The Cleveland Cavaliers dominated the Los Angeles Lakers 129-99 on LeBron James’ return to Northeast Ohio on Wednesday night.
Donovan Mitchell dropped 25 points, Jaylon Tyson had 20, De’Andre Hunter added 19, and Jarrett Allen with 17 points and nine rebounds to help the Cavaliers its season-best fifth straight win.
James had only 11 points, the first time in 13 trips to Cleveland as an opposing player he had not had at least 20.
It was also his worst loss in Cleveland as a visiting player, dropping 10-3, but has been on the losing end in his last two.
James teared up during a timeout with 7:46 remaining in the first quarter when the Cavaliers showed video highlights of him scoring 25 straight points during Game 5 of the 2007 Eastern Conference finals against the Detroit Pistons.
Luka Doncic led the Lakers with 29 points, but Los Angeles fell to 3-2 on its seven-game road trip.
Doncic missed six minutes in the first quarter after having his left ankle looked at in the locker room, since he tweaked his ankle by landing awkwardly after attempting a three-pointer.
The Cavaliers led 57-55 at halftime, but took control in the third quarter, outscoring the Lakers by 20. It was the 12th time this season that Cleveland scored at least 40 points in a period.
It was tied at 57 when the Cavaliers went on a 25-8 run where Mitchell scored eight points, and Tyson added seven.
Both teams will play road games on Friday night: the Lakers at Washington, while the Cavaliers at Phoenix.
