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LeBron James travels to his home state as the LA Lakers take on the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Purple and Gold will be looking to return to the top of the Western Conference standings while the Cavs will be aiming for redemption after a blowout loss in Boston.
Match Details
Fixture: LA Lakers vs Cleveland Cavaliers | NBA Season 2020-21
Date & Time: Monday, January 25th, 8 PM ET (Tuesday, 6:30 AM IST)
Venue: Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, Cleveland, OH
Click here to check out the 2020-21 NBA Schedule
LA Lakers Preview
The LA Lakers are the most quintessential franchise in the association once again. They have the best defensive rating in the league and that rugged effort was visible when they held the Chicago Bulls to 33 first-half points in their previous outing. The Purple and Gold have won seven of their last eight games.
The LA Lakers do turn the ball over often but the aforementioned rigidity at the back and the fourth-most efficient shooting in the league give them the edge. With Anthony Davis getting back to his best, LeBron James being great all-around, and six double-digit scorers, Frank Vogel's men are on course for another title run.
Key Player - Anthony Davis
Anthony Davis admitted recently that he wasn't doing his best and followed it up with a 37-point outing against the Bulls. He's averaging 22.1 points per game this season but that number is likely to be on the rise now. He'll play a crucial role for LA Lakers in nullifying the threat of the Cleveland Cavaliers' bigs on Monday.
LA Lakers Predicted Lineup
G Dennis Schroder, G Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, F LeBron James, F Anthony Davis, C Marc Gasol
Cleveland Cavaliers Preview
The Cleveland Cavaliers have some thinking to do after enduring their biggest loss of the season. Their usual dominance on the boards was amiss against the Celtics and they shot the ball at a lowly 40% clip. Their main highlight was JaVale McGee playing point guard and going coast-to-coast on one possession.
Scoring will continue to be the issue for the Cleveland Cavaliers who are in the bottom five in the league in that department. The fact that they had seven players in double digits in their last outing will give them hope that they can rely on multiple options against the LA Lakers.
Key Player - Collin Sexton
Collin Sexton is almost single-handedly driving the Cleveland Cavaliers' offense right now. He endured his worst outing this season on Sunday but is still averaging 25.5 points per game on 51.7% shooting from the field. He'll have to get going early against the steely LA Lakers if the Cavs are to a stand a chance.
Cleveland Cavaliers Predicted Lineup
G Collin Sexton, G Isaac Okoro, F Cedi Osman, F Larry Nance Jr., C Andre Drummond
Lakers vs Cavs Match Prediction
This one is fairly simple on paper. The LA Lakers are playing their best basketball right now and have the joint-best record in the NBA. The Cleveland Cavaliers also went on a winning run recently but they've been inconsistent and their latest loss highlighted their deficiencies. Expect LeBron James and co. to eke out a win here.
Where to watch Lakers vs Cavs?
Local telecast of the game will be available on Spectrum SportsNet and FOX Sports Ohio. You can also live stream the same via the NBA League Pass.
Also read: NBA Trade Rumors - Brooklyn Nets engaged in talks to land JaVale McGee from Cleveland Cavaliers
Guess the Lakers players!
