In Monday night’s game, the Los Angeles Lakers had the sixth best offense in the NBA and the Cavaliers had the worst. However, when they went head-to-head on Monday, you really could not know which team was the better attacking group.
With the exception of LeBron James, who scored 46 points on an effective 19-26 shooting from the field and 7-11 shooting behind the 3-point line, the Lakers had a hard time getting their offense off the ground gain. Anthony Davis had a very difficult night, with 5-16 off the field; a stark contrast to his 14-21 thinning Saturday against the Chicago Bulls.
But a bit of fighting was to be expected Monday night, as both the Lakers and Cavaliers were strong in defense to start the season. What was a bit of a surprise was how well the Cavaliers looked offensive – at least in the first half, where they scored 58 points, which is 7.5 points higher than their season average.
After another strong quarter from the Cavaliers that came out of the halftime, the Lakers sharpened the defensive side and let James do his thing in the fourth quarter. James scored 21 of his 46 points in the fourth quarter, and it was not because the Cavaliers did not try to stop him – he was just on fire.
In addition to James’ dominance in offense, the Lakers also got a strong performance from Alex Caruso on the defensive point. Caruso saw the floor a little later than usual on Monday, but once he was on, he made it hard to pick him up.
With a win on Monday, the Lakers remain unbeaten on the road. They will try to keep it that way when they face the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday, but the 76ers are starting well this season and holding the best record in the Eastern Conference. It will not be easy, so it thinks LA came here.
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