Lebron James scored 23 of his 31 points in a dominant second half, and Dwight Howard added season highs of 21 points and 15 rebounds in Los Angeles’ ninth consecutive victory, 128-99 over the Cavs on Monday night.  The powerhouse Lakers posted their highest-scoring half in 33 years while scoring 81 in the second half behind James, who added eight assists while passing Isiah Thomas for sole possession of eighth place on the NBA’s career list.  Cavs actually led 48-47 at the half before LA took over.

Kevin Love had 21 points and 11 rebounds for Cleveland in the third stop of a six-game road stretch. Two days after the Cavs posted a surprising win at powerhouse Denver, they couldn’t keep up with a franchise icon who hasn’t slowed down.

Tristan Thompson had 17 points and 10 rebounds for Cleveland, while Collin Sexton and Darius Garland added 16 points apiece.