As a Laker fan, you can't ask for a better start after All-Star break at 2-0 and notching those wins off a back-to-back set. The Lakers are back on track and they're still on pace to break last year's win total from last season. So, away we go with another round up commentary.
02/23: vs. Dallas 102-124 [W]
Highlights: *Courtesy of Ximo Pierto*
To summarize what I said in the last round up commentary, the Lakers just have to get back to that commitment on the defensive end. That helps set up the fast pace tempo they like to play. And on Friday night, they did exactly that and never looked back. The Lakers avenged their Feb. 10 loss to the Mavs. The one thing I pinpointed in that loss was that they did not exploit Dallas' thin inside presence. They should've feasted in the paint during that game. They made those adjustments and just attacked the Mavs' interior defense at will. The Mavs looked really gassed and beat up out there just trying to keep up with the Lakers and the Lakers dominated with speed and power. Interesting that Lonzo Ball came off the bench this game. It looks like Luke didn't want to mess around with the Hart-Ingram-Randle-Lopez-KCP lineup as it has been their most successful lineup thus far. But other than that, Zo looked okay in his return, playing alongside I.T. off the bench. I think that relieves I.T. as a ball handler as defenders can just zone in on him to disrupt the Laker ball movement. With Zo on the floor, at least it kept the Mavs' defense honest. Julius Randle had a triple-double with 18 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists. He looked really patient and in control out there as he's running the floor, bulldozing Mavs players, and dishing out bullet passes. After this, I want to take back what I said in my season preview about the Lakers likely letting Randle walk. I'd rather have the Lakers re-sign Randle than possibly signing LeBron James who's almost at the end of his prime. Overall, this was a great team effort win.
02/24: @ Sacramento 113-108 [W]
Highlights: *Courtesy of Ximo Pierto*
Friday's win over the Mavs was a cruise control victory. This game last night was a dramatic roller coaster down the stretch. This was gut check time for the Lakers to see how they could carry over the momentum from Friday's win. It's safe to say they passed the test even if last night's game had an ugly finish. Last night's game's secondary headline is the Kentavious Caldwell-Pope show. KCP lit up Sac-Town with a 34 point performance. He was raining threes last night and putting moves on defenders. KCP is a who's-who on game day. When he's hot, he's hot. When he's not, he's not. But, this was a great time for KCP to heat up and fire away. The Kings were knocking down their three balls. Buddy Hield and Bogdan Bagdanovic were headaches for the Lakers defense trying to defend beyond-the-arc. KCP and his 34-point explosion had some help. I.T. reminded everyone why he's the "King in the Fourth," knocking down a couple of big buckets in the 4th quarter. Kuzma also hit some big shots. The highlight of that quarter outside of KCP putting moves on Hield was Randle running the floor and throwing down an emphatic dunk to give the Lakers a 105-97 lead late in the 4th quarters. As mentioned about the ugly finish, the Lakers had a few hiccups with I.T. turning the ball over at the 32 second mark of the 4th quarter. KCP committed a bone-headed foul on Bagdanovic to set up a 4-point play with 14 seconds left in the game. But, I.T. made up for it with the free throws. Josh Hart sealed the game with two clutch free throws to give the Lakers the 113-108 win. We'll take it as it has been the story of the Lakers' road victories: near meltdowns, but they muster enough composure to hang on for the win.
