Lakers Thrash Cavs in Clarkson and Nance's Return; I.T. Gets Sweet Revenge

Welcome in to the full recap of the Lakers' Sunday night matchup vs. the Cleveland Cavaliers where familiar faces, Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance Jr. return to LA in Cavs' uniforms. But, it was not the result they wanted as I.T. earned sweet revenge and Randle and Lopez were just too much in the paint, giving the Lakers a decisive 113-127 win.

I'm looking at the final stats and Larry Nance showed out with 16 points, but Clarkson only chipped in 4 points here. I.T. alone scored the same amount of points as both of them combined. What a trade by Magic and Pelinka! Overall, good wire-to-wire win over the Cavs. Any team that has a LeBron James is a good win. The Cavs as a whole are just in an enigmatic limbo as a playoff team and rebuilding team. The likelihood of LeBron leaving the Cavs again has all signs of inevitability. The Lakers auditioned and they have a case for LeBron to come to LA as weird as that sounds. Pace, size, and unselfish ball movement were the Lakers' formula for victory tonight.

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Isaiah Thomas, 20 points, 5 rebounds, 9 assists. I'm really happy with the way I.T. played tonight and you should too. I thought the Cavs trading him despite knowing he needs to recover from a major hip injury was a little too premature. The guy only played 17 games for them. As they say, one man's trash is another man's treasure and I.T. got the last laugh against the Cavs. I thought he showed really good balance as a scorer and facilitator. He didn't let the emotions of this game get the best of him, you talk about good poise and patience. He set up Randle, Lopez, and other teammates well for easy baskets and took over in the 4th to put this game away. Like I said, Magic and Rob have some vindication for trading for this man while sacrificing fan-favorite young pieces such as Clarkson and Nance.

Julius Randle, 36 points, 14 rebounds, 7 assists. Randle vs. Nance was the hot topic of debate for Laker fans because of the logjam at the Power Forward position. Some favored Nance because of his basketball IQ and hustle while others favored Randle because of the upside and the rare balance of speed and power. After tonight, this shouldn't be a debate anymore. Randle straight up bullied Nance and the Cavs' inside presence to set a new career high. I couldn't imagine how tense that battle was during practices. You can tell Randle had something to prove here. They said LeBron bullying the Lakers was like man against boys. The same can be said with Randle and how he bullied his way to the basket. Great rapport with I.T. as well in transition and in pick-and-roll and give-n-go action.

Brook Lopez, 22 points, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks. This is the third straight game that Lopez logged 20+ points. I wanted Lopez to use his inside game more if his 3-point shot isn't falling and he has responded with that balance the last three games. Tonight was an absolute cakewalk as the Cavs lacked size in the front court and I expected Lopez to feast and he did. He also did a solid job on LeBron defensively. The Cavs wanted that switch with Lopez on LeBron as they did with LeBron on Lonzo. Brook did not back down from the challenge and held his own against arguably the best player in the world right now.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, 20 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals. Of course, it's not a Laker win without KCP scoring and being on target from 3-point land. He had a hot start to the 1st quarter offensively and made some nice defensive plays, especially when he got the ball back for the Lakers after the Lakers committed a turnover.

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A couple of defensive lapses in the first half and getting a little too relaxed with the lead in fourth quarter before KCP's three, but they're only minor. Lakers did not have a lot of negatives to point out here in this game.

MVP

Julius Randle, 36 points, 14 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks

He is the Punisher. This was a three-way race between Randle, Lopez, and I.T. for MVP this game. But, Randle deserves it with this monster double-double and a new career high with 36 points. No player on that Cavs roster wanted any part of Julius tonight.


Conclusion

The Lakers now stand at 30 wins after this one. It's been awhile, but they finally made it over one hump after a couple of frustrating seasons. I said in my regular season back in October, that I'd be happy if the Lakers finished with 30-35 wins. The season is not even over yet and they could grab more. They have a brutal stretch ahead though as I look at their remaining schedule. But, you can't deny they continue to compete and find ways to win. Make no mistake, team is confident to take on any team in the NBA. Denver and Golden State next, two more pivotal games if the Lakers are thinking playoffs. Clearly, the Lakers are still thinking about Jamal Murray's disrespectful antics in the last two meetings with the Nuggets. If they want to shut him up, they have to shut him down. And a win against the Nuggets puts them closer to 8th seed. In terms of the Warriors, the Lakers have dropped three close games against them. Clearly, Golden State is hurting without Curry, but they're at Oracle and they have a chance to sweep the Lakers in regular season series for the first time in a long while. The Lakers will look to deny that again. Two big games for the upcoming week. And the good news, I'll be covering both of them on the blog! I'll see you guys later.

03/11: LAKERS vs. Cavs 2nd Half Open Thread and Discussion

This is the 2nd half of the Lakers-Cavs matchup. As usual, leave a comment below and share your thoughts on the game.

Q4

CLE 113 LAL 127

Epic wire-to-wire victory for the Lakers. This game pretty much gives Magic and Rob vindication for the I.T.-Clarkson/Nance trade. I.T. took over early on in the 4th quarter and burned the Lakers with 20 pts and 9 asts. Randle punished the Cavs' interior defense or lack thereof. Lopez did the same thing. This was a strong closeout quarter for the Lakers and a closeout they desperately needed after blowing a couple of big leads to begin the week. Stay tuned for the full recap.

Q3

CLE 82 LAL 98

What a quarter! The Cavs gave a little scare when they went on a 9-0 run and eventually tied it up. But, the Lakers went back to that formula of punishing them inside. Good quarter Lopez, Randle, and KCP. I.T. started to heat up as a scorer and facilitator down the stretch. The last shot from Cleveland gave this quarter a little dent though. And hopefully it's not a harbinger heading into the 4th quarter. That stretch is where the Lakers have to close out, especially when Ingram is not there. Paging I.T. It's against his former team and he's gotta remind LeBron and company who the King in the Fourth is.

03/11: LAKERS vs. Cleveland Cavaliers 1st Half Open Thread and Discussion

LeBron comes to town. Clarkson and Nance make their returns in another uniform. Welcome in to the first half open thread of the Lakers' matchup vs. the Cleveland Cavaliers. Leave a comment below and share your thoughts on the game.

Q2

CLE 60 LAL 65

Good defense from Caruso to force LeBron off rhythm for a final shot. The Lakers can't cap off the first half any better. I heard Luke Walton in one mic'd up bits that this Laker team needs to wear down and punish this Cavs team down low. And he's right. The Cavs don't have any interior presence and the Lakers have the advantage with Lopez and Randle inside. It's not just them, but you see players actively cutting into the lane when the Cavs are forced to double. That's one of the key reasons why the Lakers racked up so many assists at the half with 19. Lopez is off to another good start. I've stressed that he needs to score more inside and he has and he's doing it again against a very thin Cavs front court. KCP's hot shooting the start has also helped the Lakers balloon the lead a bit. Defensively, the Lakers could be a lot better, especially inside. I lost count how many times Ante Zizic has been found wide open for the easy score after a couple feeds by LeBron and Clarkson. Someone on the Lakers team has to do a better job at communicating and accountiing for the cutter. The 2nd half will open up shortly.

Q1

CLE 29 LAL 33

Not a bad showing by Clarkson on the opposite end of the floor. He baited the Lakers to double and found somebody inside for an easy deuce. But, overall this was a solid start from the Lakers. Clearly, they are exploiting the Cavs' lack of interior presence with Lopez and Randle in the paint. Add into the fact that KCP started great in the first quarter is the reason why they get the early four point lead. They are baiting the Cavs to double and there's someone open inside. That's one early blueprint to wear this Cavs team down.

Cavs-Lakers Open Thread Full Go Tonight

Turns out I won't miss the first half of the game. So, Lakers-Cavs on ESPN will be covered on this blog at 100% tonight. I'll see you guys tonight for that game.