Kyrie Irving Wins Duel vs. D’Angelo Russell

Kyrie Irving’s 46 points led the Cleveland Cavaliers past D’Angelo Russell and the Los Angeles Lakers 125-120 Sunday night at Staples Center.

Russell had a career-best 40 points in a surprisingly feisty battle.

LeBron James added 34 points, and Kevin Love had 21 points and 15 rebounds for the visitors.

Per the AP:

“We were out of sync a little bit, but they shot the ball extremely well,” James said. “We just had to figure out a way to weather the storm. … (The Lakers) played well. They don’t look like a team that’s won only 20 games.”

 

James, Love and Irving all sat out the defending champs’ blowout loss to the Clippers earlier in the weekend, angering fans and the national television audience. James, the budding entertainment mogul with a game show on NBC, joked with Denzel Washington and other celebrities while he played, but still made sure the Cavs got their work done.

 

After Russell committed his only turnover of the night, Irving hit a go-ahead 3-pointer. […] “He’s one of the best guards in the league for a reason,” Russell said. “He’s a professional scorer. He makes shots, but you just have to try and make it as tough as you can.”