NBA: Deng has 27, leads Cavs past woeful Lakers 120-118

LOS ANGELES — Luol Deng hit five three-pointers while scoring 27 points, Anderson Varejao added 18 points and 18 rebounds, and the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the spiraling Los Angeles Lakers 120-118 Tuesday night (Wednesday, PHL time).

FINAL: #Cavs top @Lakers 120-118. Luol with 27pts. Andy: 18pts 18rebs 6assts. Dion: 17pts. [BLOG]:http://t.co/2M8GYBPqBv #AllForOne

— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) January 15, 2014

Dion Waiters scored 13 of his 17 points in the fourth quarter as the Cavaliers improved to 4-16 on the road. They also won for coach Mike Brown in his return to Staples Center to face the Lakers, who fired him early last season.

Jodie Meeks hit six three-pointers while scoring a season-high 26 points in injury-plagued Los Angeles' fifth straight defeat. Nick Young scored 28 points, but the Lakers have lost 11-of-12 heading into a punishing seven-game road trip.

Deng had five rebounds and four assists in his first big game since joining Cleveland in a trade with Chicago a week ago. He led the Cavs to their highest-scoring regulation performance of the season, as they hit 13-of-17 three-pointers and out-rebounded Los Angeles 48-35.

Deng and Waiters put the Cavs ahead during a 12-0 rally early in the fourth quarter, but Young hit three free throws with 25.3 seconds to play, trimming the lead to two points. Tristan Thompson missed two of four free throws in the final 16 seconds, but Young missed two late three-pointers.

Brown coached just 71 games with the Lakers, who hired him to succeed 11-time NBA champion Phil Jackson in 2011 and then pulled the plug on his tenure five games into last season. Brown expressed no hard feelings or regret about his brief tenure with the Lakers, saying he's still on good terms with Kobe Bryant and other Los Angeles players.

Pau Gasol had 20 points and 12 rebounds in the Lakers' only home game in a 22-day span. Los Angeles will be away for the next two weeks while the Grammys take over Staples Center.

Kendall Marshall had 10 points and 16 assists for Los Angeles, which had just nine players in uniform. Bryant, Steve Nash, Steve Blake, Jordan Farmar and Xavier Henry are all out with long-term injuries, and Gasol only determined he could play on his injured big toe after pre-game warmups.

Gasol nearly suited up for this game in a Cleveland jersey, but the Lakers and Cavs couldn't agree to a money-saving trade for former Lakers center Andrew Bynum, who would have been waived.

The Lakers looked impressive during a 40-point second quarter, but the third quarter has been the Lakers' worst this season. Deng hit three three-pointers in the first two minutes of the second half to put the Cavs back in front. - AP


The scores:

CAVALIERS 120 - Deng 27, Varejao 18, Waiters 17, Thompson 15, Irving 13, Dellavedova 11, Zeller 8, Miles 5, Jack 4, Clark 2

LAKERS 118 - Young 28, Meeks 26, Gasol 20, Johnson 17, Marhsall 10, Kaman 6, Sacre 4, Hill 4, Kelly 3

Cleveland        28-29-31-32
Los Angeles    23-40-22-33