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Laker close March with a flourish, knocking down Cavaliers in style

April 1, 2026

LOS ANGELES — If the Lakers make a run during the playoffs, then March might be the month to remember.

Capping a 15-2 stretch with a swift 127-113 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday night, the Lakers again proved that they can beat the NBA’s “good” teams too. Yes, their two losses came against the likes of the Denver Nuggets and Detroit Pistons – on the road – but nearly half of their March victories came against teams headed for the postseason field.

Tuesday night was more of the same – a focused and determined defensive effort holding an opponent at bay while Luka Doncic fills the basket with elite shot-making. Doncic set the franchise record for points in the month of March, recording 42 points on 13-of-26 shooting (6 for 13 from 3-point range) to pass Kobe Bryant’s March of 2006, as he returned from his one-game suspension for technical foul accumulation.

Doncic, who also had 12 assists and five rebounds, became the third-youngest player in NBA history to reach the 15,000-point milestone with his 33rd point of the game, a free throw that came with 2:27 left in the third quarter. Right before the Slovenian star exited, Doncic powered his way up for a rare two-handed dunk, sending the players on the Lakers’ bench into delirium.

Doncic watched as Jaxson Hayes raised his fists in the air, and Doncic returned the favor before intentionally fouling to check out with 1:21 remaining.

Guard Austin Reaves finished with 19 points, while center Deandre Ayton added 18 points on 8-for-13 shooting to go with nine rebounds.

Before the game, a reporter asked Lakers coach JJ Redick if playing the Cavaliers and Oklahoma City Thunder in succession would be a “measuring stick” since the Lakers were soundly beaten by both squads earlier this season.

“I think it’s easy to write that story,” Redick said.

Redick said that since the Lakers defeated the Indiana Pacers on March 6, beginning their nine-game winning streak to kick off their torrid run, they’ve harnessed a “playoff mentality.” Coming out of the All-Star break, there were still plenty of questions about the Lakers’ competitive edge against the NBA’s better teams (.600 or above), whether they could get the likes of Doncic, Reaves and LeBron James to play efficiently together.

Now, entering April, the Lakers are writing their own story, a narrative that could threaten the likes of San Antonio and Oklahoma City in the weeks to come.

James wasn’t a guarantee to play against his hometown squad Tuesday, considered a game-time decision due to managing his left foot arthritis after playing a team-high 33 minutes in a rout of Washington on Monday. But from the opening tipoff, no one in the arena would have noticed any issue with the 41-year-old James, who made an early effort play to help spark the victory that moved him past Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most combined regular-season and playoff wins in NBA history.

Cleveland guard Donovan Mitchell collected the first tip and immediately drove toward the hoop. James used every bit of energy to chase Mitchell down the floor, swatting his attempted layup from behind and into the courtside seats. It was just the first of many plays the four-time league MVP made in a 14-point performance.

As the Lakers pulled away from the Cavaliers midway through the third quarter, Ayton deflected a pass from James Harden into the arms of James for a steal.

Playing the fast-break, Jake LaRavia flipped the ball to Reaves who tossed a behind-the-back, over-the-shoulder lob to James who hammered the ball home for a dunk and an 80-63 lead. Reminiscent of alley-oop dunks he had make with Dwyane Wade while playing for the Miami Heat, the swing of noise forced Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson to call a timeout.

It didn’t help the Cavaliers. The Lakers led 110-83 by the end of the third quarter and the visitors pulled their starters to begin the fourth.

LaRavia finished with 14 points on 5-for-5 shooting, his most points since Feb. 28, while starting in place of guard Marcus Smart (right ankle contusion), who has missed the last four games.

Cleveland center Jarrett Allen scored all of his team-leading 18 points on 9-for-11 shooting in 14 minutes in the first half. Allen played just five minutes the rest of the game.

More to come on this story.

Orange County Register

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Laker close March with a flourish, knocking down Cavaliers in style

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