Welcome in to the full recap of the Lakers' matchup vs. the Washington Wizards where the Lakers pull off win #2 in dramatic fashion yet again as they beat the Wizards 99-102 in overtime to snap the Wizards' 3-0 start to the season.
When the Lakers lose this season, it's comfortable and we all shake it off and say "next game." But, when they win, they have to give us a few heart attacks. That's the early narrative for this team this season. Their first win, they almost blew a six point lead against Phoenix, but luck tilted in their favor as the Suns missed a key first free throw. This 2nd win, the Lakers made a couple of key stops. Not a lot of shots were falling down the stretch, but they kept hanging in there with some good team defense and eventually, Kuzma came through with a three. KCP came through with a three. Ingram made some clutch plays. This is a type of win where young teams can hang their heads on, especially against a playoff contending team like the Wizards.
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Brandon Ingram, 19 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 block. I said in my commentary last game against the Pelicans, Ingram is most effective when he's looking to attack the basket. Overall, the game plan the Lakers had was to attack the Wizards on the interior. B.I. was responsible for a couple of those points in the paint. That's how he gets going and that's his current strength in his game as of now. And a reminder, his shot will come and tonight, we saw glimpses of his mid range jumpshot from the top of the key as they were coming along down the stretch. Other than that, he stuffed the stats sheet, particularly on the boards. His offensive rebound to tie the game at regulation was huge.
Lonzo Ball's defense vs. John Wall. So, Marcin Gortat put out a tweet before this game, saying that John Wall would torture Lonzo Ball for 48 minutes. For those, who've missed the game, the stats sheet would say that Wall dominated Ball. It's like the equivalent in Boxing where you go off who won based on the Compubox statistics and the unofficial round-by-round score cards. But, the judges see something else and give the win to the "loser." Then you see replay that the boxer who you think is the "loser" landed the cleaner hits and defended himself better. Based on watching this game, Lonzo Ball held his ground against John Wall for the most part of the game. Wall beat Ball only on one play when he threw down an emphatic dunk in the 3rd quarter. Granted, Zo got help defense, but he did a good overall job in closing down Wall's lanes where he can't use his speed to attack the basket with ease. Ball also did a good job to keep his body upfront when defending Wall. Wall only got going when there was another defender guarding him and he had his way against KCP, Clarkson, and others, but not Ball.
Clutch defense. For a team that has given up 100+ points in three games, the Laker defense did its job in stepping up when needed. The Lakers made a run late in the fourth, they step up on D to make key stops to get the ball back. And in the closing moments of OT, the defense steps up again and forced the Wizards to take tough shots. Give the team defense of the Lakers credit. The back court of John Wall and Bradley Beal and the overall Wizards' offense is often difficult to stop.
Julius Randle, 10 points, 9 rebounds. Has Randle finally embraced the role of being a bench player? It remains to be seen, but he came up huge again tonight! His activity on both ends on the floor are what ignite the Laker runs. When the ball is in his hands, you know he's gonna push as long as he's in control. He was also solid on defense when he was switched up against Wall. And yes, his three to cut the lead at 91-90 was big time.
Larry Nance Jr., 18 points, 10 rebounds. Larry Nance's game was almost forgotten because of that wild finish. He was also responsible in the Lakers' game plan to attack the paint. His activity was there too. He was at the right places at the right time to clean up some offensive boards and get some put back shots for scores as Brook Lopez took out Marcin Gortat out of the paint. Most of his points were also set up with Lonzo and Clarkson attacking and Nance just back door cuts in for easy baskets.
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Turnovers. This negative tends to show up in all Laker games. 21 is the official total for the number of turnovers the Lakers committed this game. The most frustrating part is that a majority of the turnovers were not Washington's defense. They were part of mental errors or the players just trying to do too much. This happens to young teams most of the time.
MVP
I implore my fellow Laker fans to stay patient with this man's development. B.I. took another step in his development tonight in making clutch plays down the stretch. For now, basket penetration is his forte. The outside shots will follow.
Conclusion
This is a nice compensation for LA fans who watched the Dodgers lose Game 2 of the World Series tonight. Side note aside, wins against good teams are what builds confidence for young teams. Granted, the season is still early and we don't expect this team to win a lot of games. Especially against playoff ready teams. But, what matters is that this team keeps fighting to the end. Some games will tilt in their favor and some won't. It's part of the growing process. Tonight was a great win, no question. The Lakers competed and kept their heads in the game when things were looking bleak, especially in the 2nd half. The next test now, is stringing together a small winning streak. Open thread and full recap is back on November 2 when the Lakers take on the Blazers in Portland. The Blazers had their number lately. At some point, they gotta find a way to contain Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum. Expect more quick recaps and commentary for the next Laker games in between tonight and November 2. I'll see you guys later.
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