I'm behind and I just saw the Lakers' game tonight. Luckily, that won't be counted on for this week. After a tough opening loss to the Clippers, the Lakers are slowly finding their rhythm. Great win against Utah on the home opener and a win against Charlotte to close out opening week. Now, this stretch gets a bit bumpy with two challenging matchups on the road. But first they gotta take care of business against Memphis. Let's see how they fared below shall we?
10/29: vs. Memphis 91-120 [W] (3-1)
HIGHLIGHTS
I think we're witnessing a pattern here with these games. The Lakers will go on a slow start in the first half. But when the second half rolls around, that's when they start putting the clamps on opponents on both ends of the floor. This game was no exception. The Grizzlies jumped out of the gate on the LakeShow with 15-2 start. Based on the way Memphis was playing, it looked like an upset was brewing. Not too mention, the Lakers could not hit anything from beyond the arc as they started 1/11 from that category. But in the 3rd quarter, Anthony Davis was a man among boys. He single handedly dominated his way to transform this game into a blowout, bad shoulder and all. The 'Brow was beast on both ends, disrupting the Grizzlies' offensive blow and just bullying his way to the free throw line. LeBron doesn't have to be dominant as long as this guy is around and stays healthy. The man went for 40 points and 20 boards in three quarters. If that doesn't scream MVP numbers, I don't know what does. One thing important is that the Lakers protected home court during this stretch. Utah was their only challenge, but they took care of business against teams they should beat with ease. The true test lied ahead on the upcoming three game road trip to Dallas, San Antonio, and Chicago.
11/01: @ Dallas 119-110 (OT) [W] (4-1)
HIGHLIGHTS
I have Dallas as playoff contender this season and there's no better way to open up the road trip for the Lakers. The Lakers did their job to protect their home court, now the real test came on the road. The purple and gold get Kyle Kuzma back from injury, which is a big plus. However, he did struggle to get back into rhythm this game. As usual, the Lakers were off the rough start in the first half. It was a little scary since the Mavs got their 3-point game rolling. The sky was the limit for Luka Doncic in his sophomore year. He did a great job running the Mavs' offense and he created a lot of open shots for his team. The court will belong to Luka someday. But, the Lakers once again shook off the bad start. By Q3, the Lakers and Mavs were trading a lot of shots. I was a little concerned since the last thing this team needs is to be in a shootout. The way I see it, the team is not built that way. But they did a heck of a job to rally behind Air Caruso's ferocious throw down in the 4th quarter. That was a momentum-building play. The Mavs lead in the finals second with Dorian Finney-Smith's go ahead three set up by Doncic. But after the timeout, LeBron found Danny Green in the corner and he hit the buzzer beating three to send it to OT. From then, LeBron and AD took over and it was a wrap. The narrative is that LeBron's declining since the groin injury. Rumors of his demise were greatly exaggerated as he notched a near 40-point triple-double with 39 points, 12 rebounds, and 14 assists. 4 steals too.
11/03: @ San Antonio 103-96 [W] (5-1)
HIGHLIGHTS
The Lakers wrap up their Texas rodeo with another daunting task against the ever-stingy San Antonio Spurs. The first meeting against the Spurs is always tough. Gregg Popovich always emphasizes on a team-first attitude. That's why they're always in the playoffs even without Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, and Kawhi Leonard. It was going to be a dog fight. But as usual, good teams find ways to win. LeBron and AD did their jobs this game. Another triple double for James with 21 points, 11 rebounds, and 13 assists. AD had 25 points, 11 rebounds, and 4 blocks. But the main story was KCP, Avery Bradley, and Dwight Howard. They stepped it up big. KCP has been playing well as of late. He'll get cold eventually, but all is right when he plays well. Bradley racked up 16 points, though he did get hurt this game after Dejounte Murray kicked him in the shin. It's nothing major and likely a day-to-day. Spoiler alert, I did watch the Bulls game and see how they fared without him running "point." I'll provide that later in my next weekly roundup. Dwight Howard, especially stepped up with 14 points, 13 rebounds, and 2 blocks. This is the Dwight we wanted to see back in 2012-13. But compared to now, he doesn't have a lot of pressure to do everything since LBJ and AD are the focal point. All he has to do is rebound, block, and putback dunk. That's it and he's made the most of it. Nonetheless, this was an impressive road win and the Lakers are pressing the right buttons to stay atop the Western Conference.
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