Bench falters in first-half funk; air balls, awkward play provides unexpected spark
The Lakers went on an 11-4 run to start the second quarter. The Cavs bench shot 1-for-6 from the field, while also going 1-for-6 in the paint. Los Angeles posted an 11-1 advantage in second-chance points. Head coach Tyronn Lue called a timeout, trailing 37-28 with nine minutes, 29 seconds remaining in the second quarter.
Everything that had been clicking over the last month was fading in the early stages of the prime-time affair. The reliable burst from the bench was nonexistent, as the Wine and Gold failed to lead for the vast majority of the period.
Then Brook Lopez – who entered play shooting 79.7% from the charity stripe – airballed a pair of free throws, and rejected himself on a wide-open dunk attempt, injecting life into the reigning Eastern Conference champions.
Following a round of laughter from a sold-out crowd, the Cavaliers stormed back with an 18-12 rally heading into the intermission, all of which came in the four minutes, 53 seconds after Lopez was unable to draw rim twice.
Five different players were part of the offensive frenzy, including James with five of his 16 first-half points, and three assists to boot.
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