LOS ANGELES — A fourth straight playoff appearance will have to wait.
For now.
The Cavs, who entered the night needing just one win to officially lock in their springtime spot, got demolished by the streaking Los Angeles Lakers, 127-113, on Tuesday night inside Crypto.com Arena. They will have another chance to clinch in about 48 hours.
More Cavs coverage
Reacting to yet another disappointing Cavs loss, this time at the hands of LeBron and the Lakers: Wine and Gold Talk podcast
What the Browns are really saying about Deshaun Watson; listeners’ ideas to end NBA tanking: Terry’s Talkin’ podcast
Cavs vs. Lakers FREE STREAM today: Where to watch NBA | LeBron James
Despite playing the second game of a back-to-back, after landing in Los Angeles close to 1 a.m. local time, the Cavs scored the first six and were in front by two at the end of the opening quarter.
That was the highlight of their evening.
Los Angeles opened the second quarter with a 9-2 push that was fueled by Cleveland’s sloppiness. In the midst of that run, the Lakers had gone in front for just the second time all night.
They never trailed again.
By the 3:34 mark of the second quarter, Los Angeles had built a 10-point lead — the first double-digit advantage by either team. While the margin was a manageable 12 at the half, a dominant third quarter from the Lakers put Cleveland in a deep 27-point hole going into the fourth, with Los Angeles basically toying with the visitors.
Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson had seen enough. He raised the white flag.
Or so it seemed.
Atkinson opened the period with five reserves — Craig Porter Jr., Tyrese Proctor, Larry Nance Jr., Nae’Qwan Tomlin and Thomas Bryant.
That quintet, known as the team’s stay-ready group, outscored Los Angeles 19-6 in the first seven minutes, trimming a one-time massive Los Angeles lead to 14, causing some angst in the building and forcing Lakers head coach JJ Redick to bring MVP candidate Luka Doncic back.
Doncic helped put the finishing touches on the L.A. triumph — a breakaway dunk serving as the exclamation point.
“We lost the physical battle,” Atkinson lamented. “And then I thought our offense got stagnant. They were switching everything and we were a step slow. I thought that first group was stuck in mud a little bit. We were holding it too much.”
Fresh off a one-game suspension as a result of his inflated technical foul tally, Doncic continued his torrid late-season MVP surge. He finished with 42 points, 12 assists and five rebounds in 34 spectacular minutes, as he spearheaded a dynamic offensive attack that had Cleveland looking answerless.
“I certainly didn’t have the right game plan,” Atkinson said. “That was obvious. With great players, you can’t give them a steady diet of one thing.”
Atkinson deployed a drop coverage that the team seldomly uses. He mixed in some zone. Changed the levels. Attempted to switch everything. Blitzed L.A.’s primary ballhandlers at times. Even with starting center Jarrett Allen back in the lineup, nothing worked.
Los Angeles shot 54.2% from the field and 41.9% from 3-point range, highlighting some of the Cavaliers’ most troublesome defensive deficiencies.
“They got layup, layup, layup,” Atkinson said. “I thought the Lakers were playing at their pace. They were getting to their spots easy, and we just didn’t have the requisite energy. That got us in a hole.”
With chatter about LeBron James’ next destination dominating Tuesday’s news cycle, the 41-year-old free-agent-to-be looked quite comfortable in the purple and gold.
In the final regular-season matchup against his old team this year, LeBron tallied 14 points, six assists and five rebounds in 30 productive minutes.
James also passed NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most wins by any player in NBA history.
And he did it against his hometown team. Another historic accomplishment.
A storybook feat.
The Cavs, looking overmatched and blinded by Hollywood’s bright lights, had six players in double figures.
Allen finished with a team-high 18 points. James Harden added 17 points and three assists. Leading scorer Donovan Mitchell mustered just 10, going 4 of 10 from the field.
Evan Mobley, back in California and playing in front of his father and brother who were seated courtside, followed up the best night of the season with a measly six-point, four-rebound performance while being overpowered by brawny James.
“We’ve seen LeBron, he can guard 1-5. I always felt like he never gets enough credit defensively,” Atkinson said. “He played Evan and us really well tonight.”
On Tuesday, both teams entered with a chance to solidify a postseason berth. Only one team did.
The Lakers.
Maybe Cleveland could still use LeBron after all. Perhaps it will have a chance this summer.
Up next
The Cavs will wrap up their road trip against the Golden State Warriors on Thursday night. Tipoff is set for 10 p.m.
