Cavs roll past Lakers

 LeBron beaten in first game at 40 years old

LOS ANGELES – The league-leading Cleveland Cavaliers spoiled LeBron James’ first game as a 40-year-old, beating the Los Angeles Lakers 122-110 on Tuesday, as the NBA champion Boston Celtics closed out 2024 with a 125-71 demolition of the Toronto Raptors.

Jarrett Allen scored 27 points and grabbed 14 rebounds, Donovan Mitchell added 26 points and Evan Mobley chipped in 20 for the Cavaliers, who notched their eighth straight win to push their league-best record to 29-4.

James, whose four NBA titles include a 2016 championship with his hometown team Cleveland, scored 23 points with four rebounds, seven assists and a blocked shot.

It was his first game since his 40th birthday on Monday, and made James the first player in league history to play a game in his teens and in his 40s.

Austin Reaves led the Lakers with an impressive near-triple-double of 35 points, nine rebounds and 10 assists.

Anthony Davis scored 28 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, but after twice edging ahead in the second quarter the Lakers trailed by five at halftime and never led in the second half.

There was less drama in Boston, where the Celtics won by the second-largest margin of victory in franchise history – trailing only their 56-point triumph at Chicago in December 2018.

Jayson Tatum scored 18 of his 23 points in the third quarter, when the Celtics outscored the Raptors 45-18 to effectively put the game out of reach.

Payton Pritchard scored 19 points off the bench as seven Celtics players scored in double figures.

The Milwaukee Bucks erased a 19-point deficit on the way to a 120-112 victory over the Indiana Pacers.

Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo, back after missing three games because of illness, found his rhythm after scoring just four points in the first half, finishing with 30 points and 12 rebounds.

Brook Lopez added 16 points and reserves Bobby Portis Jr. and Gary Trent Jr. scored 14 points each for Milwaukee, who trailed 83-64 midway through the third quarter.