Russell, James help Lakers win 4th straight, move into 8th place with 116-97 victory over Cavaliers

By JOE REEDY

LOS ANGELES (AP) D’Angelo Russell scored 28 points, LeBron James added 24 and the Los Angeles Lakers extended their winning streak to four with a 116-97 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday, moving into eighth place in the Western Conference.

Anthony Davis added 22 points and 13 rebounds in the Lakers' (45-33) ninth win in 10 games.

Darius Garland scored 26 points for Cleveland and Caris LeVert had 21 off the bench. The Cavaliers (46-32) remained in third place in the East but have dropped two straight and three of their last four.

Russell had six 3-pointers, including five in the first half, when his 23 points helped the Lakers take a nine-point lead.

James improved to 18-4 against his former team, where he played for 11 seasons in two different stints. He had a pair of alley-oop dunks against the team he led to its lone NBA title in 2016.

Davis scored 11 points in the third quarter, including nine during a 19-0 run. Cleveland led 71-67 before the Lakers regained control during a four-minute span.

Los Angeles jumped out to a 16-point lead early in the second quarter with a 24-4 run before Cleveland got it down to 65-56 at halftime.

Garland, who tied a career high with five steals, had a pair of 3-pointers as the Cavaliers began the second half with an 11-2 spurt to tie it at 67-all.

UP NEXT

Cavaliers: Remain in Los Angeles to face the Clippers on Sunday afternoon.

Lakers: Host the Minnesota Timberwolves Sunday night.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba