CLEVELAND — Donovan Mitchell scored 25 points, Jaylon Tyson had 20 and the Cleveland Cavaliers used a big third quarter to beat the Los Angeles Lakers, 129-99, and spoil LeBron James’ return to Northeast Ohio.
De’Andre Hunter added 19 points, and Jarrett Allen had 17 points and nine rebounds to help Cleveland to its season-best fifth straight victory.
James had only 11 points, the first time in 13 trips to Cleveland as an opposing player he has not had at least 20. The 41-year-old Akron native was 3 of 10 from the field, including 0 of 3 on 3-pointers, and was 5 of 6 from the line in 27 minutes.
It also was James’ worst loss in Cleveland as a visiting player. He is 10-3, but has been on the losing end in his last two.
James teared up during a timeout with 7:46 remaining in the first quarter when the Cavaliers showed video highlights of him scoring 25 straight points during Game 5 of the 2007 Eastern Conference finals against the Detroit Pistons.
Luka Doncic led the Lakers with 29 points. Los Angeles fell to 3-2 on its seven-game road trip.
Doncic missed six minutes in the first quarter after having his left ankle looked at in the locker room. Doncic tweaked his ankle when he landed awkwardly near the Lakers’ bench after attempting a 3-pointer.
Cleveland led 57-55 at halftime, but took control in the third quarter, outscoring Los Angeles by 20 (42-22). It was the 12th time this season that the Cavaliers scored at least 40 points in a period.
It was tied at 57 when the Cavaliers went on a 25-8 run where Mitchell scored eight points and Tyson added seven.
Cleveland was 6 of 22 on 3-pointers in the first half, but went 7 of 11 in the third. It also was 17 of 25 from the field in the period.
Pacers 113, Bulls 110
In Indianapolis, Aaron Nesmith made a go-ahead reverse layup with 13.9 seconds left and blocked Coby White’s attempt from close range with 2.9 seconds remaining, and the Indiana Pacers rallied from a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit to beat the Chicago Bulls, 113-110, on Wednesday night.
Pascal Siakam scored 20 points, Andrew Nembhard had 18, Jarace Walker added 16, Bennedict Mathurin had 15 and Nesmith finished with 14 for the NBA-worst Pacers, who improved to 3-0 against Chicago this season.
Indiana has won two of three, having beaten defending champion Oklahoma City in an NBA Finals rematch on Friday night. The Thunder have the league’s best record while the Pacers have plummeted to the bottom of the standings following Tyrese Haliburton’s torn Achilles tendon in Game 7 of the Finals.
Nikola Vucevic scored 25 points and Matas Buzelis had 20 for the Bulls, who lost their second straight to fall one game under.500 (23-24).
Chicago’s Josh Giddey finished with seven assists to surpass 2,000 for his career. The 23-year-old became the 15th player in NBA history to reach that milestone at age 23 or younger.
Hawks 117, Celtics 106
In Boston, Nickeil Alexander-Walker scored 21 points, Jalen Johnson had 19 points and 14 rebounds and the Atlanta Hawks beat the Boston Celtics to avenge a lopsided home loss.
Onyeka Okongwu added 17 points, Dyson Daniels had 15 and Corey Kispert 13 to help the Hawks win their fourth straight.
Jaylen Brown led Boston with 21 points. He shot 9 for 20, missing all five of his 3-point attempts.
The Hawks hit 42.9 percent of their 3-pointers (18 of 42) and had 29 assists on 45 baskets. Boston was 9 of 34 from beyond the arc.
Hawks coach Quin Snyder was asked before the game if his team would remember a 132-106 loss at home on Jan. 17 in the clubs’ last meeting. He replied: “You want to feel it.”