On Monday, the Los Angeles Lakers faced the surprising Cleveland Cavaliers in the arena that LeBron James called home for many years, and he reminded the fans there of the kind of show he used to treat them to on a regular basis.
In the first half, he came down the lane and erupted for a monster dunk on former teammate Kevin Love.
After the game, he talked about the play but still showed some love to Love.
LeBron James apologizes to Kevin Love for dunking on him, says he’ll take it out of his career highlight reel: pic.twitter.com/YBA2YdYQFB
— Kyle Goon (@kylegoon) March 22, 2022
The Lakers were coming off a loss against the Washington Wizards on Saturday in which their defense fell apart in the final quarter. Although L.A.’s defense wasn’t quite up to par on Monday, the team did very well on offense.
James poured in 38 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists and provided multiple highlights for the same fans who cheered him on for the majority of his career as a Cavalier.
Russell Westbrook also continued his improved play of late with 20 points and 11 assists while committing just one turnover.
Off the bench, backup point guard D.J. Augustin went nuclear by making all seven of his shots, including six from 3-point land.
The Lakers’ 131-120 win was impressive, especially considering that the Cavs have been one of the NBA’s best defensive teams all season.
L.A. has a very tough schedule for the remainder of the regular season. It will host MVP candidate Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday, before taking on the New Orleans Pelicans, a team it is battling for a spot in the play-in tournament, this weekend.
