The Los Angeles Lakers went into Friday night’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers desperately needing a win to snap their four-game losing streak. Although things weren’t pretty in the first half, the Lakers came out and dominated the second half to earn a convincing 100-86 win.
Dennis Schroder kicked things off by knocking down a tough jumper at the end of the shot clock and drew a charge on the other end, but the Cavaliers took the early lead off a rare Jarrett Allen corner three.
Marc Gasol knocked down his first two shots but struggled to deter Cleveland when they got into the paint.
Although the Lakers shot a good percentage from the field, they found themselves trailing because of all the turnovers they racked up. Los Angeles looked like they would take control after a 7-0 run, but Cleveland went on a 6-0 spurt of their own to take a 24-22 lead after one quarter.
Alex Caruso looked to give the team a spark with his defense early in the second, but the Cavaliers still managed to hold on to a slight lead thanks to Darius Garland. Each time it looked like L.A. would get over the hump, Cleveland found a way to answer.
The Lakers had few answers for the Cavaliers’ defense as they prevented them from getting into any sort of rhythm in the half-court. Things began to unravel on the defensive side of the ball as Cleveland found success attacking the middle of the floor and Los Angeles struggled to rebound, resulting in a 51-44 halftime deficit.
Unlike the first half, the Purple and Gold came out with much better energy and effort to begin the third as they quickly took the lead with a 10-0 run. Los Angeles’ defense was also much more active, closing to Cleveland’s shooters and clogging the paint.
Montrezl Harrell gave the Lakers their first double-digit lead of the game after dunking over Jarrett Allen, but the Cavaliers started to chip away at the deficit. L.A. quickly responded with a run at the end of the quarter and went into the final period leading 72-61 after winning the third frame by 18 points.
The Lakers continued to run away with the game as they opened up the fourth with a 7-0 run, extending their lead to 18. Harrell dominated the Cavaliers on the interior, rolling to the rim hard for dunks and finishing around the cup.
Schroder continued his high level of hustle all night, and that continued in the fourth quarter as he played a big part in putting the game out of reach.
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