LOS ANGELES — The Lakers got the external help they needed Friday.
And they continued to help themselves Saturday, beating the Cleveland Cavaliers 116-97 in a matinee matchup at Crypto.com Arena to move up the Western Conference standings.
The Lakers’ victory, their ninth in 10 games, moved them to 45-33 on the season and into the No. 8 spot in the West standings for the first time since Dec. 29, a half-game ahead of the Sacramento Kings, who lost to the Boston Celtics on Friday.
“It’s what we’ve been saying, whether it’s a game day or a non-game day, just take care of us,” coach Darvin Ham said. “Continuously look for ways to get better individually, collectively. Got to have that open dialogue. Just take care of us. That’s the biggest thing. Everything else will take care of itself, [and] will fall exactly in the spot we’re supposed to fall. But the key is for us to be playing at a high level on both sides of the ball. We saw that on the defensive end [Saturday].”
The Lakers are also just a half-game out of the No. 7 spot behind the New Orleans Pelicans, who’ve lost four consecutive games after their home loss to the lowly San Antonio Spurs on Friday.
“It’s just continue to focus on one game at a time and continue to try to win games and let the rest take care of itself,” Anthony Davis said. “We know the position that we’re in and the opportunity that we have. [Saturday] was a big opportunity to move up to eighth, which we did, but what’s understood doesn’t have to be explained.
“And we all know the position that we’re in and what we can do with four games left. So, just keep stacking, keep focusing on one game at a time and continue doing what we’re doing, especially on the defensive end.”
Matinee games can be challenging for veteran squads, with the early tipoffs requiring adjusting to gameday routines and energy earlier in the day than players are used to.
But Ham wasn’t worried about how his team’s focusing coming into Saturday after a 5-1 road trip.
“We’ll be ready to play,” Ham said. “I promise you that.”
The Lakers delivered.
LeBron James led the Lakers with 24 points, 12 assists and five rebounds. D’Angelo Russell had it going offensively, scoring 28 points on 11-for-17 shooting (6 for 12 on 3-pointers) to go with five rebounds.
Anthony Davis had 22 points, 13 rebounds, six blocks, four assists and three steals, leading a Lakers defense that disrupted the Cavaliers for nearly the entire game.
The Cavaliers (46-32) committed 19 turnovers for 26 Lakers points. The Lakers had 11 blocks and 11 steals, just the second time they’ve finished in double figures in both marks.
Taurean Prince added 18 points off the Lakers’ bench.
The Lakers controlled the early parts of the game, winning the first quarter 36-33 and the second 29-23 to take a 65-56 lead into halftime after leading by as many as 16 points in the second quarter. Russell had 23 first-half points.
A plethora of third-quarter turnovers (six) allowed the Cavaliers to take a 73-69 lead in the third. But the Lakers responded by scoring 19 unanswered points to go up 88-73. They led by double digits for the remainder of the game.
Saturday was the Lakers’ 21st win in their past 29 games.
“We’re confident, very confident in our ballclub and any time we step on the floor,” Davis said. “The biggest difference is just that we’re just having fun. We’re holding each other accountable. If somebody messes up, we’re yelling, screaming at him. But nobody is taking it [personally]. Because we all know what we’re here for, to try to win.”
The Cavaliers were led by Darius Garland’s 26 points.
The Lakers will return to Crypto.com Arena on Sunday to host the Minnesota Timberwolves.
