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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.
#2 Strong display from Lonzo Ball
With Rajon Rondo out for almost five weeks, the Lakers needed Lonzo Ball to step up. Ball finished with 0 and two points in the two games since Rondo's injury.
But he was a different man against the Cleveland Cavaliers. He was aggressive from the start and contributed all-around for the Los Angeles Lakers. He finished with stats of 15 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists on 7-11 shooting from the field. He was great on the defensive end of the floor and came up with several good defensive plays. He also got to play minutes in the clutch time and showed up for his team.
The Lakers need Lonzo Ball to play consistently well for them. If he is aggressive like he was today, with his size and IQ, he will always be a threat for the opposition teams.
#3 LeBron James with another impressive performance
LeBron James led the Lakers on his return to the Land with an impressive 32 points, 14 rebound and 7 assists performance on 11-20 shooting from the field. He was the leading scorer in the game from both the sides.
King James was coming on the back of a 51 point night at the Miami Heat and looked set to dominate right from the tip-off. He had 18 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists at the end of the first half. With most of the other Lakers on the roster unable to provide consistent scoring, James had to carry most of the offensive load in the fourth quarter to close out a tight game.
LeBron James is averaging 28.9 PPG, 8.1 REB and 6.9 assists over the course of the 17 games and is shooting 50% from the 3 point line in November. King James is well and truly back in the lead contention for the MVP race.
Guess the Lakers players!
