CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Cavs didn’t care that it was homecoming night.
Fueled by a ruthless first quarter, Cleveland overwhelmed the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday, 134-110, spoiling LeBron James’ only regular season return.
It’s the Cavs’ fifth straight win to open the season, the team’s best start since 2016-17. They entered the game as one of just two undefeated teams remaining in the Eastern Conference.
Leading into the game, LeBron spoke about how special Wednesday night would be. Not only being back in the building he called home for 11 scintillating seasons, always one of the most anticipated games on the schedule. But this time, his eldest son — and Lakers teammate — Bronny would be there with him. Not as a spectator either.
To commemorate the once-in-a-lifetime occasion, the Cavs welcomed both players back during the first stoppage of Wednesday’s matchup — a one-minute honoring that featured a tribute video with various clips from LeBron’s time in Cleveland, including some moments spent with a younger Bronny during the Cavaliers’ 2016 championship celebration.
For much of the night, the hoopla surrounding the game took a backseat to Cleveland’s near-wire-to-wire dominance.
With an aggressive Donvan Mitchell spearheading the offensive attack, Cleveland made 10 of its first 12 shots, quickly going in front by double figures. By the end of the first quarter, the Cavs had erupted for 42 points, going 17 of 22 from the field and 8 of 13 from 3-point range. They never relented, pushing the lead to a game-high 28 at one point.
The only question remaining: Would Bronny get a chance to play on the court he used to frequent as a kid?
After all, he had only logged three minutes up to that point — all in the team’s season opener on Oct. 22, more of a ceremonial appearance so Bronny and dad could become the first ever father-son duo to play in the NBA together.
Around the 8:30 mark of the fourth quarter, Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse reverberated with “We want Bronny” chants. A few minutes later, the 20-year-old youngster who was born about 40 minutes away, popped off the Lakers bench and calmly strolled to the scorer’s table. He received a hero’s welcome when he subbed in for the first time and then came another massive ovation at the 2:03 mark, when Bronny buried a mid-range jumper for his first NBA basket.
It was one of the few Lakers-related highlights.
The surgical Cavs were led by fourth-year forward Evan Mobley. Despite being in foul trouble throughout, he had 25 points on an efficient 12 of 16 from the field. Mitchell finished with 24 points, 15 of which came in the tone-setting first quarter. Jarrett Allen recorded another double-double, tallying 20 points and 17 rebounds.
Cleveland shot 57.7% from the field and 41.5% from beyond the arc.
LeBron led all scorers in a losing effort, pouring in 26 points to go with six rebounds and three assists in 29 minutes. Anthony Davis added 22 points and 13 boards. The other Los Angeles rookie, Dalton Knecht, scored 18 points off the bench in 23 minutes.
Going back to 2018, when LeBron left for Los Angeles, Cavs-Lakers was a lopsided showdown. Cleveland was just 3-8 against James over that stretch.
But Wednesday night was different. For a variety of reasons. The prideful Cavs, now 5-0, weren’t going to let LeBron have another celebration at their expense — even though if Wednesday was a once-in-a-lifetime event for the James family.
Up next
The Cavs will welcome the Orlando Magic to town for a first-round rematch Friday night. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.