Lakers' LeBron James, Anthony Davis, D'Angelo Russell Thrill NBA Fans in Win vs. Cavs

D'Angelo Russell was feeling himself from deep, LeBron James was dishing and the Los Angeles Lakers earned a crucial 116-97 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday afternoon as the team continues to battle for a guaranteed playoff berth.

Russell finished with 28 points on 6-of-12 shooting from three in the win, James added 24 points, 12 assists and five rebounds and Anthony Davis chipped in with a double-double of his own (22 points, 13 boards) while putting on a defensive masterclass (six blocks, three steals).

Darius Garland led the Cavaliers with 26 points.

The win moved the Lakers to 45-33 on the season and temporarily in the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference, just a 1.5 games behind the Phoenix Suns for the much-desired sixth seed and guaranteed playoff berth. The Lakers are red hot, winners of nine of their past 10 games.

And social media was hype about the performance from the team's top three players:

As important as the win was for the Lakers, it was hugely detrimental for a Cavaliers team that is fighting for the 2-seed in the Eastern Conference. The loss dropped Cleveland to 46-32 and kept them at third in the East, 1.5 games behind the Milwaukee Bucks and just a half-game ahead of the Orlando Magic.

Yes, the Orlando Magic.

The Lakers catching fire at this point in the season—but potentially still have to deal with the Play-In Tournament—makes them a fascinating team to monitor ahead of the playoffs. This is the same team that reached the Western Conference Finals a season ago.

Never count out a team that includes James. And with AD putting together his best (and healthiest) regular season in recent memory and Russell coming on strong, the Lakers seem bound to shake things up in the West.