"Jordan was gambling at 7:45" - NBA fans fired up as LeBron James hits gym 4 hours before Lakers vs Cavaliers showdown

On Saturday night, LeBron James and the LA Lakers take on the Cleveland Cavaliers in a highly anticipated matchup. The game will see James and the Lakers host his former team as both teams look to improve their standing heading into the postseason. With a few games left in the season, the Lakers are ninth in the West, while the Cavaliers are third in the East.

The Lakers are two games above the Golden State Warriors, while tied with the eighth-place Sacramento Kings. With just one game separating the ninth-place Lakers and the seventh-place Pelicans, the team will look to build on their three-game win streak.

With the cross-conference game expected to produce fireworks, LeBron James wasted little time in making sure that he got to the Crypto.com Arena early. Although the game isn't slated to tip off until 11:30 a.m. local time, James was in the gym hours beforehand.

Of course, the move comes on the heels of LeBron James and the Lakers nearly blowing a big lead to the Washington Wizards on Apr. 3. After the nail-biting performance, the team will look to keep the momentum rolling and extend their three-game win streak.

After photos emerged of LeBron James arriving for the game at 7:45 a.m., fans were quick to weigh in.

"Jordan was gambling at 7:45" - @Yewwbb (Twitter)

"LeBron wants to go straight to the playoffs, brother. He's already training in the crypto arena" - @LakersOnX (Twitter)

"That’s my glorious sunshine king" - @PickleDFS_ (Twitter)

"This means business. Let's go Bron" - @Habsalone (Twitter)

"King's clock-in: 7:45 a.m. Unstoppable" - @SanityBlk123 (Twitter)

"Greatest always be here early" - @KKingAngel (Twitter)

"King" - @Sam_pStarboy (Twitter)

"Let’s goo" - @Ebukamachala (Twitter)

"11:30 am for a basketball game is hella early. After the game, I guess you can run a few errands or something" - @Black_Mario_Bro (Twitter)

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Looking at LeBron James' recent performances against the Cleveland Cavaliers this season

This season, the LA Lakers and the Cleveland Cavaliers have played only once leading up to Saturday night's game. The two teams played earlier in the season in Cleveland on Nov. 25.

At the time, the Lakers were fresh off a loss to the Dallas Mavericks, and the team responded by picking up a 121-115 win over the Cavaliers.

Anthony Davis led the way for the Lakers with 32 points and 13 rebounds in 38 minutes, while LeBron James added 22 points in 36 minutes. The game saw the four-time NBA champ struggle from downtown, as he went just 1-9 from beyond the arc.

Since then, James has responded in a big way, though, posting a career-high 41.6% from downtown. Apart from the future Hall of Famer looking to improve the team's standing heading into the postseason, there's no denying the history between the two sides.

While the Lakers are trying to improve their standing in the Western Conference, the Cavaliers are looking to close the lead on the second-placed Milwaukee Bucks. With one game separating the two teams, and the Orlando Magic and New York Knicks both just one game behind them, the stakes couldn't be higher.