5 Things: Lakers win at the Garden in OT

The Lakers got back on the good foot last night against a surging Knicks team and snapped a 4 game OT losing streak in the process. While not the prettiest of victories, it was one a sagging Lakers desperately needed in order to have a shot at pulling off a winning road trip. Plenty of good play all around with some puzzling miscues.

1. LeBron James passed Mark Jackson and Steve Nash on the All Time Assists list. All of these records speak to two astounding facts: LeBron James is really good at basketball and he’s been good for a very long time. Assists are a finnicky stat because they require a buddy to get one. Can’t pass a dime to yourself, that’s travelling. Passing NBA luminaries like Jackson and Nash has become common place with LeBron in the purple and gold. Fortunately, this milestone also came with a win.
2. Schroder’s half court heave. I’ve never seen a player more despondent after making a shot like that than Dennis, who was pissed at himself for a couple bad plays on both ends in the first half. Quickley was more excited about the shot than Dennis was, who didn’t even watch as it went in.
3. Rui Hachimura looking like a solid addition. Considering what we were getting out of Kendrick Nunn on a consistent basis this is a lifeline. Wearing #28 in honor of Kobe and Gigi Rui has already earned a starting look and a place in the closing line up. He hasn’t disappointed with steady all-around play, timely shooting and better than advertised defense encapsulated by the longest goal-tending review in league history (they decided he blocked Brunson’s shot at the apex in OT which really helped seal the win). If he continues to supplement the offense and defense like he has been you can expect Rui’s value to raise prior to the summer but, all in all, this looks like a gold star worthy addition by the front office.
4. Max Christie going to school, taking lessons. Max had a learning game last night and it’s one I hope serves him well. He took and made the open shots (including a ridiculous three off a Westbrook pass with a second or so on the shot clock that he drilled) and played pretty solid defense. He got eaten alive by Brunson’s quickness and stop/start game he deploys so very well. he also struggled to match the physical guys he got switched onto a few times to the tune of 5 fouls in 13 minutes. He didn’t really hang his head, he’s soaking up some valuable lessons and likely will still get minutes until Austin Reaves comes back.
5. Russell’s late dominance. I was just reading how it took over a year for Miami’s Big Three (James, Wade, Bosh) to gel and play within an acceptable hierarchy between each other. It reminded me very much of the growing pains Russ, James and AD have been going through. Last night we needed Russ in OT to create a couple easy looks for Davis (who struggled with multiple coverages all game long). Westbrook had three assists and nifty bank shot in OT after we had the lead with a couple minutes to go in the 4th and let that slip away in a hail of bad shots, missed free throws and poor overall execution on both ends. A game after being benched in the 4th (but summoned for juice in OT) Russ got a chance to show everyone what he can do when he plays with a higher level of focus and channels all that raw energy into the game.

Indy and NOLA will finish off this trip and both are winnable games. Barring an astounding explosive offensive burst LeBron will likely pass Kareem at home against either OKC or Milwaukee. Whether the team around him looks the same is, as yet, TBD, but one thing is certain: it’ll be a pretty big let down if he passes Cap in a loss so here’s hoping the best version of his teammates shows up on that night.