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Cavs score, recap vs Lakers. Cavaliers dominate LeBron James reunion
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- Cavs score, recap vs Lakers. Cavaliers dominate LeBron James reunion
CLEVELAND — The only true homecoming game for Akron native LeBron James during his record-setting 23rd NBA regular season took place as he and the Los Angeles Lakers visited the Cavaliers on Wednesday, Jan. 28.
The Cavs prevailed 129-99, extending their winning streak to five games despite being shorthanded because of injuries. James appeared to shed tears during a timeout in the first quarter as the Cavs played a tribute video on their scoreboards and Cleveland fans cheered for him.
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Cavs vs Lakers: Bronny and LeBron James have another special homecoming
It's natural to wonder whether it was the final time James played in Rocket Arena , where his jersey number will eventually hang from the rafters as the greatest Cavs player of all time and a 2016 NBA champion. The world of sports awaits another decision from soon-to-be-free-agent James , 41. Will he retire this summer, re-sign with the Lakers, return to the Cavs or join another franchise?
"To be a part of possibly his last game here, you know, it's going to be a spectacle. It's going to be everything that it deserves to be," Cavs All-NBA guard Donovan Mitchell said.
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LeBron James news: Akron native emotional in what 'very well could be' his last Cleveland game
Here is how Cavs (29-20) versus Lakers (28-18) unfolded through our updates:
Cavs crush Lakers 129-99
LeBron James finished with 11 points, and guard Luka Doncic led the Lakers with a game-high 29 points.
Guard Donovan Mitchell led the Cavs with 25 points, followed by wings Jaylon Tyson and De'Andre Hunter with 20 and 19 points, respectively. Center Jarrett Allen had 17 points and nine rebounds.
Bronny James enters game vs. Cavs as Lakers empty bench with 8:23 left in the fourth quarter. Then Bronny puts on a show
With the Lakers behind 108-80, Bronny James entered the game with 8:23 left in the fourth quarter, delighting the Cleveland crowd after it chanted for him. LeBron James was on the bench.
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Cavs guard Donovan Mitchell then made the second of two foul shots to give Cleveland a 109-80 lead.
With the Cavs routing the Lakers, Mitchell checked out of the game with 8:08 remaining. He will finish with 25 points, five rebounds and four assists.
Bronny James had a fast-break dunk with 3:32 left and drained 3-pointers with 2:53 and 1:42 remaining, drawing thunderous ovations from the Cleveland crowd. Bronny James finished with eight points.
'We want Bronny' James chants break out amid Cavs blowout vs. Lakers
When Cavs guard Donovan Mitchell stood at the free-throw line with 9:15 left in the fourth quarter, the Cleveland crowd chanted for the Lakers to put Bronny James into the game.
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The "we want Bronny" chants were loud and clear. Meanwhile, Mitchell made both foul shots to give the Cavs a 107-80 lead.
Mitchell stepped to the free-throw line again with 8:23 left. Guess what happened? More "we want Bronny" chants broke out.
Bronny's dad, LeBron James, had 11 points at this stage of the game.
LeBron James shaken up early in the fourth quarter after turning left ankle vs. Cavs
As LeBron James landed on a jump shot, his left foot stepped on Cavs guard Lonzo Ball 's left foot. James fell to the ground in obvious discomfort with 11:16 left in the fourth quarter, but he remained in the game after a timeout and made two foul shots.
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After the sequence, the Cavs led the Lakers 101-79.
It's raining dunks and three pointers from the Cavs; Lakers struggle offensively. Cavs end third quarter leading 99-77
The Cavs finished off strong in the third quarter after dominating the Lakers with seconds left.
Dunks came flying in starting at the five-minute mark from De'Andre Hunter, Nae'Qwan Tomlin and Thomas Bryant .
Hunter was able to push the lead even more when he added two three pointers starting at the one-minute mark. Cavs have the biggest lead of the night by 22 points.
Jaylon Tyson with back-to-back buckets at 6:35
Jaylon Tyson on a fast break was able to dunk in the paint at 6:58 and then followed with another layup seconds later. Pushing Cleveland to 82-70 with 4:29 minutes remaining.
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Dean Wade lands another three pointer, Cavs lead by 11
With 7:34 left, Dean Wade managed to sneak a three pointer before a timeout, Sam Merrill had the assist. Cavs are now up by 11 points, 76-65.
Cavs start the third quarter with three pointers, lead 70-61
Donovan Mitchell started off hot in the third quarter making two three's back-to-back followed by another three from Dean Wade at 8:50.
Cavs lead Lakers 57-55 at halftime
The Cavs led the Lakers 57-55 at halftime after Cleveland wing Jaylon Tyson and LA guard Luka Doncic traded shot bank shots late in the second quarter.
Tyson and center Jarrett Allen led the Cavs with 13 points apiece in the first half. Tyson added four assists, and Allen posted eight rebounds. Guard Donovan Mitchell had 11 points.
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Doncic led the Lakers with 15 points and five assists in the first half. LeBron James had six points and four assists.
Cavaliers guard Jaylon Tyson defends Lakers forward LeBron James in the first quarter, Jan. 28, 2026, in Cleveland.
Lakers lead Cavs 51-50 with 2 minutes left in the second quarter
Cavs small forward Jaylon Tyson drained a 3-pointer to give Cleveland a 50-49 edge with 2:16 left in the second quarter.
Then as LeBron James tried to shoot and/or draw a foul, he elbowed Cavs guard Donovan Mitchell in the face with 2 minutes left. The officials called a foul on Mitchell. The Cavs challenged the call and lost. James made two foul shots to give the Lakers a 51-50 lead.
Cleveland Cavaliers rally and cut Lakers' lead to 40-36 with 6:42 left in second quarter
After guard Luke Doncic gave the Lakers a 40-30 lead with a 3-pointer, he missed a pair of foul shots with 7:36 remaining in the second quarter, and the Cavs went on a 6-0 run.
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Guard Craig Porter Jr. dunked, center Jarrett Allen dunked on an alley-oop from small forward Jaylon Tyson and Tyson made a fast-break layup.
The Lakers responded by using a timeout with 6:42 left in the second quarter.
Cavs fall behind Lakers 35-26 in the second quarter
Lakers guards Luka Doncic and Gabe Vincent drained a 2-point jump shot and a 3-pointer, respectively, to put the Cavs in a 35-26 hole. Sandwiched between those shots was a layup by Cavs guard Donovan Mitchell. He then spilled into the crowd behind Cleveland's basket, but Mitchell did not appear to get hurt.
The Cavs called timeout with 9:29 left in the second quarter and trailing by nine points. Mitchell stayed in the game.
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Lakers lead Cavs 28-24 at the end of the first quarter
The Cavs trailed the Lakers 28-24 at the end of the first quarter.
Center Jarrett Allen led the Cavs with six points and four rebounds in the first quarter, though his rebounding total was matched by Cavaliers forward Dean Wade. Cavs guard Donovan Mitchell had five points.
Forward Jake LaRavia and guard Gabe Vincent paced the Lakers with six points apiece. LeBron James posted four points.
Lakers guard Luka Doncic returns after hurting ankle vs. Cavs
Lakers guard Luka Doncic returned to the game with 1:32 left in the first quarter and LA leading 24-22.
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Doncic hurt his left ankle and limped toward the Lakers' locker room during a timeout with 7:46 remaining in the opening quarter (see more below).
Cavs trail Lakers 8-7 with 7:46 left in the first quarter. LeBron James gets emotional during tribute. Luka Doncic shaken up
The Cavs trailed the Lakers 8-7 during an LA timeout with 7:46 left in the first quarter.
On LeBron James' first field-goal attempt of the game, he missed a layup. But James later made a dunk and a layup, both of which came on assists from guard Luka Doncic to put the Lakers ahead 8-7.
During the timeout, Doncic limped toward the Lakers' locker room. After taking a 3-pointer near LA's bench, he fell where the elevated court drops down and front-row seats begin. He immediately grabbed his left ankle.
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In the same timeout, the Cavs welcomed back James with a tribute video on their scoreboards. James became visibly emotional as the Cleveland crowd roared in support of him.
Below is some pregame information.
Cavs vs. Lakers series history
The Cavs are 55-70 in their all-time series against the Lakers. Cleveland is 34-28 at home against LA.
The Cavs swept the season series in 2024-25, defeating the Lakers 134-110 in Cleveland and 122-110 in LA.
More LeBron James: Looking back to when Bronny James scored first NBA points in Cleveland
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) smiles before a game at the Houston Rockets.
LeBron James vs. the Cavaliers
James played 11 seasons for the Cavs during two separate stints (2003-10 and 2014-18). He left as the franchise's all-time leader in games played (849), points scored (23,119), rebounds (6,190), assists (6,228), steals (1,376), field goals made (8,369), 3-pointers made (1,251), free throws made (5,130) and triple-doubles (64).
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James won one title with the Cavs (2016), two with the Miami Heat (2012 and 2013) and one with the Lakers (2020).
As an opposing player, James has gone 19-5 against the Cavs.
LeBron James history: 20 years ago the Cavs picked an Akron phenom and changed their franchise
Cavaliers center Evan Mobley gets in a defensive stance in the third quarter against the Orlando Magic, Jan. 26, 2026, in Cleveland.
Cleveland Cavs injury report vs. LA Lakers
The Cavs ruled out forward Evan Mobley (left calf strain), point guard Darius Garland (sprained right big toe) and small forward Max Strus (offseason left foot surgery) against the Lakers.
The Cavs listed shooting guard Sam Merrill (right hand sprain) and wing De'Andre Hunter (right knee soreness) as probable to face the Lakers, but Cleveland announced later both players are available to face the Lakers.
Cavs starting lineup vs. Lakers
The Cavs announced they will start the following players against the Lakers:
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Guard Donovan Mitchell
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Guard Sam Merrill
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Small forward Jaylon Tyson
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Forward Dean Wade
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Center Jarrett Allen
Lakers guard Austin Reaves drives to the basket past Raptors guard Ja'Kobe Walter (14) in the first half, Dec. 4, 2025, in Toronto.
Los Angeles Lakers injury report vs. Cleveland Cavaliers
The Lakers ruled out guards Austin Reaves (left calf strain) and Adou Thiero (right MCL sprain) against the Cavs.
Lakers starting lineup vs. Cavs
The Lakers announced they will start the following players against the Cavs:
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Guard Luka Doncic
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Guard Marcus Smart
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Forward Jake LaRavia
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Forward LeBron James
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Center Deandre Ayton
Cavs roster moves
The Cavs signed forward Tristan Enaruna to a two-way contract, the team announced on Jan. 28.
The Cavs also announced they waived Akron native Chris Livingston , a forward who had been on a two-way contract with Cleveland since Nov. 4.
How can I watch, stream, listen to Cavs vs. Lakers game tonight?
The Jan. 28 game between the Cavs and Lakers will be televised by ESPN. The local radio broadcast can be heard via WTAM (1100-AM) or WMMS (100.7-FM).
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Nate Ulrich is the sports columnist of the Akron Beacon Journal and a sports features writer. Nate can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com . On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich .
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cavs score, recap vs Lakers. LeBron James stats, highlights
