How the Cleveland Cavaliers Fell in Tuesday Loss to Los Angeles Lakers

The Cleveland Cavaliers ended the month of March on a low note with a 127-113 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday. Center Jarrett Allen and guard James Harden had their moments for the Cavs with a combined 35 points by the final horn.

Six Lakers responded with double-figure nights, including a 42-point outing from guard Luka Dončić.

Allen gave Cleveland a small early cushion by scoring its first three buckets, but the Lakers came back swinging with an even effort from the starting five to tie things up before the Cavs' first timeout. The former All-Star played the same role Evan Mobley did in a Monday win over the Utah Jazz as he nearly led the squad with eight points by quarter's end, while Harden pulled just ahead with nine of his own.

The Lakers managed to play keep-away with the lead in the second quarter behind a short run from LA's frontcourt, which dunked its way to a frustrating difference while Cleveland nearly ran out of gas just a few minutes before halftime.

Los Angeles continued to keep the game out of reach as it seemed to match every Cleveland make with an inside strike in the third quarter. LA would barely outpace the Cavs on the boards with 37 rebounds, including eight on offense behind a solid night from center Deandre Ayton, while beating them in second chances with 14 points to the Cavs' 12.

While the Lakers would enter the 50/40/90 club as a team, Cleveland lagged behind on both ends of the floor, which would ultimately keep them one game behind the New York Knicks and in fourth place in the Eastern Conference standings.

Allen, one member of a small line of pro-bound Texas bigs from its Shaka Smart era, would end the night with nine inside buckets as he proved to be a solid option in the paint with a decent arsenal of close-up moves. A fellow former Longhorn in Jaxson Hayes logged about 19 minutes and four points off the bench for the Lakers. Allen followed up an impressive stretch from Mobley, who left the night with an average of just under 21 points and an even 10 rebounds per game in his last 10 matchups.

Mar 31, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers center Evan Mobley (4) reaches to intercept a pass for Los Angeles Lakers center Deandre Ayton (5) in the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The Cavs will travel upstate to face the Golden State Warriors, who locked in a spot in the Play-In Tournament for the third year in a row alongside the Portland Trail Blazers and LA Clippers. Cleveland's former forever Finals rival last defeated the Cavaliers in early December, which marked their first regular-season win over the Cavs in nearly three years.

Cleveland will have five more games to built up some momentum in the waning portion of the regular season following its bout against the Warriors, which will be followed up by a back-and-forth schedule of home and away games before hitting Game 82 against the Washington Wizards on April 12.

The Cavs will tip off against the Warriors at 10:00 p.m. EDT on Thursday in the Chase Center. The game will be broadcast on FanDuel Sports Network - Ohio.