Cavaliers match franchise record, Lakers stumble again

The Cleveland Cavaliers continue to amaze the basketball world. The Cavs beat the Memphis Grizzlies, 124-133, at the FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tenn., earning their 16th consecutive victory.

With this new triumph, Cleveland, who leads the Eastern Conference, equaled its franchise record for consecutive victories.

Evan Mobley was the Cavaliers' most outstanding player, closing his personal tally with a double-double (22 points and 11 rebounds). Darius Garland scored 20 points, and Jarrett Allen chipped in with 16 points.

For the home team, the 44 points scored by Ja Morant were not enough for the Grizzlies to defeat one of the two best teams of the regular season.

Fourth loss for the Lakers

At Ball Arena in Denver, the Denver Nuggets ended up taking the victory over the Los Angeles Lakers, 131-126, in a game that was close for 48 minutes.

The Lakers, who were without their two stars, Luka Doncic and LeBron James, dropped their fourth straight game after losses to the Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets and Milwaukee Bucks.

Without Doncic and LeBron, Dalton Knecht (32 points) and Austin Reaves (37 points and 13 assists) delivered, although their efforts fell short.

The Nuggets' starting five rose to the occasion, although Nikola Jokic was less stellar than usual (28 points). Jamal Murray closed with 26 points and Christian Braun had 22 points.