Garland, Mitchell lead Cavs past Lakers to 8th straight win
Donovan Mitchell scored 33 points and Darius Garland added 24 in the dynamic Cleveland backcourt’s return from injury absences, and the Cavaliers rolled past LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers 114-100 for their eighth consecutive victory.
Irving returns, but new-look Nets beaten by Cavs in 2 OTs
Brooklyn Nets' Kyrie Irving (11) drives past Cleveland Cavaliers' Taurean Prince (12) during double overtime of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021, in Cleveland. Sexton made four 3-pointers — most of them over Irving — and scored 15 points in the second OT. Like Irving, Sexton wears No. Irving's return to the Nets was also just his second game in Cleveland since he was traded by the Cavs after the 2017 season. ... Brooklyn made its first 10 shots, but let the Cavs scored 17 straight bridging the first and second quarters.
James, Davis back on court for Lakers as season draws near
The Lakers, who beat Miami to win the championship Oct. 11, start the new season against the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday night. Also on Wednesday, Chicago beat Oklahoma City 124-103, and Portland played at Denver. BULLS 124, THUNDER 103At Oklahoma City, the Bulls took control in the second quarter and didn’t let up. LaVine scored 16 points on 6-for-7 shooting in the first quarter while Gilgeous-Alexander scored 11 for Oklahoma City. Oklahoma City couldn’t get into a flow, but part of that was because first-year coach Mark Daigneault gave minutes to 13 players.