CLEVELAND — Donovan Mitchell scored 25 points as the Cleveland Cavaliers pulled away in the third quarter to defeat the Los Angeles Lakers 129–99 on Tuesday night, spoiling LeBron James’ return to Northeast Ohio.
Jaylon Tyson added 20 points, De’Andre Hunter scored 19, and Jarrett Allen finished with 17 points and nine rebounds as Cleveland extended its season-best winning streak to five games.
LeBron James was limited to just 11 points, marking the first time in 13 visits to Cleveland as an opposing player that he failed to score at least 20. The 41-year-old Akron native shot 3-for-10 from the field, missed all three of his 3-point attempts, and played 27 minutes. It was also the worst loss of his career in Cleveland as a visitor, dropping his record there to 10–3, with losses in his last two appearances.
James became emotional during a first-quarter timeout when the Cavaliers played a tribute video highlighting his legendary performance in Game 5 of the 2007 Eastern Conference finals, when he scored 25 consecutive points against the Detroit Pistons.
Luka Dončić led the Lakers with 29 points despite briefly leaving the game in the first quarter after tweaking his left ankle while landing awkwardly near the Lakers’ bench. He returned after missing about six minutes. Los Angeles fell to 3–2 on its seven-game road trip.
The Cavaliers led 57–55 at halftime before taking control in the third quarter, outscoring the Lakers 42–22. It was the 12th time this season Cleveland scored at least 40 points in a single quarter.
With the game tied at 57, Cleveland went on a decisive 25–8 run, fueled by eight points from Mitchell and seven from Tyson. After struggling from beyond the arc in the first half, the Cavaliers shot 7-for-11 from
three-point range in the third quarter and finished the period shooting 17-for-25 overall.