Cavs start fast, blow out Lakers to spoil LeBron and Bronny's homecoming, stay undefeated

CLEVELAND — It was billed as the return of LeBron James and his sidekick, but it turned into the Cavaliers' most dominant game of the season. Cleveland punished the Los Angeles Lakers 134-110 on Wednesday before a sold-out crowd at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. The Cavs ran their record to an Eastern Conference-best 5-0 after jumping on the Lakers from the opening tip. It's their best start since 2016-17 when they started 6-0. "No disrespect, but it doesn't mean anything," Cavs guard Donovan Mitchell said of the fast start. "The goal is to play good basketball and to build good habits. Now, the challenge is, can we do it on Friday (against Orlando)?" Cleveland's torrid shooting continued. The Cavs came into the game shooting a league-high .528 from the field and shot a blistering .577 against the Lakers (3-2). The real difference in the game was at the 3-point line where the Cavs outscored Los Angeles 51-18. Before the game, Cleveland coach Kenny Atkinson said, "We're shooting above our heads." And then they went out and shot even better. Atkinson said he doesn't know how to explain it but as long as the shots are coming in rhythm, he hopes it continues. The Cavs also had 20 more shots than the Lakers, 97-77. "We're getting good looks," Mitchell said. "It's a free-flowing offense." James, who played 11 seasons in Cleveland, led all scorers with 26 points. The biggest ovation came when his son Bronny entered the game with six minutes remaining and scored his first NBA points on a baseline jumper with 2:04 left. "It's a beautiful story," Atkinson said of the father-son duo, the first of its kind in league history. "The crowd was incredible from the jump. It's great for basketball. It was a really cool moment." Lakers coach J.J. Redick wouldn't talk about how special it is for LeBron to play with his son. "The game of basketball has always been about people," he said. "The game connects generations." Cavs forward Evan Mobley, saddled with foul trouble for most of the game, came alive in the fourth quarter with 17 of his team-high 25 points. Center Jarrett Allen continued his magnificent play with 20 points, a game-high 17 rebounds and two blocks. He has as many blocks (nine) as missed shots so far this season. "He's special, man," Mitchell said. "To be as productive as he is, he's an All-Star talent. It's fantastic to see. (Centers like him) are hard to find in this league." With the game long since decided, Allen never left the bench in the fourth quarter. Mitchell had 15 of his 24 points in the opening quarter, as the Cavs shot .773 from the field and blitzed the Lakers 42-23. Guard Darius Garland, who also was in foul trouble, finished with 12 points and a game-high 10 assists, while sixth man Caris LeVert had 16 points and six assists off the bench. "He's not getting enough attention," Atkinson said of LeVert. "He's been phenomenal at both ends. He provides energy, plays defense, makes deflections and is shooting the heck out of the ball." First glance Atkinson said he first remembered going against James in the 2016 playoffs when he was an assistant coach of the Atlanta Hawks. The Cavs steamrolled the Hawks, 4-0. "We tried everything (to stop him)," Atkinson said. "We had a really good team. Whatever we did, he would find a weakness and exploit us." Big men Atkinson said he's fortunate to have Allen and Mobley anchoring his defense. "They give us the freedom to make mistakes," he said. "They clean up a lot of stuff." Contact Bob Finnan at rfinnan30@gmail.com, and follow him @BobCavsinsider on X. Cavaliers 134, Lakers 110 L.A. LAKERS (110): Hachimura 4-6 0-0 8, L.James 9-13 7-7 26, Davis 9-17 4-8 22, Reaves 2-6 2-2 7, Russell 2-7 6-6 10, Hayes 2-2 2-2 6, Reddish 0-1 0-0 0, B.James 1-2 0-0 2, Christie 1-6 3-4 6, Knecht 6-12 4-4 18, Vincent 2-5 0-0 5. Totals 38-77 28-33 110. CLEVELAND (134): Mobley 12-16 1-1 25, Wade 3-7 0-2 8, Allen 9-12 2-2 20, Garland 5-14 0-0 12, Mitchell 10-20 0-0 24, Niang 2-4 0-0 5, Thompson 2-2 0-1 4, Jerome 5-7 2-2 14, Okoro 1-3 0-0 3, LeVert 6-8 0-0 16, Merrill 1-4 0-0 3, Tyson 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 56-97 5-8 134. L.A. Lakers&emsp;23&emsp;25&emsp;31&emsp;31&emsp;—&emsp;110Cleveland&emsp; 42&emsp;25&emsp;32&emsp;35&emsp;—&emsp;1343-Point Goals—L.A. Lakers 6-28 (Knecht 2-7, L.James 1-3, Vincent 1-3, Reaves 1-4, Christie 1-5, B.James 0-1, Davis 0-1, Hachimura 0-1, Russell 0-3), Cleveland 17-41 (LeVert 4-6, Mitchell 4-10, Jerome 2-3, Wade 2-6, Garland 2-7, Okoro 1-2, Niang 1-3, Merrill 1-4). Fouled Out—None. Rebounds—L.A. Lakers 37 (Davis 13), Cleveland 36 (Allen 17). Assists—L.A. Lakers 21 (Russell 5), Cleveland 37 (Garland 10). Total Fouls—L.A. Lakers 7, Cleveland 26. A—19,432 (19,432)