LOS ANGELES – (Wire Service Report) – Luka Doncic had 42 points and 12 assists, and LeBron James scored 14 points in his NBA-record 1,229th career win, powering the Los Angeles Lakers to a decisive 127-113 victory over the visiting Cleveland Cavaliers. The Los Angeles Lakers (50-26) won for the 13th time in its last 14 games, clinching a playoff spot and the Pacific Division title earlier in the night when the Phoenix Suns lost. The Lakers sit third in the Western Conference, two games ahead of the Denver Nuggets.
James surpassed Hall of Fame center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most combined regular season and playoff wins. The all-time scoring leader added five rebounds and six assists against the Cavaliers, the team he spent 11 seasons with over two stints.
MVP candidate Doncic returned from an automatic one-game suspension for picking up his 16th technical foul. He became the third-youngest player with 15,000 career points at 27 years, 31 days (James holds the mark at 25, 79).
Jarrett Allen scored 18 points for Cleveland (47-29), which remained one game behind the third-place New York Knicks in the East. James Harden had 17 points and Donovan Mitchell chipped in 10 points and six assists.
The Cavaliers, whose magic number to make the playoffs is one, have won six of their last eight games and are 16-6 with Harden in the lineup.
Deandre Ayton had 18 points and nine rebounds, and Austin Reaves scored 19 for Los Angeles, which blew the game open by scoring 45 in the third to go up 110-83. It was the 100th victory for coach JJ Redick.
The Lakers carried a 65-53 advantage into the half, fueled by 20 points and seven assists from Doncic and 11 points and six rebounds from Ayton. Allen had 18 points on 9-of-11 field-goal attempts, but Mitchell only scored two for the Cavaliers.
Doncic wasted no time getting back in the flow, taking 10 shots and scoring 14 points while playing the entire first. Cleveland held a 34-32 lead behind nine points from Harden and eight points and three rebounds by Allen.
Los Angeles guard Marcus Smart (right ankle bruise) missed his fourth game in a row, while the Cavaliers were without swingman Sam Merrill (left hamstring soreness).
Cleveland forwards Jaylon Tyson (left great toe bruise) and Dean Wade (right ankle sprain) did not travel with the team on its three-game trip.
–Field Level Media