The Cleveland Cavaliers failed to sustain their strong start and got walloped by the Los Angeles Lakers, 127-113, at Crypto.com Arena on Tuesday.
The Cavaliers were looking to secure a spot in the playoffs for the fourth straight season, but that had to wait. Ironically, it was the Lakers who clinched a ticket to the postseason for the fourth consecutive year.
Evan Mobley struggled against the Purple and Gold, tallying only six points on four attempts in 22 minutes. He had four rebounds and four assists.
The 24-year-old forward was outplayed by the 41-year-old LeBron James in their matchup. It was fortunate for Mobley, especially since his family was cheering at the venue, as reported by cleveland.com’s Chris Fedor.
“Evan Mobley, back in California and playing in front of his father and brother, who were seated courtside, followed up the best night of the season with a measly six-point, four-rebound performance while being overpowered by brawny James,” wrote Fedor.
Mobley, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, was coming off a monster outing in their win over the Utah Jazz, 122-113, at Delta Center on Monday. He finished with a season-high 34 points, 17 rebounds, three assists, and three blocks. He shot 15-of-21 from the field.
He, however, failed to build on his momentum against the Lakers, as the Cavaliers fell to 47-28.
Cleveland coach Kenny Atkinson tipped his hat to James for his defensive effort against Mobley.
“We’ve seen LeBron. He can guard 1-5. I always felt like he never gets enough credit defensively. He played Evan and us really well tonight,” said Atkinson in the same report.
The Cavaliers will look to secure a seat in the playoffs when they visit the Golden State Warriors on Thursday.