Going up against playoff-hopeful teams in the West is not always easy if you're shorthanded. The Lakers failed their first try in Utah to play spoiler on the Jazz's hopes on Tuesday. But, they succeeded in dinging San Antonio's playoff hopes just a bit in an OT win last night. This is your Lakers round up commentary on the blog.
04/03: @ Utah 110-117 [L]
Full article: http://www.nba.com/games/20180403/LALUTA#/recap
Highlights: *Courtesy of Rapid Highlights*
Last game against the Kings displayed a mundane performance from the Lakers all season long. But fortunately, they bounced back really quickly against the Jazz, despite the losing effort. The Lakers started strong out of the gate. Kuzma started perfect in the first quarter and he along with KCP did most of the damage here. Kuz finished with 26 points while KCP racked 28 points. They played a big part in the Lakers' final desperation run before falling short at the end of the game. Utah's backcourt duo of Donovan Mitchell and Ricky Rubio dominated this game for the Jazz. We all know Mitchell is a stud rookie. But, Rubio is showing he can be a scoring threat to go with his passing prowess. The defense had some fits whenever Rubio would come off screens. The Lakers never knew if he was looking to score or read the defense perfectly to set up a nice pass to roller like a Gobert or a Derrick Favors. Overall, the Jazz's back court was on fire this game. The Jazz have been on an unbeliveable run after a slow start to the season. It was interesting to note that Luke Walton elected to let Randle play point for a majority of the game. His performance was a little of a mixed result with 9 assists to 5 turnovers to go with his 12 pts-12 rebs performance.
04/04: vs. San Antonio 112-122 (OT) [W]
Full article: http://www.nba.com/games/20180404/SASLAL#/recapHighlights: *Courtesy of MLG Highlights*
Talk about a nightmarish trip to La La Land for the San Antonio Spurs. They lose a heartbreaker the other night against the Clippers and the Lakers broke their hearts again in overtime last night. They haven't clinched a playoff spot yet since the West is very congested outside of the 1-3 seeds. This win was an example of great physical and mental fortitude from the Lakers. They were coming off a tough loss in Utah. They had to travel home while the Spurs are still LA, waiting for them. All signs pointed to the Spurs having the advantage. But clearly, Kyle Kuzma and the Lakers had other plans. Kuzma was in clutch mode when the game went to OT to help the Lakers seal the win. He finished with 30 points. He also accomplished a nice feat becoming the first NBA rookie with 1,200 points, 450 rebounds, and 150 made 3-pointers in a player's rookie season. ROTY (Rookie of the Year) may be out of the picture for Kuzma with Ben Simmons likely running away with it, but he's already won our hearts. KCP made a big three-pointer in that overtime as well that provided the Lakers a good cushion with the lead. He finished with 21 points. Keep in mind, the Lakers didn't have Julius Randle nor Brook Lopez on the floor. Luke didn't elect to put them out there since the lineup rotation with Kuz, KCP, Hart, Frye, Zubac, Ennis, and Caruso was working down the stretch. Lakers got a nice surprise performance from Channing Frye with 19 points off the bench; it goes to show that he's still got it when it comes to scoring and being a spot up 3-point shooter. Ennis also made some big buckets to keep the Lakers within striking distance. Luke also made a nice adjustment defensively doubling on LaMarcus Aldridge. We all know if you leave Aldridge one-on-one, he's gonna spot up and shoot. The Lakers doubled him and forced him to kick it to other Spurs players to step up and make a play. With this win, the Lakers sweep the season series against the Spurs for the first time in a long time. It'd shock the NBA world if the Spurs miss the playoffs because of tough losses like these. They haven't missed the playoffs since Gregg Popovich was first hired by the Spurs back in 96-97!
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