CLEVELAND — For the Cavaliers, Evan Mobley is next. But he’s not the Chosen One.

What is now called Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse is built on a foundation created by LeBron James, from the court where he played in five NBA Finals series, to the walls which bear pictures of his greatest teams, to the rafters where the 2016 championship banner he hung drapes in the spotlight.

James has only ever lost once as a visitor to Cleveland, some 40 miles from where he grew up. And even though his Lakers were down by as much as 14 points in the first quarter, he wasn’t prepared to fall again here, where the greatest chunk of his legacy remains.

In a 131-120 win, the Lakers (31-41) put on a show as a team like they have not in weeks, and James – recording a 38-point, 12-assist, 11-rebound triple-double – was center stage. He dashed past Lauri Markkanen for fadeaway runners, spun around on Isaac Okoro for tough contested jumpers, and bowled over his old teammate and friend Kevin Love on a dunk that sent a wave of gasps through the hometown crowd – like an unchecked reflex.

“I didn’t mean it: K-Love, I love you and I take it back,” James said, hamming it up afterward at Love’s expense. “I wish I could take those two points back and we still win the game by nine.”

This is the best Cavaliers team in 20 years that hasn’t featured James as the star, positioned to make some postseason noise behind young stars like Mobley, Darius Garland and Caris LeVert. But James still wins in Cleveland, even at 37 at the helm of a Lakers team that hasn’t won much lately. He left slapping hands in the crowd like the conquering hero he used to be.

In improving his record to 8-1 as a visitor in Cleveland, James also won some momentum for his ballclub. The last time the Lakers won even two out of three games was Feb. 5. In their latest victory, they shared the ball (34 assists), shot the lights out (56.4%) and tightened their defense (only 23 fourth-quarter points allowed) when it mattered.

Even without All-Star big man Anthony Davis in the lineup, the Lakers arguably looked as functional as they have all season long.

“Nothing better than shutting people up,” said Russell Westbrook, who had 20 points, 11 assists and a team-best plus-23 rating.

The Lakers still have a long way to go before they silence doubt surrounding their struggling team, but Monday’s game – along with their overtime win in Toronto on Friday and three strong quarters against Washington on Saturday – showed their path forward.

In previous nights, the Lakers have let teams flatten them in the first quarter, then keep the steamroll running back and forth. But this time, the Lakers fought back after a 23-5 Cavaliers run, closing to within seven points by the end of the quarter.

James kicked off the resistance, helping get Mobley (the No. 2 draft pick and Rookie of the Year favorite) into foul trouble, then speeding past Markkanen and Love to the hoop. Westbrook’s surprising jump-shot prowess kept the Cavs off-balance on defense, as did D.J. Augustin’s perfect 7-for-7 shooting mark to help space the floor.

Before Cleveland knew it, an early blowout had become a dogfight, and for the next two quarters, the teams battled neck-and-neck. Perennially loss-weary Lakers coach Frank Vogel perked up afterward, noting that the team is ctually running concepts his staff has been stressing on offense.

“I thought the Toronto game was the best we played all season, in terms of our guys really starting to play the way we’re teaching them to play,” he said. “We challenged them to bring that type of offensive swag and confidence to tonight’s game and we did. They moved the basketball really well.”

The defense didn’t come as easily, especially against Garland whose raw speed outpaced anyone on the floor. The first-time All-Star powered Cleveland’s offense with 29 points and 17 assists (against just one turnover), and his feeds helped get five of his teammates into double-figure scoring.

Just before the third-quarter buzzer, Garland threaded a pocket pass to Lamar Stevens for a dunk, giving the Cavs their first lead of the second half. The Lakers, who choked away their last game in Washington in the fourth quarter, looked poised for another stumble.

Only when the frame flipped, they were the poised ones. James subbed back in to continue his tear, bouncing an assist into Stanley Johnson in the middle of a zone, finishing an and-1 layup over former teammate Cedi Osman, and hammering down another fast-break dunk. That set the tone for the Lakers as they rolled the rest of the way, outsourcing their hosts 35-23 in the fourth.

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A single-elimination play-in game with the New Orleans Pelicans is all but locked in for the Lakers, who are sitting in ninth place in the Western Conference. But for the first time since the February All-Star break, they’re starting to look like a team that might be able to punch above their record – and no one represents that hope quite like James.

“I’ve been in it a long time and this team has not let go of the rope and the biggest No. 1 reason is because of how he’s played and how he’s led and what he represents in terms of having confidence about where we can ultimately get to,” Vogel said. “How we’ve played up to these 65, 70 games, whatever it has been, the trial and error nature of our season, does not necessarily represent who we are going to be in the play-in game and hopefully beyond that.”

Also looking ahead, James knows his games in Cleveland are limited. He’s not likely to play beyond three or four more as long as he stays in the Western Conference. The fans in Ohio watched him grow up with hope and wonder – he wants to take them out in the same fashion.

“I know that my (remaining) games playing here are very limited in my career,” he said. “So hopefully I’m healthy enough to put on a uniform and go out and play and play at an effective level and play in front of these fans because they’ve given me so much for 11 years when I was here.”