LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers improve to 21-8 after a 121-112 win over the Los Angeles Lakers at the Quicken Loans Arena. In the process James recorded his 59th career triple-double with (25-12-12), matching Celtic's legend and NBA Hall of Famer Larry Bird for 6th all time. Kevin Love added a double-double with 28 points and 11 rebounds as the Cavaliers also caught fire from beyond the arc shooting 41 percent on 36 attempts.
LeBron having best year of his career?
Though this is said almost every year, LeBron James is arguably having the best year of his career so far this season.
Through 29 games he's averaging a career high in shooting percentage (58.3 percent), assists (9.0), 3 point shooting percentage (42.2 percent) and blocks at 1.1 per game. To go along with those career highs, he's also averaging 28.2 points and 8.2 rebounds while leading this Cavaliers team to the second seed in the Eastern Conference. It appears as though LeBron is edging closer to his 9th finals appearance and potentially his 5th NBA MVP Award.
Cavaliers offense unstoppable?
Kyle Korver has rediscovered his shooting form while also vastly improving his ability on the defensive front to become a valuable player coming off the bench this season (10.6 PPG on 44.6 percent from three). Kevin Love is averaging a double-double at 19 points, 10 rebounds while recent addition to the starting lineup Jose Calderon had a night to remember, scoring 17 points on 5 from 8 beyond the arc.
With two potential 6th Man of the Year candidates in the Cavaliers in Korver and Dwyane Wade, it is unreasonable to assume they won't continue this form and make their 4th straight trip to the NBA Finals.
Young Lakers showcasing potential
Kyle Kuzma is looking like the steal of the draft. Taken 27th by the Lakers, he's averaging 16.1 points and 6.6 rebounds per night on 49.1 percent shooting.
Beyond just the numbers, he plays with the poise of a player towards the middle of their NBA career, This kid is the real deal and had Ben Simmons not been setting the league on fire with his athleticism and play this year, Kuzma would certainly be a favorite for Rookie of the Year.
Former Duke player, Brandon Ingram, is building well upon his rookie season increasing his presence in the game vastly as he averages 16 points and nearly 6 rebounds a game.
Though he can have a temper and be prone to getting into foul trouble, there is little doubt that Ingram will grow into a fine NBA player.
Lonzo Ball is not quite having the season many of his supporters would've hoped for at this point but an endorsement from the likes of Kobe Bryant and LeBron James cannot be overlooked. Despite this, his shooting style is proving to be a problem in the NBA as he has only been able to shoot efficiently on spot-up looks (32.7 percent overall and 25 percent from three). He is currently averaging 9-7-7 but he has had games where he fails to make any impact whatsoever.
