Aloha,
I think this was what the team was meant to look like. Contributions from the whole squad. AD and LeBron both had good games but it was the others that got this win. 6 players in double figures and great team defense. While we still have 2 guys are out we have enough guys returning to make a difference.
Vando is beginning to look like Vando again. While his stat line doesn’t jump out at you except the 3 steals. he played 18 minutes of elite defense, mostly against SGA.
It’s so good to have Rui back. While he is still on minutes restriction, he scored 12 points and was 2 for 3 from 3. He also played solid defense and had 2 blocks.
Christian Wood is finally looking comfortable and has played well the last several games. 11 points 7 boards and 3 blocks.
I was worried about our back court defense with DLO and Austin starting together but over all they played well. DLO definitely has improved his defense and several good defensive plays.
Holding a team like OKC to 105 is a very good effort. This is the vision Rob had when he put this team together. Now we just have to keep it going.
Yup, it was a very impressive win with total team effort.
Aloha, Michael. Great post!
That was certainly a breath of fresh air in a terrible season and finally, a win where our PIP and FTM blueprint to overcome our 3PM issues worked. I’m also of the opinion that Ham was pretty much ordered to start DLO and AR. Front office likes to use injury situations to cloak ordered changes in lineups to cover for Ham.
The key to me was our size and how Davis, Wood, and Hachimura controlled the boards and the paint. There’s also no question that our size is a matchup issue for the Thunder, who clearly do not want to have to play the Lakers in the playoffs.
This was a big win and hopefully it can spark a turnaround so the Lakers don’t end up 5 games under .500 at the trade deadline like they did last season. Wed game vs. Mavs is big. Schedule then gets easier. If Lakers can somehow bottle what they did last night, they could move up the standings a little and give the front office some time to make the right deal.
Knowing this team, though, I still believe Pelinka is trying to make a deal now rather than waiting to the first week of February, which could easily be too late for the Lakers to legitimately contend.
Thanks Tom. I’m not sure what’s going to happen. Rob might be ready to make a trade but that doesn’t mean the other teams are. Currently there isn’t a lot of available players that we know of and a lot of teams looking to upgrade their roster. Take Murray for instance, there are at least 4 other teams that have expressed interest. It’s smart for the Hawks to wait for the absolute best offer. There is the risk that interest will dry up if more players become available, but for now waiting is the smart move for them.