After the New York Knicks fell to the Houston Rockets earlier Tuesday night, the Cleveland Cavaliers entered their matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers with a chance to tie New York for the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference.
However, facing a Lakers team that has won 12 of their last 13 games, a victory wouldn't come easy.
After outscoring Los Angeles by two points in the first, Cleveland stumbled in the second, as the Lakers outscored the Cavaliers 33-19.
Donovan Mitchell has yet to get much going, finishing the first half with two points on 1-for-6 shooting from the field.
That said, center Jarrett Allen put together one of the strongest halves of his career.
The former Brooklyn Net was tremendous in the first two frames, scoring 18 points on 9-for-11 shooting with four rebounds and one assist.
Allen feasted on opportunities when switched on to smaller defenders like Doncic and Austin Reaves.
In addition to Allen, James Harden is the only other Cavalier in double-figures with 10 points and two assists.
For Los Angeles, Doncic has dominated the scoring as well, finishing the first half with 20 points, seven assists, four rebounds and one steal.
With the second half on the way, Cleveland will hope to claw back for a road victory, tying the Knicks in the process.
Following Tuesday's game, the Cavaliers will face the Golden State Warriors away from home Thursday.
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