With the Cavaliers playing what many viewed as a must-win game between two struggling teams, Deng played 38 minutes and scored 27 points, making a career-best 5 of 5 3-pointers, to lead the Cavs to a 120-118 victory over the Lakers on Tuesday night in Mike Brown’s first visit to the Staples Center since the Lakers fired him five games into last season. In his first two games with the Cavs, Deng, coming off a sore left Achillies suffered while he was still with the Chicago Bulls, had been on a precautionary 30-minute limit.
He looked no worse for the wear on Tuesday, and neither did the Cavs.
Anderson Varejao finished with 18 points and 18 rebounds as the Cavs improved to 14-24, 4-16 on the road, and 2-1 on this five-game Western Conference swing that continues tonight in Portland.
Nick Young scored 28, including 4 of 8 3-pointers, and Jodie Meeks added 26 points, including 6 of 10 3-pointers, for the injury-riddled Lakers, 14-24.
The Cavs had what looked to be a comfortable 117-108 lead after a 10-foot hook shot by Varejao with 2:39 left in the game. But Young hit a 3-pointer and then three free throws as part of an 8-1 run that got the Lakers within 118-116 with 25.3 seconds left. Tristan Thompson made two of four free throws in the final 16.5 seconds left to seal the victory. Pau Gasol made a layup at the buzzer to account fro the final score.
Neither team has been anything to write home about this season, and both were coming off blowout losses. The Cavs, of course, suffered the worst loss of any team this season in a 124-80 debacle at Sacramento on Sunday, while the Lakers were blown out in their own building by the Clippers on Friday night, 123-87. It was a Clippers home game, if that makes any difference.
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