*Some NSFW language*
What a week it was after the Lakers had a tough loss against the lowly Cavaliers. Since that game though, they managed to regroup and string together some competitive games against teams that are far beyond their status. With playoff implication on the line, it was clear that the Lakers needed to play with more urgency, especially since LeBron James' status is still up in the air. Though, Laker Nation received good news that he's slowly progressing from the groin injury. And Rondo should be close to coming back as well. The Lakers are still beyond .500 and have to protect their winning record so far. Let's see how they fare in this Lakers Weekly Roundup.
01/15: vs. Chicago 107-100 [W] (24-21)
HIGHLIGHTS
Luke Walton channeled his inner Owen Hart by shaking up the starting lineup a bit. "Well, enough is enough and it's time for a change!" After a stunning loss against the then-winless Cavaliers, what could possibly go wrong going up against a team that's also on a losing streak? Well for the first half it certainly looked like things would go wrong as the Bulls were neck and neck with the Lakers. Seriously, the Lakers were once against lackadaisical to start right out of the gate. However, things settled down in the 2nd half as the LakeShow assumed control of the game. Zo breaks out of the funk with a triplet of threes to highlight his 19 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists night. B.I. took over the game, finishing with 16 points. Svi knocked down a pair of threes. Kuzma with a double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds. All was good from the middle of the third quarter to 1 minute left in the 4th. Yes, the Lakers almost went full melt down in the fourth quarter as Chicago continued to fight on an 11-0 run. Free throws reared its ugly head, but not much. The Lakers closed out a game in the fourth quarter. No LeBron. No Rondo. A shakeup in the starting lineup. You name it. In other news, Hell has officially frozen over. Unfortunately for Laker fans and Staples Center attendees, a team in the Central Division has to ruin your chances of getting free tacos yet again.
01/17: @ Oklahoma City 138-128 (OT) [W] (25-21)
HIGHLIGHTS
I couldn't be anymore proud the way this team performed this game whether they won or lost. That was the gutsy Laker young core I remember that kept their heads in the game last year. OKC had the upper hand early on, but it was the Lakers bench that brought them back from a big deficit to start. Ivica Zubac was a monster inside the paint with 26 points and 12 rebounds. I guess you can he Steven Adams'd Steven Adams this game. Despite the inspired performance, this game could've easily been marred a pair of bullshit calls against the Lakers, such as the out-of-bounds call when a Thunder player clearly touched it last. Or when Westbrook put up a second late after Lonzo fouled him before the act, which the refs still awarded him three free throws to tie the game in regulation. However, the Lakers wouldn't be denied as Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, and Zubac took the game over in OT to close the Thunder out without LeBron. Without Rondo. Add Westbrook going full Westbrick down the stretch to aid in the Lakers' big victory. And yet Paul George still chooses to go with stat-padding shot chucker. Don't come asking to play in the Purple and Gold when your contract is up and you wind up empty-handed in OKC, Paul.
01/19: @ Houston 134-138 (OT) [L] (25-22)
HIGHLIGHTS
Hot start from the Lakers this game. They've pummeled the Rockets in the first half. James Harden has not shot the ball well. Keep this advantage Lakers.
*2nd half* Once again, the Lakers couldn't get away from the injury bug as Lonzo Ball had to be carted off with an ankle injury. Down goes another playmaker. The defender clearly tangled with Zo and there should've been a foul call. If that was Harden, he would've gotten the call and two free throws. Luke Walton lets the refs know it at the cost of being ejected for the rest of the game with assistant coaches Brian Shaw and Jesse Mermuys taking over head coaching duties.
*4th quarter* Okay, the Rockets had a monster 3rd quarter since Zo got out of the game and Coach Walton got ejected. But, things are getting settled as Lance Stephenson hits a couple of clutch three-pointers. Zubac has been unstoppable in the paint and hitting clutch free throws. It's such an anomaly that the Lakers, one of the worst free throw shooting teams in the league, are perfect from their free throws. Just don't foul and-*Eric Gordon hits game-tying three* Well, that's the worst case scenario. Gordon hasn't played a game in awhile and he just pulled a Marcus Paige in the National Championship game two years ago. The Lakers have ran the gauntlet in this tough stretch. They came off a grind-it-out win against the Thunder two days ago. Can they do it again?
*OT* And this is why I don't like it when the Lakers let better teams hang around after regulation. Do you remember those two home games against the Warriors last season? Eric Gordon came alive. James Harden, bad shooting night at all, reminded the league why he's MVP and a magnet for the refs and their whistles. Brandon Ingram though came alive and kept the Lakers within striking distance. Rockets missed some critical free throws. And-*KCP airballs three* How the hell did you not give the ball to Ingram in that situation? I was mad, but I won't overreact. KCP had a great look for the go-ahead three. He just didn't have his feet and legs balanced enough. If he makes it, he makes it. If he doesn't, well he gets crucified. But still, that was the most questionable possession that game. Lakers have another chance though. *Kuz loses the ball out of bounds* And he had B.I. wide open inside the key for a game-tying dunk. We can blame Kuz's butter fingers, but the Rockets had their hands on the ball to disrupt the inbounds play and Kuz had on-ball pressure all over him. You can't completely blame him for that. Clearly, I have a dissenting opinion cause I don't know, I actually saw the game? Seriously, everybody's blaming everyone and calling for some trades and some heads after this.
The Lakers played well enough this game. The number one rule is that you don't let a good team hang around beyond regulation. They will burn you since they have enough firepower and talent to muster a win if extra time is allocated. That's why I mentioned the home games against the Warriors last year. Lakers had a chance to put them away, but the Warriors just had too much firepower to pull away in OT. Speaking of the Warriors, they are in town tomorrow night as the NBA's Thanos arrives in Wakanda (Staples Center) with all Infinity Stones in tact and there's no Thor (LeBron), Rocket Racoon (Rondo), and Groot (Zo) to come in and provide the reinforcements. And open thread is back for tomorrow night!
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