With everything that has gone down in Laker Land lately, the injuries, the heavy load on LeBron, the sluggish looking team vibe, there was ample cause for concern coming into last night’s game. The Warriors, inconsistent as they are, beat us with a stellar effort a few weeks ago. Steph is looking great and any number of his teammates can go off and make life hard. Last night Steph went off but e kept the rest of the Warriors under wraps. That and a monster of a game by Trezz was all it took for a comfortable win.
- Monstrezzl Harrel. That was epic. After getting T’d up for swinging his arm in a derogatory way at one of the officials Trezz took out his anger on the hapless Warriors. They didn’t have an answer. Like Godzilla rampaging through Tokyo Harrell annihilated whatever defense came his way. His activity on both ends created easy buckets for himself and the team, he shot 11-14, got to the line 6 times (making 5) and led a dominant Laker bench attack that Golden State had zero answer for. Game ball to Trezz.
- Kuzma continues to do it all. You can find seasons where Kuzma scored more or shot better, his rookie season being among his best. This is better. Not because he’s pouring in points but because he’s fitting in perfectly with everything the Lakers are doing on the court on both ends. He’s learned the difficult to master skill of fitting in alongside LeBron James. He starts when asked, and now is playing with that same intensity he brought as a starter off the bench. His rebounding and defense are what is setting him apart this season. Had it not been fir Trezz’s monster Kuzma would be walking away with the game ball.
- Oh yeah, LeBron had a triple-double. Which was actually big because we needed a little more from the King on a night Schroder never got out of first gear. The best stat in this triple-double? 30, thirty minutes played to secure the win and get a little down time on the bench.
- KCP surfaces! Like a blue whale breaching Caldwell-Pope turned in a good game! Kentavious had some extra energy on D, canned a lot of his threes and in general more resembled the player we all would like to see on a more consistent basis. The defensive intensity has been my biggest issue. He’s not a sink hole or a matador but he just hasn’t been as…pesky. Last night I thought he played with a more recognizable feistiness and here’s hoping it’s here to stay.
- THT getting some major burn. It’s been an up and down season role-wise for Talen. He broke onto the scene in “preseason”, saw a big role taken away altogether and then has had scant minutes more often than not since getting a more steady presence on the court. He scored at will in the paint, going 7-10 overall, but it was his playmaking that stood out to me. A career high 10 dimes paced the bench and helped blow the game wide open. Impressive considering how much LeBron and Dennis control the ball on most possessions.
No rest for the weary and it was good we won in the fashion we did: we got another one tonight. Go Lakers.
Lakers hitting on all cylinders for a change was a welcome relief. Easiest 5 things this season, Jamie. Just need to remember that the Dubs are not the Clippers, Jazz, or Nets.
1. Trezz was beasting last night. Always in the right spot and aggressive knowing he was going up against a rookie rim protector. Whether you want Trezz to show how valuable he can be as a Lakers or to raise his value as a trading chip to a team like the Pacers, his play was great news.
2. We talked a lot about Kuz on the podcast and how the game has finally slowed down for him. Shooting 5 threes per game now at 37.8%, averaging 6.8 rebounds 3rd on team after AD and LeBron, and posting a 103.0 3rd best defensive rating on team after Caruso and LeBron, Kuzma is now cementing his position as the Lakers 3rd most valuable player and the trading chip that could bring back Myles Turner.
3. LeBron taking the bull by the horns to carry the Lakers and also taking advantage of the opportunity to win his 5th regular season MVP now that AD and Embiid are both out with injuries. The King looking great and the team having fun despite missing three key players.
4. I said the other day that the game saving steal and free throws might be exactly what Kenny needed to get untracked and he finally nailed 3 of 4 threes so hopefully this is a sign of him coming out of this slump. Really happy for him although I would still start Kuz at the two.
5. Just when you start worrying about the kid, he comes through in spades with a double-double and 10 assists, many of them leading to Trezz and Kuz dunks or wide-open threes. The third player in the Myles Turner sweepstakes that has to have the Pacers salivating at what they might be able to get from the Lakers.
Aloha Jamie, nice 5. Last night was a good example of what meant when I posted my playing the right way post. The ball was moving and the 3’s were falling along with a dunksthon. The Warriors maybe a 500 team but they play decent defense, have knocked off the Clippers, the Jazz and us with AD. They dropped 1 130 on the Jazz, so it was a good win for us with so many injuries.
Man, how good and pleasant it was to see the Lakers give a nice ass-whooping blowout as a payback to our earlier loss to the Warriors. @ Tom, you are right about KCP getting his mojo back after that stellar defensive display at the end of the game. He sure did come through. @ Michael, “playing the right way” should be the team’s mantra or motto. Thanks for standing by your words as it has shown to be the right answer. Also, this must have been the quietest triple-double for James. Great game. Hope to see another great game tonight.