Cleveland Cavaliers vs. New Orleans Pelicans

Cleveland Cavaliers head coach David Blatt yells to a ref during play against the New Orleans Pelicans in the second half. (Joshua Gunter/The Plain Dealer) Monday, November 10, 2014. Quicken Loans Arena.

(JOSHUA GUNTER)

LOS ANGELES – The Cleveland Cavaliers were of the understanding that they were on their way to practice on the campus of UCLA on Wednesday afternoon.

The team was reeling, coming off of losing its sixth straight game and a grueling practice was the anticipation. But what should have been a six-minute bus ride from their Beverly Hills hotel to the campus turned into 10, then 15, then a 20-minute ride.

"I was like, 'Where are we going?'" Tristan Thompson recalled to Northeast Ohio Media Group. "I was confused."

Head coach David Blatt had something up his sleeve. When the bus finally stopped, it was in front of a bowling establishment in Hollywood. To their shock, they learned practice was never in the plans. It was about getting away from basketball and bonding as a team.

"I was surprised, but I knew we were going somewhere else once we didn't go the route towards UCLA. I know where the campus is," Thompson said. "It's only five minutes from our hotel. We were leaving Westwood and headed towards Hollywood. I knew coach was up to something."

The last three weeks have been an agonizing period for the team and especially for Blatt. That's why the players agreed that a few hours out on the town attempting to bowl strikes was a great call by Blatt.

"I think it was a surprise for most guys," Kevin Love said. "It just helped so much. We all needed a break from it all."

Cleveland followed up its outing with an inspired second-half defensive performance against the Los Angeles Lakers in a 109-102 win on Thursday, ending its six-game skid.

The Lakers had their way in the first two quarters, shooting a blistering 58 percent from the field. Cleveland buckled down in the second half, holding the Lakers to 41 percent shooting. The willingness to defend was summed up on one uplifting play.

In pain the entire game, Love didn't allow his gimpy back to prohibit him from putting his body on the line. In the fourth quarter, Jeremy Lin saw an open seam and took off. Love, who was moving gingerly all night, stepped in front of Lin in the paint and picked up the charge call.

It took a moment for Love to get up.

"I thought he was dead," J.R. Smith said jokingly to teammates after the game.

Blatt said that was the "play of the game." Love fought through and gave it all he had. He said he expects to play Friday night against the Clippers.

Times like these are when deep-rooted relationships are formed and cultivated.

"I think what Kevin did tonight, playing through the injuries, he could have easily sat out the rest of the game and he just toughed it out," LeBron James said after scoring a game-high 36 points.

"I said, 'Whatever you got, whatever you can give,' and he did that. He knocked down a three, he battled on the glass and even with his back basically feeling like he couldn't play anymore, he took a charge. Those are moments in the season where you know your team is taking a step forward."

Blatt has acknowledged that he's continuing to make adjustments and admitted to having room to grow in his first year as an NBA head coach. Part of coaching is about feel and instincts, gauging what the team needs at that moment in time.

The best call Blatt made to get his team in the proper mindset against the Lakers was tricking his team into thinking they had practice the day before.

"(Bowling) didn't seem to affect too many people's jump-shots. This man (J.R. Smith) was throwing a six-pound ball around," Love revealed. "Those events are fun. We were able to go out there and bowl, eat bad food and enjoy ourselves. It had us loose for the game."

Loose hasn't been a word affiliated with the Cavaliers of late; tense, or uptight would probably be better descriptors. There is a lot of pressure placed on this organization -- from ownership, to management, on down to the players. It has been a tough road thus far.

Over the past month, the Cavaliers have either played a game off a single-day rest or participated in back-to-backs. It's been that long since they've had two days or more off in between games. It's good to get away sometimes.

Chemistry off the court is just as important as on the court. Or in a bowling alley.

"I was happy," Kyrie Irving said after registering 22 points. "One thing that's never seen on camera and I consistently say it, this is the closest team that I've been on. We always have fun whether we're getting ready for a game or a practice or we go bowling, it's a team activity that we just personally enjoy.

"We enjoy being around one another and that's the way it's supposed to be. Obviously there's things we've got to fix out there on the court, but relationship- wise, we couldn't be any better."