Kyle Kuzma had another stellar game with a double-double, scoring 27 points and 14 rebounds, but the defending champion Warriors got the best of the Lakers again 106-113. Lonzo Ball followed up with 24 points including shooting 5-6 from beyond 3-point land. Brandon Ingram added 12 points and KCP rounded out the starters in double figures with 10 points. Julius Randle was the lone player in double-figures off the bench with 21 points.
Final Score: @ Golden State 106-113 [L]
Full article: http://www.nba.com/games/20171222/LALGSW#/recap
Next Game: vs. Portland (Tonight, 6:30 PM Pacific Time)
Highlights: *Courtesy of Ximo Pierto*
Including this game, the Lakers have taken the defending champions to the limit. You talk about two games in LA that went to overtime. And this game last night, the Lakers almost rallied, but the Warriors still found a way to win, which all great teams do regardless of their situation. Kevin Durant had a usual KD stat line, but Jordan Bell was the X-factor in this game with a double-double. Bell cashed in a lot of opportunities in the pain when the Laker defense had all its attention on Durant. Some of the positives from last night's game, of course Kyle Kuzma recording a double-double and a 20+ point performance. He was the MVP in the last game the Lakers played the Warriors and he continued to put up nice numbers against them. Kuz has had the hot hand as of late and that trend should continue with the way he's playing as of late. Julius Randle carried the 2nd unit. He played his style of bullying basketball last night. In some possessions, Randle came in like a freight train and just went strong to the hoop for emphatic dunks. He was really effective inside the post and brought over some good energy on the defensive side adding 2 steals and a block. The highlight outside of Kuzma's red hot performance was Lonzo Ball's 24 point performance and hitting 5-6 from the 3-point line. Looking at his highlights, the way he was shooting the ball was different. His original form is he brings the ball to the opposite side of his waist and shoots. It worked in UCLA, but it's ineffective in the NBA. Last night, Ball shot the ball (no pun intended) in a more formal and proper shooting form. Those threes that he made last night were all swishes, nothing but net. This game is an encouraging sign and his new form is going to be a work-in-progress. It'll get better with time as he becomes more consistent with it. Three tough losses against the Warriors though in three competitive games, the Lakers couldn't have a better opportunity than that. They play each other again in March, but that game is likely going to be less competitive than these three games with the Warriors making a playoff push at that point of the season. I wasn't even alive the last time the Warriors swept the Lakers in a regular season series. A majority of Warriors fans who started cheering on this team since 2014-15 weren't alive the last time that happened. The chances of the Warriors sweeping the Lakers in regular season head-to-head this season is likely building up. But, anything can happen between now and that next meeting in March.
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