LOS ANGELES — LeBron James didn’t move into second place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list Monday in Cleveland, 35 miles from where he grew up. It would have been a nice bookend late in his career, but he already passed Karl Malone two days earlier in Washington.
James, however, still achieved something fairly important for the Lakers these days — a win.
His triple-double pushed them to a 131-120 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers and moved the Lakers a game ahead of New Orleans for ninth place in the Western Conference.
He had 38 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds but will be remembered for his dunk on former teammate Kevin Love with two minutes left in the second quarter.
James took a pass from Austin Reaves and accelerated toward the basket as Love tried to take a charge. Bad idea. Love got posterized ... badly.
James soared higher than imaginable for a 37-year-old in his 19th NBA season. He almost felt bad that it came at the expense of his good friend.
“When I turned that corner and looked up, I was like, ‘No, Kev, just move,’” James told Spectrum SportsNet. “I hated that it happened to be him. I’m gonna take that one even out of my posters because that’s my guy.”
He later told reporters, “I hope I’m still invited to [Love’s] wedding.”
James helped put away the Cavaliers with a late-game sequence that included a fade-away at the top of the key, a dunk and a turnaround from the three-point line.
“It’s always special coming back home for me,” said James, who grew up in Akron. “I spent 11 amazing years of my career here.”
James wasn’t the only reason the Lakers won. Their share-the-ball mindset was effective throughout the night as the Lakers finished with 34 assists.
Russell Westbrook continued to trend upward with 20 points, 11 assists and only one turnover.
Westbrook said the Lakers were “orchestrating the game better” in Monday’s win and a victory over a strong Toronto team last week.
He added that his teammates’ positioning on the floor was better and created improved pace on offense.
The Lakers took a 67-62 halftime lead on the strength of 21 points from James and five three-pointers from D.J. Augustin.
Augustin finished with 20 points after making all seven of his shots, including six three-pointers. It was his most impactful game since signing with the Lakers three weeks ago.
“I’ve always flourished in my career with shooters. And D.J. is a shooter,” James said. “He’s a big-time maker. Any time I see him have a split second of [being] open, I’m going to try and find him.”
Reaves and Malik Monk each scored 12 points as the Lakers (31-41) finished a four-game trip with a 2-2 record.
They return home for one game — Wednesday against Philadelphia — before heading out for another trip that starts with an important game in New Orleans, followed by Dallas and Utah.
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