BY: LEO LUNGAY BATO – SPORTS ON AIR US CONTRIBUTOR
LOS ANGELES — D’Angelo Russell and LeBron James combined for 52 points, 10 rebounds and 14 assists as the Los Angeles Lakers made short work of the Cleveland Cavaliers at the Crypto.com Arena.
In a tight playoffs race were outright berths have yet to be determined, the 116-97 victory, allowed the purple-and-gold franchise stayed in 8th place in the Western Conference.
The Lakers improved to 45-33 for the season, thanks also to Anthony Davis who pumped 22 points and 13 rebounds as the Lakers shot a blistering 56.3 percent from the field (45-of-80).
But the Lakers are not yet assured of an outright playoffs berth. Those spots are reserved for the top six finishers in each conference at the conclusion of the NBA regular season.
“We’re very confident in our ballclub. We laugh about like, oh, winning nine out of 10, you know, 10 out of 11, whatever. and we’re not gaining anywhere. That’s how good the West is,” Davis told reporters.
Darius Garland scored 26 points for Cleveland and Caris LeVert had 21 off the bench. Josh Allen finished with 12 points and 12 rebounds while Georges Niang chipped in 12.
Even with the loss, the Cavaliers (46-32) kept their third place in the East Conference.
“The turnovers kind of bit us in the butt. We also forced turnovers and didn’t convert on them,” Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff said, pointing to the reason why Cleveland absorbed their second straight loss.
