The Cleveland Cavaliers faced the Los Angeles Lakers with a chance to tie the New York Knicks for the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference.
However, against a Lakers team that has won 12 of their last 13 games, a victory wouldn’t come easy.
Cavaliers Stumble in Second Quarter
After outscoring Los Angeles by two points in the first, Cleveland stumbled in the second.
The Lakers outscored the Cavaliers 33-19.
Mitchell Struggles, Allen Dominates
Donovan Mitchell struggled in the first half, finishing with two points on 1-for-6 shooting from the field.
Jarrett Allen put together one of the strongest halves of his career.
Allen scored 18 points on 9-for-11 shooting with four rebounds and one assist.
Allen feasted on opportunities when switched on to smaller defenders like Doncic and Austin Reaves.
James Harden is the only other Cavalier in double-figures with 10 points and two assists.
Doncic Leads Lakers Scoring
For Los Angeles, Doncic has dominated the scoring.
He finished the first half with 20 points, seven assists, four rebounds and one steal.
Looking Ahead
Cleveland will hope to claw back for a road victory, tying the Knicks in the process.
Following Tuesday’s game, the Cavaliers will face the Golden State Warriors away from home Thursday.
Injury reports included LeBron James and Sam Merrill ahead of Lakers vs. Cavs.