March 19, 2017

D’Angelo Russell scored a career-high 40 points, but he was out done by Kyrie Irving’s 46 points, as the Cavaliers beat the Lakers 125-120.

The Cavaliers rested Lebron James, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Love on Saturday against the Clippers.  It turns out they needed all that rest to beat the Lakers on Sunday.

Irving led all scorers with 46 points. LeBron James had 34 with seven assists and six rebounds, and Kevin Love scored 21 points for Cleveland.

The Lakers actually led by as many as 11 points in the fourth quarter before Cleveland came back.  After a Lebron James layup with just over five minutes left, the score was tied at 104-104.  The Cavs took control from there.

Jordan Clarkson added 19 points for the Lakers, and rookie Brandon Ingram had 18. All five Lakers starters scored in double figures for the first time since Christmas.

Russell also had six assists, two steals and only one turnover. He became the youngest player since James did it in 2004 to score 40 points, with six assists and one or no turnovers.  He also got some praise from his competition when it was over.

“He’s a special guy,” Lebron James said. “He’s a special player. Russell was extremely hot tonight, and those guys fed off him.”

“He’s a great young player,” Irving said. “… I understand what he means to the Lakers. It’s always good to have some great competition out there.”

The Lakers have been experimenting with different lineups the last week to better evaluate their young talent.  Russell had been coming off the bench for a few games before returning to the starting lineup on Sunday.  There’s also been some talk about whether or not he’s really a shooting guard or a point guard.

“I’m a basketball player,” he said, “not a point guard or a shooting guard.”  Russell looked like a very promising one on Sunday.

The Lakers return to action on Tuesday night against the Clippers.  It will be a designated home game for the Clippers.