Cavaliers 93, Lakers 87: LeBron, Cleveland Rally Past Los Angeles

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Cleveland, OH (Sports Network) - LeBron James’ layup in traffic with 40.5 seconds to play gave Cleveland the lead for good, as the Cavaliers rallied past the Los Angeles Lakers, 93-87, at Quicken Loans Arena.

James scored 37 points with nine assists and five rebounds, while J.J. Hickson notched a double-double with 11 points and 14 rebounds and Shaquille O’Neal added 13 points and six boards. Anderson Varejao added 11 points and eight rebounds off the bench for the Cavaliers, who have won the first two games on a three-game residency.

James picked up the slack in the backcourt in the absence of Mo Williams, who will miss the next four-to-six weeks with a left shoulder sprain.

It was a season sweep for the Cavs, who also beat the Lakers on Christmas Day, 102-87, at Staples Center. Cleveland has won seven of the last nine meetings.

Kobe Bryant became the youngest player to 25,000 career points with a late second-quarter free throw and finished with 31 points, but he needed 31 shots to do it and grabbed only two rebounds. Pau Gasol donated 13 points with eight rebounds and Lamar Odom notched 10 points with 10 boards for the Lakers, who entered with the NBA’s best record and started an eight-game road trip in Cleveland.

James broke a tie game with an end-to-end layup for an 89-87 lead with 40.5 seconds left, but Gasol was fouled on the other end with 24.1 seconds to play. The 85 percent foul shooter missed both, and James was fouled with 21.2 seconds remaining. He made the first, but missed the second, only to have the whistle blow for a loose ball foul on the Lakers. Varejao stepped to the foul line and made both attempts for a 92-87 edge with 20.7 seconds left and Cleveland held on from there.