Cavs Top 3: Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland dominate LeBron James and the Lakers

The Cleveland Cavaliers saw Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland dominate the LeBron James-led Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday afternoon.

The Cleveland Cavaliers were able to dominate the Detroit Pistons without Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell on Friday Night. Maybe the Cleveland Cavaliers could’ve done the same thing to the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday, but we didn’t need to answer that question, as both All-Star guards were back and both men had huge games. While former Cavaliers’ forward LeBron James had a good game, it wasn’t enough to combat the new Cavalier stars.

Mitchell and Garland, for lack of a better word, abused the Lakers inside. The lack of a defensive presence down low cost them, and we saw it in action constantly as Mitchell and Garland went to the free-throw line 20 times total.

Another big difference between the Pistons and Lakers game was the bench. While Kevin Love played well, especially on defense, and Cedi Osman was highly efficient when he took his shots, they weren’t called upon like they were on Friday, so their nights were less impressive statistically, but still important.

The Cavs ended the afternoon contest with a 14-point win, getting the ‘W’ 114-100, in a game that was largely over by the late third quarter. It was a nice afternoon to have the Cavs on early, as the Cleveland Browns were on a bye, and it gave fans something to do.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are 8-1, have won eight games in a row, and will face off with the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday night.

Cleveland Cavaliers top 3 vs. the Detroit Pistons

1 Point – Darius Garland

Darius Garland’s solid shooting night, with 24 points and seven assists is a great night. Yet, we’re docking him for the five assists to just seven turnovers. As the primary facilitator, you have got to put up a better assist-to-turnover ratio than Kevin Love. It’s the bare minimum we ask, that’s why Garland only gets one point.

2 Points – Donovan Mitchell

He’s a streaking three-point shooter but Donovan Mitchell very easily could win the scoring title on a stacked Cavaliers team despite that. With his game-high 33 points, he now has six 30-point games in eight total appearances with the Cavs.

3 Points – Jarrett Allen

Anthony Davis is no longer in his prime, but he’s still a threat to score on you. Allen’s ability to limit him to a sub-20 point game, and help keep him to just 12 shots is a testament to his (and Evan Mobley’s) defensive prowess. The Cavs are not going to be an easy team to beat all year because of that duo.

Cavs Top 3 Seasonal Standings

1. Donovan Mitchell – 18 Points
2. Jarrett Allen – 11 Points
3. Kevin Love – 8 Points
4. Cedi Osman – 7 Points
5. Darius Garland – 4 Points
6. Dean Wade & Caris LeVert – 3 Points
7. Evan Mobley – 1 Point