NBA 2018-19: 3 Key takeaways from Cleveland Cavaliers vs Los Angeles Lakers
The King returned to his land in a match that saw the Los Angeles Lakers escape with a narrow victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers with a score of 109-105. This was the first homecoming for LeBron after he left the Cavs in the summer following a loss in the NBA Finals.
LeBron James received a warm welcome and a standing ovation from the crowd at the Quicken Loans Arena. He was also presented with a video tribute. This reception was vastly contrasting from what he got on his first return with the Miami Heat.
The match was tight throughout and the Cavs even had an eight-point lead late in the fourth quarter. But the Cavs who have the worst record in the league, 2-14 could not close out the game. The Lakers showed maturity and composure in the end and got the victory.
Here are the top 3 takeaways from the game.
#1 Young Cavaliers' stars refused to go down easily
The Cavaliers are the bottom-placed team in the NBA right now. But they were right up to the challenge against the Los Angeles Lakers from the very beginning. They had zero turnovers in the first half and took a 52-49 lead into the halftime and stuck with the Lakers throughout. Much of the credit for the team's play goes to the young core of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Cedi Osman led the team in scoring, finishing with 21 points with five of seven from the three-point line. Jordan Clarkson provided a great spark coming off the bench scoring 20 points with four of eight from the three. The Cavs also got good production from Larry Nance Jr. and their rookie Colin Sexton. This was one of the best performances from the Cavs this season.
The Cavs were without Kevin Love who is out injured and won't take part this year.