Tuesday, February 27, 2018

Lakers Keep Rolling with Win Over Hawks

*Stats courtesy of NBA.com*

Brandon Ingram lead all Lakers with a double-double of 21 points and 10 rebounds to go with 6 assists and 3 blocks in the Lakers' 123-104 win over the Hawks Tuesday night. Julius Randle and KCP joined B.I. in the double-double club as Randle racked up 19 points and 10 rebounds and KCP chipped in 10 points and 14 rebounds. Josh Hart added 14 points and Brook Lopez added 11 points to round out the starters. Lonzo Ball grabbed highlights with the 2nd unit with 13 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals, including a perfect 4-4 shooting. I.T. added 13 points and 5 assists, Kyle Kuzma recorded a near double-double of 10 points and 9 rebounds, and Ivica Zubac also chipped in 10 points to round out the bench.

Final Score: @ Atlanta 123-104 [W]
Full article: http://www.nba.com/games/20180226/LALATL#/recap

Next Game: @ Miami (03/01)

Highlights: *Courtesy of Ximo Pierto*



And there it is. The Lakers just tied their win total from last year and they're one win from breaking it. I'm gonna get one negative out the way: the turnovers. 23 turnovers in this game. The ball movement wasn't as crisp. They look like they played a little too fast out there. If they cut those in half, the margin would've been a lot bigger against this hapless Hawks team. But other than that, the Lakers showed off some great balance in this win with nine players in double figures. Three of them recorded double-doubles (Randle, Ingram, KCP). B.I. was just magnificent on both ends of the floor. When the Hawks made a mini run in 3rd quarter, Ingram took matters into his own hands scoring 8 of his 21 points in that quarter. Zo was perfect from the field this game. What did I tell people earlier this season? His shot will begin to fall in a matter of time. And for a small sample size after the break, he's starting to get more comfortable and more confident in his jump shot. KCP didn't follow up on his 34 point explosion in his homecoming to Atlanta, but he found ways to contribute to the team win, especially crashing the boards with the 14 rebounds. Despite the 3-game winning streak, those wins definitely spark some skepticism given that they played against sub .500 teams. Regardless, they are beating teams that they should beat. The next two games on this road trip are going to be the biggest test for the Lakers against two of the better teams in the NBA in Miami and San Antonio. Regarding the upcoming game against the Heat, if I recall, the Lakers have not won at Miami since 2008. They'll look to snap that long losing streak down in South Beach on Thursday.

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