Cavaliers come back to earth: Hawks hand Lakers their second loss of the season

LeBron James' sixth triple-double of the season puts the Lakers back on the winning track.

El escolta de los Cleveland Cavaliers Donovan Mitchell (45) le quita el balón al escolta de los Atlanta Hawks Dyson Daniels (5) en el primer cuarto en el Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. — Cavaliers guard Mitchell (45) takes the ball away from Dyson Daniels (5).David Richard /Sipa USA / Cordon Press

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28 de noviembre, 2024

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The Cleveland Cavaliers are back to being human. Although they continue to hold the best record in the NBA this season, an inspired Trae Young led the Atlanta Hawks to hand them their second loss of the season, this time at home. In addition, LeBron James scored another triple double in the Lakers' win over Victor Wembanyama's Spurs.

In Cleveland, the mighty Cavaliers were stunned by ninth-ranked Atlanta in the Eastern Conference to record their first home loss and second of the campaign. Nevertheless, Cleveland, with a 17-2 record, still leads the East followed by its other tormentor of the season, the Boston Celtics (15-3).

Point guard Trae Young was largely responsible for Cleveland's defeat, scoring 20 points and dishing out 22 assists, his personal record and the most for a Hawks player since 1993. Off the bench, forward De'Andre Hunter added 26 points, while French rookie Zaccharie Risacher, the No. 1 overall pick in last year's draft, chipped in with 17.

Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell scored 30 points and power forward Evan Mobley another 22 with 13 rebounds.

Lebron shines to get Lakers back on winning track

LeBron James delivered a commanding performance to get the Lakers back on track after three consecutive losses. A masterful showing from the Los Angeles star led his team to a 117-99 victory over the San Antonio Spurs. At 39 years old, James notched his sixth triple-double of the season, tallying 16 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists.

The top Angelino scorer, however, was rookie Dalton Knecht, who celebrated his return to the starting five with 20 points. Opposite, Frenchman Wembanyama finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds for a Spurs that trailed on the scoreboard right from the start.

Rockets sink Sixers further

In another of Wednesday's 14 games, the Houston Rockets needed overtime to beat the Philadelphia 76ers 122-115, who continue to struggle with the loss of leaders Joel Embiid and Paul George.

Jalen Green of the Rockets emerged victorious with 41 points from a duel of talented point guards against Tyrese Maxey, who scored 39. The Sixers, who had aspirations of fighting for the ring with the arrival of George, are mired in second-to-last place in the East (3-14) while the Rockets (14-6) are one of the West's hottest teams and just unseated the Golden State Warriors for second place in the conference.

Harden's exhibition against the worst team in the East and Dallas wins again without Doncic

Another stellar performance came from veteran James Harden in the Los Angeles Clippers' emphatic 121-96 win on the court of the Washington Wizards, the worst team in the East. The 35-year-old Beard was able to score 43 points and dish out 7 assists without stepping on the court in the fourth quarter.

In Dallas, the Mavericks overcame the absence of Luka Doncic to win 129-114 against the New York Knicks. Kyrie Irving, with 23 points, led the hosts against a Knicks that were doomed by their erratic outside shooting, with just 7 three-pointers converted out of 29 attempts (24%).

The day ended with a 105-101 win for the Oklahoma City Thunder, leaders of the West, against the Warriors, who came into the game as their closest pursuers but without their leader, the injured Stephen Curry. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander shined with 35 points for the Thunder, who finished the win in a tight finish after allowing the Warriors to come from 19 points down.