Here is what you need to know before the Lakers taking on the defending-champion Cleveland Cavaliers.
1) The Lakers put an end to their eight-game losing streak the night before, holding Philadelphia to an opponent season-low 89 points, while Julius Randle racked up a season-high 25, adding nine rebounds and three steals.
HIGHLIGHTS: Lakers end their losing skid by beating the 76ers 100-89, behind Randle's 25 points and 9 rebounds #LakersWin pic.twitter.com/vv2u70vuZB
2) The Cavaliers, of course, are the NBA's reigning champions, having rallied from a 3-1 deficit to defeat the Golden State Warriors in seven game. LeBron James turned in one of the greatest NBA Finals performances of all time, leading all players in points (29.7), rebounds (11.3), assists (8.9), steals (2.6) and blocks (2.3).
3) One of James' teammates on that title team was Timofey Mozgov, who will make his first return to Cleveland since winning it all. Now the Lakers' starting center, Mozgov didn't play much during the Cavaliers' playoff run, but had a successful performance in the previous Finals when Cleveland lost to the Warriors in six games.
4) Ironically, both team's head coach played for their opponent back in the day. Luke Walton spent the final two years of his career in Cleveland under his Lakers predecessor, Byron Scott, while Tyronn Lue was part of two championship teams with Los Angeles in 2000 and 2001.
5) Since James returned to Cleveland, the Cavaliers have enjoyed considerable success against the Lakers, winning four straight games. These games have been scoring fests for the Cavs, who have put up 120-plus points in each of the last three.
6) A huge part of the Cavaliers' Eastern Conference-leading 18-6 record has been their ability to connect from deep, topping the NBA in 3-point percentage (39.9) while ranking second in made 3-pointers (13.3). On an individual level, Channing Frye is fifth in 3-point percentage (45.8), while Iman Shumpert is 10th (45.3).
7) James is on the cusp of adding another accomplishment to his storied career. The 31-year-old needs only 28 points to pass Moses Malone (27,409) for eighth on the NBA's all-time scoring list. It certainly wouldn't be too much to ask of LeBron, who is averaging 30.6 points in his last five games.
8) James is currently 10th in the NBA in scoring (25.0 ppg), but he's been much more of a facilitator this season, averaging a career-high 9.0 assists, which are the fifth-most in the league. He is a historically good passer, ranking 16th in history with 6,979 career dimes, joining Oscar Roberston as the only players in the top 25 in both scoring and assists.
9) Kyrie Irving has been the main benefactor of James' passing, as he is averaging a career-best 23.9 points per game. The 24-year-old has also been extremely efficient with his offense, leading all guards in field goal percentage (48.2).
10) Lately, Kevin Love has found his groove, scoring more than 20 points in five straight games, averaging 25.6 with 10.4 rebounds. Love caught fire on a historic level last month, scoring 34 points in the first quarter alone against Portland on Nov. 23, making for the second-highest scoring frame that the NBA has ever seen.
Injury Report Lakers: D'Angelo Russell (sore left knee), Julius Randle (right hip pointer) and Tarik Black (sprained right ankle) are probable. Jose Calderon (right hamstring strain) is out. Cavaliers: Chris Andersen (torn ACL) is out. Mo Williams is not with the team.
Tip-off: 4:30 p.m. PT TV: Spectrum SportsNet and Spectrum Deportes Radio: 710 ESPN and 1330 KWKW
Click here to view game notes for this contest.
A photo posted by Los Angeles Lakers (@lakers) on Dec 15, 2016 at 1:23pm PST
