Lakers bounce back with 4th quarter win over the Cavs.
The Lakers bounced back from Wednesday’s game versus the Thunder with a huge 4th quarter win over the Cavs, winning 113–101, moving the Lakers record back to .500 at 3–3. The Lakers completely changed things around in the 4th quarter after trailing most of the game, outscoring the Cavs 25–16. After starting the first half with 15 turnovers, the Lakers adjusted their decision-making with the ball in the second half, only turning the ball over just five times for the remainder of the game.
Tonight's Lakers win came from their shooting percentage as a team, finishing with a season-high from both the field goal and the perimeter, shooting 55% (46 for 84) from the floor and 44% (12 for 27) from beyond the arc.
In his return in the lineup after missing Wednesday's game versus the Thunder with a right leg injury, LeBron James helped put the Lakers back in the win column, finishing with a game-high 26 points on 45% (10 for 22) shooting from the floor while adding eight assists in his performance. James spoke on the turnovers that have hurt this Lakers team to begin the season, explaining:
"When we don't turn the ball over, we're a pretty good team."
The second half of tonight's game supported that argument, as the Lakers just committed five turnovers after turning the ball over 15 times in the first half.
The 19-year-veteran Carmelo Anthony had another huge shooting night for the Lakers, scoring 24 points off the bench on 9 of 12 (75%) shooting from the floor, knocking down six threes on 6 of 8 shooting from beyond the arc. Melo was a part of a massive night for the Lakers bench, being a part of a 45-point night for the second unit and describing his performance as "finding his spot."
"Just finding my spot on the floor and playing off the guys. LeBron did a great job of finding me tonight."
Russell Westbrook quarterbacked a great game in tonight's Lakers win, showing how comfortable he's getting with the Lakers' offense and his teammates. In 34 minutes of action, Westbrook finished with 19 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists on 8 of 13 (61%) shooting total from the floor.
In his post-game interview, Westbrook spoke about the attitude as a team moving forward; whether the Lakers are winning or losing, he wants the team to play with swag. "That's something that I'm big on, just keeping our swagger up."
Anthony Davis was another Laker who had an impactful night in tonight's win. More importantly, how he was on the defensive end, finishing the night with three blocks and nine rebounds in his 15 point performance. Davis is currently second in the NBA in blocks a game Anthony Davis, the most blocks per game of his career so far, speaking on his defensive presence after the win, saying:
"I love playing defense. It starts with me setting the tone on the defensive end."
The Lakers will play at home this Sunday at 7:30 against the Houston Rockets. The Rockets are currently 1–4 on the season and are a young team with a tone of young talent that has the NBA's future stars, including Kevin Porter Jr and the 2nd overall pick, rookie Jalen Green. Look for the Lakers to try and start fast against a young Rockets team and get their rhythm in the win column moving forward.