It was a back and forth matchup in Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse. The Cleveland Cavaliers and Collin Sexton sought to build on their momentum while the Los Angeles Lakers and LeBron James tried to stay undefeated on the road. Given the Lake Show’s championship experience, the team understands how to make big plays in the fourth quarter, and it showed on Monday night against the Cavs, who are trying to learn on the job as a young team and evolve quickly enough that they could become a factor in the Eastern Conference in two or three years. 

With the Lakers up 95-93 with 9:32 left in the fourth, the Cavs once again looked to Collin Sexton to provide a spark for the team. With that being said, Sexton tried to make an aggressive move before LeBron James came from behind and swatted the shot out of bounds. James has always been famous for his chase-down blocks around the rim. Monday's block on Sexton was just another example of his effort and his consistent ability to be a dynamic enforcer by protecting the paint. 

James’ block was just a perfect example of the defensive job the Lakers did all night.

They forced the Cavaliers into 16 turnovers on the night and it led to 20 points for the Lakers on the other end. Cleveland’s struggles to take care of the basketball ultimately cost the Cavs late in the game and they could never recover. 

The Lakers finished off the Cavs 115-108 behind LeBron James’ impressive 46 points on 73% shooting. James was in rhythm all night and the defense could not make proper adjustments.

The win puts the Lakers at 13-4 on the season along with 9-0 on the road. With the impressive win late in Cleveland, the Lakers will continue to keep things rolling through the rest of their road trip.