Final Score: vs. Dallas 93-103 [W]
Full article: http://www.nba.com/games/20180328/DALLAL#/recap
Next Game: vs. Milwaukee (03/30)
Highlights: *Courtesy of MLG Highlights*
This was just like the Memphis game on Saturday. The Lakers got off to a really ugly start and somehow, they pull a rabbit out of the hat in the 2nd half to snatch this game away from the Mavericks. The first half was absolutely brutal to watch. The Lakers played with no sense of urgency. It's like they said to themselves: "we're not going to the playoffs. We don't need to play as hard as we've done all year long." They looked really lethargic out there after a 4-game road trip with the missed shots, turnovers, and of course, the missed free throws. The free throws in particular were problematic from the start. But, they found a way to overcome that and showed better effort in the middle of the third quarter to set up a strong finish to the game. They put the clamps on the Mavs especially in the 4th quarter, holding them to just 12 points total in that quarter. Moving on to the individual performances: Brandon Ingram returns to the lineup, finishing with 13 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists. It felt really good to see B.I. out there after missing 13 games. He showed no signs of rust scoring as he was able to shoot a midrange jumper and a pair of threes to start. As a facilitator, he showed rusts there as he was trying to force some passes in when the Mavs' defense doubled on him. Other than that, it was an okay return for Ingram. The front court of Randle and Lopez racked up points again as Randle added 20 points and 10 rebounds while Lopez tallied 22 points and 7 rebounds. As I said when the Lakers lost to the Mavs back in February, these guys should feast on the Dallas' weak interior defense and they did just that. Lopez started camping behind the three point line, but I like that he elected to take more inside shots and exploit that favorable matchup inside. Kyle Kuzma returned to the bench with 18 points. He struggled from three and shot 1-4 from the free throw line, but he came alive in the 4th quarter to help the Lakers pull this one away. He's in command of the 2nd unit with I.T. loss for the season. Speaking of injuries, Lonzo Ball walked away in 3rd with a knee ailment. Hopefully, it's just minor. He looked primed to stuff the stats sheet once again, despite the shooting woes. Nonethless, this game was ugly, but the Lakers pulled it out. It's no surprise, that's who they are all season long: a team that overcomes adversity and a team that plays hard until the final buzzer.
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