On January 1st, Beijing time, the NBA regular season continued with the Lakers facing the Cavaliers at home. LeBron James started the game, becoming the first player in NBA history to play from his teenage years (19 years old and below) to the age of 40. James' first game after turning 40 was against his former team, the Cavaliers, which shows that the person who arranged the schedule understands the hot topics.
In the first half of the first quarter, the Lakers were helpless on defense against the Cavaliers' three-point shooting. The Cavaliers continuously hit shots or drew fouls from beyond the arc, leading by 15 points at 29-14 in less than half a quarter. However, the Cavaliers' shooting percentage then dropped, and the Lakers, led by Reeves and Davis, went on a 16-5 run to close the gap. The first quarter ended with the Lakers trailing 30-34 by 4 points.
At the start of the second quarter, the Lakers missed several good opportunities, but both teams exchanged scores. Midway through the quarter, Reeves scored consecutively to help the Lakers go on an 8-0 run and take the lead. However, Garland returned and led a 9-0 run to help the Cavaliers regain a 7-point lead. In the final stages, the Lakers missed several wide-open three-pointers, missing the chance to reduce the gap. They relied on Reeves' last-second mid-range shot to end the half trailing 53-58 by 5 points.
In the third quarter, Mobley's three-pointer helped the Cavaliers lead by 8 points. But then, the Cavaliers' shooting percentage dropped, and their transition defense was slow. The Lakers continuously launched defensive counterattacks to narrow the score to 63-65, only 2 points behind, forcing a timeout from the Cavaliers. After the timeout, the Cavaliers hit four consecutive three-pointers to extend the lead to 12 points. In response, the Lakers went on a 10-0 run to close the gap again. However, in the final stages, the Cavaliers hit more three-pointers to extend the lead, ending the third quarter with the Lakers trailing 78-87 by 9 points.
In the fourth quarter, the Cavaliers hit three consecutive three-pointers for a 9-2 run, extending the lead to 16 points. The Lakers then responded with a 5-0 run to reduce the gap. Both teams exchanged scores in the later stages. James once scored 5 consecutive points to help the Lakers reduce the gap to 5 points, but Allen then scored consecutively inside to extend the lead back into double digits, effectively ending the game. The Cavaliers ultimately defeated the Lakers 122-110, securing their eighth consecutive victory and remaining undefeated against Western Conference teams this season with a record of 9 wins and 0 losses, showing great strength.
Individually, James scored 23 points with 4 rebounds and 7 assists, Davis had 28 points with 13 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals, Reeves contributed 35 points with 9 rebounds and 10 assists, Hachimura made only 3 out of 10 shots for 5 points, and Christie made 2 out of 6 shots for 2 points. The two paid tribute to Water Pull with a subpar performance.
For the Cavaliers, Mobley scored 20 points with 6 rebounds, Allen had 27 points with 14 rebounds, Mitchell contributed 26 points with 4 rebounds and 4 assists, Garland had 14 points with 2 rebounds and 14 assists, and Strus scored 15 points.