In the Monday night game, the Los Angeles Lakers had the NBA’s sixth best attack and the Cavaliers the worst. However, when they faced off on Monday, you really couldn’t tell which team was the best offensive player.
With the exception of LeBron James, who scored 46 points from an efficient 19-26 shot from the field and 7-11 from behind the 3-point line, the Lakers struggled to get their attack from the ground. Anthony Davis had an especially difficult night, going from 5 to 16 on the field; a stark contrast to his 14-21 match against the Chicago Bulls on Saturday.
But a bit of a fight was to be expected on Monday night, as both the Lakers and Cavaliers were strong in defense to start the season. What was a little surprising was how good the Cavaliers looked offensively – at least in the first half, where they scored 58 points, which is 7.5 points more than the season average.
After another strong quarter of the Cavaliers coming out of the break, the Lakers tightened things on the defensive end and let James do what he wanted in the fourth period. James scored 21 of his 46 points in the fourth half, and it wasn’t because the Cavaliers weren’t trying to stop him – he was just on fire.
In addition to James’ dominance in attack, the Lakers also had a strong performance from Alex Caruso on the defensive side. Caruso saw the floor a little later than usual on Monday, but as soon as he entered, it made it difficult for him to withdraw.
With a victory on Monday, the Lakers remain undefeated away from home. They will try to keep things that way when they face the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday, but the 76ers got off to a hot start this season, setting the Eastern Conference’s best record. It won’t be easy, so it’s good to think that LA came by.
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