Thought Starter...
Back on track?
The Lakers lost Anthony Davis seven minutes into their Christmas Day tilt in San Francisco against the Warriors.
Bah humbug, right?
Not so fast. The Lakers circled the wagons, and got big performances up and down the roster, using an Austin Reaves bucket with a second left to beat Golden State, 115-113. Reaves had a triple double, with 26 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists, and only three turnovers. LeBron had 31 points, 10 assists, and only one turnover. As a team, the Lakers gave up the ball only nine times, a nice contrast to, say, the Detroit game, where the Lakers seemed determined to give the Pistons as many opportunities to win as they needed.
Meanwhile, the Lakers hit all 18 of their free throws, completely eliminating any fourth-quarter woes from the stripe. Or woes in any quarter.
Two examples of doing the little things that good teams do to win games, and that have to happen in a game where Davis is only able to play for seven minutes. Combine that with, once again, a sustained effort level on defense (playing without any sort of rim protection) and you give yourself a chance. That, more than anything, explains why the Lakers have improved so much on that side of the ball. Then you factor in the presence of Max Christie - who has picked up his scoring of late - and the impact it has on the defensive responsibilities of the other four guys, and you see even more why progress is being made.
That the Warriors have been struggling is worth noting, but it doesn’t detract from what was a very solid win for the Lakers. Playing shorthanded (D’Angelo Russell wasn’t available, either, having sustained a thumb injury in Monday’s loss), they went to another team’s building on a high energy day and won.
Doesn’t make up for the Pistons loss, but it stops the bleeding fast and gets the team back on the right track. And Davis, for what it’s worth, says he’ll be ready to play Saturday against Sacramento.
Fingers crossed.
Three Questions in This Episode...
1. How good is Anthony Davis at self-diagnosis?
2. How sustainable is the energy level from LeBron on the defensive end, as he turns 40?
3. Can the Lakers defend the rim when Davis isn’t in the game?
