Cavs steamroll Lakers as momentum keeps building

Random dribbles from the Cavaliers’ 129-99 home hammer job of the Lakers on Wednesday. 

1. Things did not go well for LeBron James in his return to Cleveland. The Cavaliers made darn sure of that.

2. And we’re talking about one of the NBA’s hottest teams. (Yes, the Cavs.) We’re also talking about a team that is showing great depth and great resolve at the moment.

3. The Cavs (29-20) have won five straight and 12 of 16. They were utterly dominant in this one — despite missing the injured Evan Mobley, Darius Garland and (still) Max Strus. That’s two All-Stars and a quality starter from last season.

4. Yet after halftime, it was never close. In fact, the entire fourth quarter was little more than 12 minutes of garbage time.

5. Donovan Mitchell is now the star in town, and he again showed it on this night. He went for 25 points, four rebounds and five assists. But while he led the way, he didn’t need to carry things. This was a teamwide effort in the truest sense.

6. Mitchell on the win: “This is something to hang our hats on. It shows what we have in the locker room and what we’re capable of.”

7. It sure does. The Cavs suffocated the Lakers in the third quarter, getting stops and getting out and running. Oftentimes, they finished with force.

8. Jaylon Tyson (20 points), Nae’Qwan Tomlin, Tyrese Proctor, Craig Porter Jr. Not exactly household names. Names the Cavs know and appreciate nonetheless. Names that made a major impact in this one.

9. Mitchell on the young guys: “They play with energy, effort and intensity. I love to play with guys like that. I want to go to war with guys like that.”

10. De’Andre Hunter also came to life after a shaky start, finishing with 19 points. His breakout in the third quarter helped turn this game from kinda close to Blowout City. 

11. Meanwhile, Dean Wade did what he always does — grinding, defending, doing the little things. On this night, he even matched LeBron with 11 points.

12. Finally, we mustn’t forget about Jarrett Allen. Without Mobley, Allen needs to be in next-man-up mode and raise his game. He sure checked that box here, finishing with 17 points (8-of-11 shooting), nine boards and countless hustle plays.

13. Luka Doncic led the Lakers (28-18) with 29 points, and the guy remains pretty much unstoppable. But these days, the Lakers are looking more and more like a one-man show. Or a 1.5-man show at best.

14. As for LeBron, I’ve been covering him since the 2006-07 season. This is the first time his leaving the arena left a strange vibe. As in, a possible goodbye vibe. I wrote extensively about that right here.

15. Back to the Cavs. It’s now time to head West. The lengthy trip begins Friday in Phoenix. Things are really rolling right now. Without Mobley and (likely) without Garland, another big stretch of tests awaits. On the bright side, the guys from Cleveland have really started passing those tests again.