Cleveland @ Los Angeles preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 13, 2019 ) Cleveland 101, L.A. Lakers 95

The Los Angeles Lakers have won eight straight games and it doesn't seem to matter who is in or out of the lineup as they host the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday. LeBron James (illness) and Anthony Davis (gluteus maximus contusion) missed Saturday's 125-110 victory at Oklahoma City but Kyle Kuzma and Rajon Rondo proved the Lakers are more than a two-man team.

Kuzma scored a season-high 36 points while Rondo went for 21 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists as Western Conference-leading Los Angeles improved to an NBA-best 17-3 on the road. "Everybody on this team has something to prove," Kuzma told reporters after making his third start of the season. "You know AD's trying to win a ring, Bron's trying to win in L.A., I'm trying to establish myself. ... (Go) down the line - Dwight (Howard), redemption. Everyone's got something. (Alex) Caruso (making a name for himself). So we don't take games lightly. ... We want to go out and dominate every game. We don't see why we can't win every game." Cleveland, which owns the fourth-worst record in the league, won consecutive games for the third time this season after an improbable 111-103 victory at Denver on Saturday gave it two straight victories. “We’re making progress and a lot of the hard work we are putting in is starting to show itself and it’s more consistent now,” Cavaliers first-year coach John Beilein told the media.

TIME: 10:30 p.m. ET. TV: FS Ohio, Spectrum Sportsnet, Sportsnet One

ABOUT THE CAVALIERS (12-27): Kevin Love, who could be traded ahead of the Feb. 6 deadline, averages 16.9 points and 10.3 rebounds after recording 19 points and 15 boards Saturday for his 15th double-double of the season. Tristan Thompson (13 points, 10.6 rebounds), who could also be on the move, had 18 points and 13 boards versus Denver for his 19th double-double. Rookie guard Darius Garland is averaging 16.7 points and 5.8 assists in six January games, raising his season numbers to 12.1 and 3.4.

ABOUT THE LAKERS (32-7): Saturday marked the first time James (25.7 points, 10.7 assists, 8.0 rebounds) and Davis (27.1 points, 9.4 boards) missed the same game while Danny Green (hip) also did not play against Oklahoma City. Kuzma, who has scored 62 points in his last two games, averages 13.2 points while Kentavius Caldwell-Pope, who scored 11 on Saturday, contributes 9.3. Los Angeles averages a league-most 7.4 blocks with Davis (2.6) leading the way.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. James averages 27.9 points, 7.5 rebounds and 7.1 assists in 14 games versus Cleveland.

2. Cavaliers G Dante Exum missed the last three games because of illness.

3. Los Angeles won two of the last three meetings after a two-game split last season.

PREDICTION: Lakers 115, Cavaliers 95