Strong Fourth Quarter Propels Cavs Past Lakers

When the Wine & Gold turn it up on the defensive end, they’re almost unbeatable on their home floor. 

After a back-and-forth affair for three-and-a-half quarters, Cleveland clamped down defensively down the stretch – pulling away over the final eight minutes to sink a red-hot Lakers squad, 116-102, while running their mark at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse to 11-1 on the season.  

By racking up their second two-touchdown win over Los Angeles this season, the Cavs have swept the season series from the Lakers for the first time since 2016-17. 

The Lakers came into Tuesday’s contest having won eight of their last 10 and with the league’s hottest player, Anthony Davis, who’d piled up 99 points over his past two games. But flu-like symptoms sidelined Davis after just eight minutes of action, scoring just a single point before calling it a night.

On the other side, the Cavaliers got their big man back – with Jarrett Allen returning to the lineup after missing his previous five games with a hip injury. All the All-Star big man did in his return was can his first nine field goal attempts, going 11-for-14 from the floor overall, adding 11 boards, three steals and a block in the win. 

As good as Allen was on Tuesday, it was Donovan Mitchell who led the way – especially in that critical fourth quarter – netting a season-high and game-high 43 points on the night, going 17-for-27 from the floor, including 4-of-8 from long-range and 5-of-5 from the stripe, adding six boards, five assists and game-high four steals. 

Tuesday’s outburst was Mitchell’s second 40-point performance of the young season to go with 11 games of 30-plus through his first 23 outings as a Cavalier. 

Darius Garland was rock-solid in Tuesday night’s win – finishing with 21 points and a game-best 11 assists for his sixth double-double of the year, going 8-for-18 from the floor and 4-of-4 from the line. 

Evan Mobley struggled offensively, but still managed to lead the squad with 12 rebounds to go with seven points, a pair of assists and a block. 

LeBron James – who received a huge ovation in the first quarter – led four Lakers in double-figures with 21 points on 8-of-17 shooting, pacing L.A. with four assists and both teams with a season-high 17 rebounds.  

Cleveland didn’t shoot well from long-distance on Tuesday, but still shot 52 percent from the floor overall and committed just eight turnovers on the night.

Neither team led by more than 10 through the first three quarters and Cleveland was ahead by just a deuce heading to the fourth. Dennis Schroeder tied the game at 92-apiece less than four minutes into the final period, but that’s as good as it would get for Los Angeles.  

Donovan Mitchell scored the next five points after that. And he was just getting warmed up. 

The three-time All-Star would proceed to score 17 of his season-high 43 points in the period, going 5-for-6 from the floor over that final stretch as the Cavaliers closed the contest on a 24-10 run, outscoring L.A., 31-19, in the fourth quarter to sweep the season series and hand LeBron – who was pulled at the 3:18 mark down 13 points – his first loss as a Laker at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.    

.800, .645 … Cleveland’s winning percentage – this season (8-2) and over the course of his Cavs career (40-22) – when Jarrett Allen records a double-double.  

In those 10 contests this year, the All-Star center is averaging 16.6 points and 13.2 rebounds per. On the season, J.A.’s numbers are 14.1ppg and 10.8rpg, with seven games of multiple blocked shots. 

Donovan Mitchell, on his Cavalier teammates believing in him in clutch situations …

“I think the biggest thing for them is they hype me up. It’s fun and I’m appreciative of it. When I first got here, J.B. told me to just be myself, and that gives you comfort coming into a new situation. These guys look to me, and I appreciate that. And I’m starting to earn their respect. And I think that right from the jump that was the biggest thing – understanding that they believe in me as much as I believe in them. And that allows me to go out there and play this way.”

Enjoy the best broadcast calls of the night from Cavaliers Radio Network's Tim Alcorn and Rafa Hernandez-Brito from Power 98.1.

After completing the season sweep of the Lakers on Tuesday, the Wine & Gold close out their three-game homestand with a weekend back-to-back beginning Friday when Domantas Sabonis and the surprising Kings come to town followed by a date with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder the following night. 

The Cavs hit the road from there – a two-game Texas trip that sees them stopping in San Antonio on Monday night and Dallas on Wednesday before returning to Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse for a season-long six-game homestand that extends through Christmas.