*Some NSFW language*
Playing in Staples Center, there are two things Laker fans expect: 1) a win 2) free tacos from Jack-in-the-Box. It doesn't matter if the Lakers are blowing an opponent out by 30 or 40 points. If they don't hold opponents to under 100, Laker fans in attendance will not be too thrilled of going home without free tacos. This is your Lakers Weekly Roundup!
11/27: @ Denver 117-85 [L] (11-9)
HIGHLIGHTS
Talk about a Mile High asswhoopin'. The Nuggets avenged their October loss by putting a curbstomping on the Lakers. Kudos to them, they had a well-balanced game.The defense suffocated the Lakers ability to play at the fast pace they wanted. The tone was Nuggets basketball, especially in the 2nd half. They blew this shit wide open and the Lakers couldn't do anything about, especially when they were missing a lot of shots. It was not the ideal Denver homecoming for JaVale McGee as he put up his worst outing of this breakout season with just a mere 2 points. We'll let Denver have this one as they needed something to spark this "rivalry" as they're always at the short end of the stick. The Nuggets have shown a lot potential as a playoff contender. The question remains whether or not they can sustain that success, especially down the stretch.
11/29: vs. Indiana [W] 96-104 [W] (12-9)
HIGHLIGHTS
The Lakers have a four game home stand starting with this game. They should take advantage of this. The first quarter was thing of beauty this game. You see what happens when the Lakers go full throttle on both ends of the floor? The activity was awesome as the Lakers generated turnover after turnover. Stop after stop. Going the length of the court for easy, unselfish buckets. They didn't allow Indiana to score their first bucket like 5 minutes into the first quarter. They got the Pacers pounded into submission with a 13-32 first quarter. This should be a decisive W. Victor Oladipo is not there pick up the slack. Then, all of a sudden that lead became a distant memory as the Pacers made a huge run. We were all like "not this shit again" as this is textbook example of the Lakers' inability to play with a big lead. LeBron ex Machina came in to save the day at the expense of the Pacers the same way he was able to do back in Cleveland. Free tacos for everyone!
11/30 vs. Dallas 103-114 [W] (13-9)
HIGHLIGHTS
As the Lakers got themselves to a fast start he previous day against the Pacers, they got themselves to a really slow start this game. Dallas came in and punched them right in the mouth. Luka Doncic blocked LeBron not once, but twice early on this game. Seems the student has surpassed the master as Doncic grew up idolizing LeBron. However, Karma strikes those who lay their hands on the King...twice. Proceed to be shut down by Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram the rest of the way. Doncic shot a terrible 2-13 from the field and 0-5 from beyond the arc. There's no question this rookie is a star in the making though. Lonzo Ball continues to establish himself as a severely underrated perimeter defender, generating 5 steals. First team all defense awaits. The Lakers may have won this game, but they lost the tacos as they couldn't lay their hands off the Mavericks down the stretch. Seriously though, those tacos from Jack-in-the-Box are only 99 cents. I'm sure Laker fans can squeeze one more dollar if they paid $500+ for a ticket.
12/02 vs. Phoenix 96-120 [W] (14-9)
HIGHLIGHTS
The Suns started off with a 17 point lead this game? Never noticed. Phoenix got themselves a great start this game as they fired on all cylinders in the first quarter. As much of a confidence builder this was, the Suns truly remembered who they were onward: trash disguised as an NBA team. I'm pretty sure the Lakers just spotted them a 17 point lead before they started putting the clamps on Phoenix from the 2nd quarter till the rest of the game. LeBron and Kuzma combined for 45 point and the bench got a much-needed big contribution from Michael Beasley. Holy hell, it took 'em awhile to finally put him in the rotation. Another big factor this game was that Devin Booker was limited to just 6 points this game. I'm sure Lonzo Ball once again had to do with that with his 4 steals this game. In all seriousness though, the Suns still can't get it right despite having a promising young core. How many more tanking seasons do they need to get back to being relevant? In other news, it was good to see Moe Wagner get some action with 10 points. Nothing says welcome to the NBA when JaVale McGee and Tyson Chandler get hyped for your first points in the NBA. Hopefully he finds his way into the rotation. I saw some really good glimpses in garbage time. Free tacos for everyone!
*UPDATE: Clearly I missed Devin Booker's injury late in the 2nd quarter. Looks like he re-aggravated that hamstring injury.*
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