The Cleveland Cavaliers responded well last night against the Los Angeles Lakers, and that game could be one they look back on. The Cleveland Cavaliers came into their last game against the Los Angeles Lakers losing 12 straight games. In last night’s matchup, though, they were a whole lot better than they were in other games in that horrid losing stretch. In that 12-game losing streak, Cleveland was being outscored by 18.3 points per game, per NBA.com. Against the Lakers on the road (granted, LeBron James wasn’t playing but their variety of playmakers is still a tough test), Cleveland led virtually the whole way en route to a 101-95 win, as they played much more sound on both ends of the floor. The Cavs played good transition defense for most of the game, and that forced L.A. into a considerable amount of unnecessary shots and turnovers. Cleveland’s off-ball defense (rotations after ball-swings in particular), was much better than in recent games before against the New Orleans Pelicans and Houston Rockets, in which Cleveland conceded 140 and 141 points and a combined 53.2 percent shooting rate, respectively (per NBA.com). Against the Lakers, the Cavs had significantly less defensive breakdowns, and were effective in helping the helper on the majority of occasions. That led to the Lakers only making seven three-pointers in the game on 34 attempts, per ESPN, and Cleveland held key L.A. catch-and-shoot specialists Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Josh Hart in check, while making players such as Brandon Ingram (31.0 percent from deep on the season) shoot from three in bad spots. Ingram and Kyle Kuzma did make some tough shots, but Cedi Osman and others were much sharper in their coverages of key playmakers. Credit Alec Burks for making it tough for Ingram on a number of occasions as well. Yes, Kuzma and Ingram combined for 51 points, but Lonzo Ball, Hart and JaVale McGee (who is very effective as a rim runner and putback specialist) combined to shoot just nine-of-29, according to ESPN. Caldwell-Pope also shot just two-for-nine; Cleveland has often had trouble defending catch-and-shoot role players like him, and credit the Cavs for being much more disciplined in their closeouts and not being out of position nearly as much. On the offensive end, the Cleveland Cavaliers were under control, and did not allow the Lakers to speed them up often. Collin Sexton, Alec Burks, Osman and Tristan Thompson all were effective in not trying to force things and letting the game come to them, while Cleveland consistently got good shots from sufficient ball-swings creating good matchups. Sexton was very good overall, as he was patient in finding his spots, and got Ball over-extending a bit and used change of pace well in this one as well as other recent games, as our own Jackson Flickinger highlighted. Sexton has done a much better job of changing speeds in the halfcourt the last couple games. It's been good to see. — Jackson Flickinger (@Akron_Jackson) January 14, 2019 Sexton had 17 points on 50.0 percent shooting, and finished well near the rim after nice patience in settled situations. He also showed more progression as a passer, as he was not forcing things as much in the interior, and finished with three assists but could have had several more last night. Sexton was a Cavs’ game-high plus-16, too, per ESPN. Burks, despite reportedly being in the middle of trade rumors likely because of his expiring contract, has continued to make good decisions in settled offense and is a stabilizing presence on the floor. He had 17 points, including seven-of-eight from the foul line, and had four assists (while having no turnovers). His 13 rebounds were a major bonus as well. Osman was not forcing the action as often as he’s often done in other games, and his patience in getting mismatches was encouraging. While he can be erratic in having tunnel-vision at times when driving which leads to bad shots, he was much more efficient yesterday and used the rim well to shield shot blockers away. Those nuances are crucial for him to reach his ceiling as a very solid NBA starter. Just like his last meeting against the Lakers, Osman had 20 points, to go with eight rebounds and a plus-minus of plus-12. This game really showed the full array of Osman’s game as a scorer, and it’s another game he can build on. Thompson did what he’s been doing most of the season against L.A., as he was physical on both ends on the glass and as a screener for Cleveland’s playmakers. He set the tone in the paint with 15 points on 50.0 percent shooting, while having 14 rebounds and two blocks. Thompson also deserves a good amount of credit for McGee only having two points in 23 minutes, according to ESPN. Rodney Hood (who reportedly could be on the trade block as well due to his expiring contract) also deserves some credit for his workmanlike 18 points and three assists yesterday. Like Osman, he played at a nice controlled pace in the halfcourt, and had some timely cuts leading to easy baskets for the Cavs that were a solid lift throughout the game. I’d like to see him have this sort of assertiveness more often. Cleveland had all of their starters in double-figures, which was huge. The Cavs’ bench did not have their biggest production of the year, as they only combined for 15 points, but energy plays from players such as Jaron Blossomgame and Jordan Clarkson on the road for a team dealing with a barrage of injuries helped. I wouldn’t expect Clarkson and Matthew Dellavedova to only have 12 points and four assists between the two of them very often, either. With how depleted Cleveland is currently, this sort of game could be the blueprint for them for how to stay in games and give themselves a chance. The ball movement was good for most of the night, and the Cavs’ defense had significantly less breakdowns.<doc-sep>Five things to take away from the Lakers’ 101-95 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday night at Staples Center: 1. It was the worst loss of the season for the Lakers, plain and simple. It was unimaginable to see the Lakers drop a game to the hapless Cavaliers, a team that entered the game having lost 12 in a row, a team that still has the worst record in the NBA at 9-35. The Lakers all talked about being frustrated. Advertisement But frustrated about what? Their effort? Their inability to make shots? Their constant isolation plays? Their unwillingness to pass, to move and to cut? For the Lakers to trail by 15 points in the first quarter to the Cavaliers was unbelievable. The Cavaliers were coming off a 28-point beat-down at Houston. Whether or not LeBron James is out because of a sprained left groin or Rajon Rondo is out recovering from surgery on his right ring finger, the Lakers know they must play more inspired basketball. “We got to hang our heads high no matter what,” Kyle Kuzma said after the game. “At the end of the day, it all starts with effort. I keep saying it and it was clear tonight. But for us, that’s what it is. Sign up for our daily sports newsletter » » “Obviously you’re not going to make every single shot. That’s impossible. But we just have to continue to play hard, get in the gym tomorrow and keep working and be confident that our work ethic is going to translate to the court.” The Lakers are 3-7 without James and Rondo, falling into a tie with the Utah Jazz for eighth place, and final playoff spot, in the Western Conference. 2. Why were the Lakers just tossing up errant three-pointer after errant three-pointer after errant three-pointer? Advertisement Their best three-point shooters — Kuzma, Josh Hart, Lonzo Ball and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope — were a combined five of 29 from long range. As a team, the Lakers shot only 20.6% (seven for 34) from three-point range. Kuzma started off missing five three-pointers and finished two for seven. Ball was two for eight and Hart one for eight while Caldwell-Pope missed all six he attempted. The Lakers are one of the worst three-point shooting teams in the NBA, their 33.5% shooting ranking 27th. Advertisement Yet they still just jacked up all those three-pointers against the Cavaliers. 3. Ball was approaching a triple-double after three quarters with 13 points, seven assists and seven rebounds, but he didn’t get one. Ball was aggressive in all phases of the game through three quarters. But that all changed in the fourth. He wound up with just one more rebound and one more assist in the fourth. He took just one shot and that was a three-pointer. Advertisement The Lakers need Ball to be more aggressive and attack for the team to be successful. 4. The Lakers had just 21 assists on 36 made field goals, a sign of them not only just missing shots but of their unwillingness to share the basketball. 5. If there was one positive for the Lakers it was that they turned the ball over only 11 times. broderick.turner@latimes.com Advertisement Twitter: @BA_Turner<doc-sep>LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Wins have been hard to come by for the Cleveland Cavaliers this season, so coach Larry Drew has been focused on the incremental signs of progress. Against the Los Angeles Lakers, Drew saw those little things help put the Cavaliers into the right side of the win column. Cedi Osman scored 20 points, Collin Sexton added 17 and the Cavaliers ended a 12-game losing streak with a 101-95 victory on Sunday night. ''Any time you go through a rebuilt process you're going to have bumps in the road, that's to be expected,'' Drew said. ''But the most important thing for this group is that they learn and there is growth. We understand where we are and who we are, and the most important thing for us right now is just to continue to grow every game we play.'' Tristan Thompson had 15 points and 14 rebounds, and Alec Burks had 17 points and 13 rebounds as the short-handed Cavaliers split the two-game season series by forcing the Lakers into a choppy game. Los Angeles was 7 for 34 on 3-pointers, 16 for 27 from the free throw line and had 11 fast-break points. Kyle Kuzma had 29 points and nine rebounds for the Lakers, who have lost two straight and five of their past seven. Brandon Ingram scored 22 points and Lonzo Ball had 13 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. ''No disrespect to the Cavs, but they're still an NBA team and for us we can't take anything lightly, especially in this league,'' Kuzma said. ''Because we're all professionals and you can lose on any given night if we don't bring the effort, and that's what happened tonight.'' Burks delivered an emphatic dunk after Ingram couldn't handle a defensive rebound to help the Cavaliers re-establish control after Kuzma scored five straight to cut the Cavaliers' lead to 84-79 midway though the four quarter. Sexton drove for a layup and Osman hit a floater during a quick 6-0 run, which allowed the Cavaliers to hold off another late push by the Lakers. Kuzma hit a 3-pointer with 22 seconds remaining to trim the margin to 96-93, but Burks made both free throws with 16 to play. Story continues ''When they did score, we continued to play,'' said Cavaliers forward Rodney Hood, who had 18 points. ''We didn't look around and we didn't cave in.'' The Cavaliers had a 10-0 run in the third quarter after Kuzma hit a floater to pull the Lakers within 51-50 early in the period. Burks and Osman hit 3-pointers to bookend the push, and Cleveland was able to sustain a 10-point margin going into the fourth by holding Los Angeles to 8-for-26 shooting. ''When we're playing like that and playing together it's fun,'' Sexton said. ''I felt like tonight we had fun and it's been a long time since we had fun.'' STEP FORWARD It was a modest night for Sexton, making 7 of 14 shots and adding three rebounds and three assists. Drew was most excited that the rookie from Alabama committed one turnover in 33 minutes. ''He made some really good decisions,'' Drew said. ''He made some really smart plays that probably a month ago he probably wouldn't make, so I saw growth tonight.'' SLOW START The Lakers trailed 32-24 after the first quarter, the fifth time in the past six games they allowed at least 30 points in the opening period. Lakers coach Luke Walton said he would consider lineup changes to stop the trend. ''By the end of games we're doing a nice job of stabilizing our defense and getting the stops we need, but we can't just keep giving up 30 points to start the games,'' Walton said. TIP-INS Cavaliers: Osman scored eight of the Cavaliers' first 13 points. ... The Cavaliers made 56 percent of their shots in the first quarter (14-for-25 shooting). . Former Laker Jordan Clarkson had nine points and two assists. Lakers: Michael Beasley had eight of the Lakers' 20 bench points. ... The Lakers were out-rebounded for the fourth straight game. UP NEXT Cavaliers: Visit Portland on Wednesday. Lakers: Host Chicago on Tuesday. --- More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP-Sports<doc-sep>The Los Angeles Lakers set out in pursuit of LeBron James wanting to give his tenure in La La Land a much different feel than he had with the Cleveland Cavaliers in the past season. To the front office’s surprise, his 10-game absence from a groin injury sustained on Christmas Day has been nothing different from what the Cavs were during his four-year tenure in The Land. The Cavs were a putrid 4-23 in games without James during his last four-year run. The Lakers just dropped another game against those same Cavs, this time without a Kyrie Irving or Kevin Love on the court, making matters that much worse. Without James, they are 3-7, dropping from fourth place after a Christmas Day win to a tie for the eighth spot with the Utah Jazz at 23-21. Lakers head coach Luke Walton expressed belief in his roster, a young one that is navigating a tough stretch without its star player on the floor. “I believe in this group, and I believe that this group will play better and we’ll start winning games,” said Walton, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. General manager Rob Pelinka didn’t seem to share the same optimism, dwelling on what feels like hitting rock-bottom after a loss to the team with the worst record in the league. Rob Pelinka doesn’t look too happy after loss to the Cavs… (via @LoJoMedia)pic.twitter.com/yec5JABkcK — Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 14, 2019 A Lakers source had told Bill Oram of The Athletic prior to the start of the season of the fragility of this roster, saying it could take as few as 10 absences from James to get this team out of playoff contention. That prognostication couldn’t have been more accurate, as the Lakers now fight for their lives, splitting hairs with the Jazz in hopes to cling onto the playoff picture. Upon his return from a groin injury (still set to be re-evaluated this week), James will once again be tasked with spearheading this team into playoff contention, much like he did at the driver’s seat of a one-man train that pushed for a fourth seed in the East and trucked the weight of the entire team to another NBA Finals appearance. Seems like things have not changed that much at all, despite the intent from this front office.<doc-sep>
LeBron James left a gargantuan hole in the Cleveland Cavaliers, who reached last year’s NBA Finals with him, and sport the league’s current worst record without him. LeBron has now left a similar void in the Lakers, who fell to 3-7 since their superstar went down with a groin injury, losing to his former team, 101-95. “Right now we’re playing for positioning within the playoffs,” Kyle Kuzma said. “We just dug ourselves into a bigger hole right now.” With one of the Lakers’ worst losses of the season, they are now tied with Utah for eighth place in the Western Conference. Cleveland (9-35) entered the night on a 12-game losing streak. Despite that baggage, the Cavs were much more assertive from the jump, taking a 15-point lead in the first quarter. The Lakers’ frustrated head coach is now mulling a change to his opening five of Kuzma, Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart, Brandon Ingram and JaVale McGee. “We might have to do something to the starting lineup right now,” Luke Walton said. “Every game it feels like we’re giving up 30-plus points in that first quarter, so we’ll take a closer look a that.” The Lakers (23-21) had their chances but never regained the lead. In spite of a furious 18-point, seven-rebound fourth quarter from Kuzma, L.A. could not get its deficit any lower than three. Dancing right around 'em pic.twitter.com/iuvZJ01j67 — Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) January 14, 2019 And while Kuzma finished with a game-high 29 points and nine boards, he was far from impressed by his own display. “As a team, we need to be more engaged in the sense of having effort,” Kuzma said. “That starts with me. I played like crap today. Not bringing that energy — that’s what we need to compete and play in all these games.” The purple and gold received solid individual performances. Brandon Ingram added 22 points, while Lonzo Ball pieced together 13 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. But the Lakers’ team offense — which ranks last in the league since James’ injury — could not take advantage of the NBA’s worst defense. L.A. shot just 39.6 percent from the field, 20.6 on 3-pointers and 59.3 on free throws. “Frustrating loss,” Walton said. “We have to play better. We have to make shots. We have to make free throws. But like I’ve said, I believe in this group and I believe that this group will play better and we’ll start winning games.” Luke believes the team will play better and considers changing the starting lineup for Tuesday's game. pic.twitter.com/m3sjNRgs4l — Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) January 14, 2019