LOS ANGELES — Kyrie Irving scored 26 points and handed out nine assists, and the Cleveland Cavaliers coasted past the Los Angeles Lakers 120-108 Thursday night at Staples Center.
LeBron James added 24 points, seven assists and five rebounds as the Cavaliers (46-18) captured their fifth win in six games and remained 2 1/2 games ahead of the Toronto Raptors for the best record in the Eastern Conference.
James tied Kevin Johnson for 19th on the NBA’s all-time assists list with 6,711.
Cleveland’s Channing Frye collected 21 points and seven rebounds, converting five of seven 3-pointers and eight of 10 shots from the floor. All five Cavs starters scored in double figures, including J.R. Smith, who finished with 17 points, and Tristan Thompson, who contributed 10 points and 14 rebounds. Reserve guard Matthew Dellavedova had 11 points.
Kobe Bryant scored 26 points on 11-of-16 shooting, hitting three of four 3-pointers, to lead the Lakers, who failed in their attempt to win three in a row for only the second time this season. Lakers rookie point guard D’Angelo Russell had 24 points, and forward Julius Randle chipped in 15 points and nine rebounds. Marcelo Huertas came off the bench to score 13 points and record five assists.
The Lakers (14-52) have dropped four straight to the Cavs.
Cleveland used its long-distance shooting to beat Los Angeles. The Cavs made 16 of 35 3-pointers (45.7 percent) to seven of 22 (31.8 percent) for the Lakers. Overall, the Cavs shot 52.9 percent from the floor to 52.5 percent for the Lakers.
Ten 3-pointers (on 19 attempts) by the Cavaliers in the first half staked the visitors to a 64-55 halftime lead. Frye connected on four of five treys and scored 16 points by the break to lead all scorers. The Lakers sank just three of 11 from beyond the arc in the first half.
NOTES: Lakers PG D’Angelo Russell averaged 20.7 points and 4.8 assists since regaining his spot in the starting lineup in the nine games before Thursday’s matchup. Russell was shooting 48.2 percent from the floor and from 3-point range. … Cavaliers PG Kyrie Irving scored 20 or more points in a season-high six straight games entering the contest. … Cavaliers F Tristan Thompson passed Austin Carr with 352 consecutive games played, the second-longest streak in franchise history and the longest active one in the NBA. … Cleveland was 32-7 in its previous 39 regular-season games against Western Conference foes, including an 18-6 record this season. … The two teams resume play Sunday as part of a doubleheader at Staples Center. The Cavaliers face the Los Angeles Clippers in the opener, while the Lakers play the New York Knicks in the nightcap.