything but conventional. After transferring from Northern Colorado to Tennessee, he exploded onto the national stage during the 2023-24 college season.
Under Rick Barnes, Knecht averaged 21.7 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game, leading the Volunteers to an SEC regular-season title and a run to the Elite Eight - just the second in program history. His efforts earned him SEC Player of the Year and SEC Newcomer of the Year honors, cementing his status as one of the top prospects in the 2024 draft.
Now with the Lakers, Knecht is in the early stages of adjusting to the NBA game - a process that takes time, especially on a veteran-heavy team with championship aspirations. But performances like Wednesday’s, even in short bursts, show why L.A. used the 17th overall pick to bring him aboard.
The Lakers won’t have much time to dwell on the loss. They’ll head to Dallas next, where they’ll face the Mavericks on Saturday night.
Tipoff is set for 8:30 p.m. EST at American Airlines Center.
With the season heating up and the playoff picture beginning to take shape, every game matters just a little more - and L.A. will be looking to bounce back in a big way.