Howard Smith-US Presswire
Dwight Howard returned to the Los Angeles Lakers to help them record their first win in seven games.
Howard had previously been out for the last three games with a shoulder injury and his return helped the Lakers end their worst losing streak in six years with a 113-93 blowout of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Lakers needed to find something desperately and that is what they did with a comfortable victory over the Cavaliers. That win didn’t have fans cheering too emphatically as their opponents did boast one of the worst records in the league.
Howard showed few signs that his injury was still lingering helping his team out with 22 points and 14 rebounds missing only two shots from the field as signs of the old Howard were coming back.
Kobe Bryant was not needed in the fourth quarter and he was subbed out of the game ending with 23 points and six assists.
The Lakers are still without big men Jordan Hill who is expected to be out for the season with a hip injury and Pau Gasol who continues his recovery after suffering from a concussion.
The Lakers have fallen well short of their lofty expectations this season and are 16-21, despite having one of the most talented rosters in the whole of the league. Defensive and personnel problems have overshadowed their season.
While the team is still out of a Western Conference playoff position, with the roster they have at their disposal it will only take a nice win streak to get them back into contention to stop the surely impossible, of the Lakers not making a postseason happen.
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