After dropping their first game of the season to the Phoenix Suns, the Lakers will get a chance to bounce back against the undefeated Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday. This will also be the first time that LeBron and Bronny James return to their hometown together as teammates.
Start time and TV schedule
WHO: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Cleveland Cavaliers
When: 4pm PT, October 30
Where: Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse
Watch: Spectrum SportsNet
Monday’s loss to the Suns revealed a lot about this Lakers team, both good and bad. We found out that JJ Redick wasn’t lying when he said before the season that losing would drive him crazy.
We have more reason to believe that the strong starts to the season from Rui Hachimura and Austin Reaves could continue and that the Lakers are dangerously over-reliant on Anthony Davis, for better or worse.
On the other side of the coin, we saw another Lakers lead in the second quarter, their weakness when it comes to giving up transition points, their disappointing bench production, and perhaps LeBron James’ worst game in the purple and gold armor. .
Still, at the expense of treating this win as a moral victory, I can say that all things considered, this was actually an encouraging loss for the Lakers. It was their third game in four nights against a Pacific Division foe they had just defeated five days ago. So it was a welcome sight to fight on the road in Los Angeles like they did.
Furthermore, the Lakers were competitive throughout the game, despite James only scoring 11 points on 3-14 shooting from the field. Prior to tip-off, this game already had a schedule loss written on it, but now it is considered a game that got away. The only way the Lakers can make up for this now is to live by what AD reiterated after the game, which is to avoid losing two in a row.
The resolve to achieve that goal will be tested early as the Lakers face a Cavaliers team that is not only off to a perfect start but also playing good basketball to start the season.
Here’s everything you need to know ahead of LeBron and Bronny’s return to Cleveland:
Zoom in on the caves
The Cavs have defeated three rebuilding teams so far: the Toronto Raptors, Detroit Pistons and Washington Wizards, as well as the New York Knicks. Even though they’ve been given an easy schedule to start the year, this team is already averaging the third-most points in the league (123.5), led by Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland and Evan Mobley. They are still one of the most unique teams in the NBA playing two greats in Mobley and Jarrett Allen.
The Lakers will be Cleveland’s toughest opponent yet – sorry, Knicks – so it will be interesting to see how these two teams adjust and plan their play against each other. After creating his own defensive plan in the last game, Redick has a chance to bounce back with a unique challenge. Let’s see how the Lakers will stack up at home against a motivated Cavaliers team that ideally wants to remain undefeated.
Will the Lakers continue to expose themselves?
One way the Lakers can bounce back is by addressing the transition points they’ve given up. In the last two games, LA has given up 21 to the Suns and 31 (!) to the Sacramento Kings, which is unacceptable.
Part of this is due to the Lakers turning the ball over a lot – they currently rank sixth in the league – and also to the fact that they are putting more effort into crashing the glass. But something has to give, because there’s no doubt the Cavs — who are currently averaging the fifth-most points in transition — will try to expose that on Wednesday.
The Lakers now allow the third-highest percentage of transition plays per game against opposing offenses, giving up 1.3 points per game (worst in the league)
— Cranjis McBasketball (@Tim_NBA) October 29, 2024
In addition to the transition defense, it will also be fun to see how the Lakers’ bench outpaces the opponent. This responsibility falls to Max Christie, who did not perform well at the beginning of the season, Gabe Vincent, Jaxson Haynes and Dalton Knecht.
These guys should be partially responsible for maintaining the leads the starters build and for being the spark plugs this team desperately needs.
All that said, it’s one thing for Redick and the Lakers to be upset about losing the first game of this road trip, and another to actually battle it out against the Cavs to bounce back. This game will give us early insight into the overall character of the Lakers and how serious they actually are about getting these wins.
Let’s see how the Lakers bounce back against the Cavaliers on Wednesday.
Comments and updates
- Good news for the Lakers: Christian Koloko has reportedly been cleared by the NBA to return to the court. It’s unclear when exactly the big man will make his Lakers debut, but it’s encouraging to know he can now practice again.
- A number of notable names have appeared on the list for the Lakers’ injury report. Austin Reaves (left contusion) is probable, while D’Angelo Russell (lower back soreness) is questionable.
- Christian Koloko (return to competitive reconditioning), Jarred Vanderbilt (recovery from right foot injury) and Christian Wood (recovery from right knee injury) remain out.
- Jalen Hood-Schifino (G-League assignment), Maxwell Lewis (G-League assignment), Quincy Olivari (two-way G-League) and Armel Traore (two-way G-League) will all be based at South Bay Lakers.
- As for the Cavs, Craig Porter (thumb) and Max Strus (hip) are out.
- We’re live at Playback for this game, so make sure you’re there!
You can follow Nicole on Twitter at @nicoleganglani.
