Day to be happy. For many parts. Even in defeat the Spurs have something to be pleased about. One more step in the history of equality, from the recognition of merits regardless of gender, was given on the night of December 30. 2020 has brought all the bad imaginable, but it is going to leave with a ray of hope for the NBA in these terms. It is a mere formality, yes, but also a gesture to discover unexplored horizons. A coach, Becky Hammon, has led an NBA team in an official game for the first time. Only a few minutes, due to the expulsion of the main coach, but he has done it. Hammon, known for her history as a player and for having passed through Russia or Spain leaving her mark at that stage, had already done interviews to be signed as a head coach elsewhere, but the great opportunity has not yet arrived. He has come to see the temperament of Popovich, in a classic strategy to change the tendencies in the parties, and that this time yes I was next in line and not a Tim Duncan who assumed that position in another expulsion that occurred last season. Its time to lead, but above all to shout that change is possible and is close to occurring with all of the law.
It was also a day of celebrations on various sides. At the Lakers, LeBron James was the birthday boy. 36 years. What better combination of names than his, that of a player who is praised for what he does on the court but even more so for what he does off it, with Hammon’s. The numbers squared in such a way that the ’23’ could celebrate not only with cake but with another statistic of those that one is not very aware of but that burns your eyelashes when you look at it. 1,000 games scoring 10 points or more. He had surpassed the record, beating Michael Jordan, two years ago, but he has not signed a match in which he has scored less than a dozen since 2007. Brutality after brutality. What better way than to press the accelerator a little more and be the best of Los Angeles as a contribution to victory: 26 points, 5 rebounds and 8 assists. That’s why not to lose the customs, that is what the king is for.
The Lakers perfectly controlled the game from the first quarter, knowing how to take advantage of a rotation with many more possibilities than that of the Spurs and closing the confrontation calmly. 107-121 in his first away game to go positive, 3-2, in the Western Conference standings.
He played retaliation after falling at home with the Blazers. Vogel used a shorter rotation, even without Talen Horton-Tucker even though Alex Caruso didn’t play, either, and put the Spurs in the paint in quite a bit.
The initial 9-2, caused by the verticality of Johnson and Murray, turned into a 9-13 in the middle of the quarter. The Spurs percussed in quick transitions, but in static the Lakers dominated, cutting through the center like a knife in butter. James and Schröder gave theirs to distance themselves a little more before the triples came into play: two followed by Wesley Matthews, who would finish with an immaculate 6/6, and one by Kyle Kuzma for just one on the other side , one of Mills.
Difference of ten when entering the second period. Time to see if the Spurs players on the court, short and not very strong compared to the average, could hold LeBron James. The answer: no. Launched on a penetration, with space in the middle distance and doing damage from the low post in three straight plays. This is how the Lakers kept a reasonable distance.
But of course, the movement could hurt the Angelenos because the local team boasts freshness and good legs in their young values. Dejounte Murray ran operations, always on the run, and finished with his best scoring mark: 29 points. DeMar DeRozan (23 points), other life insurance. They lacked, perhaps, the support provided by LaMarcus Aldridge, who is out due to a knee problem, both to open options in attack and to contain Davis in defense.
The difference was not less than five points and stabilized after the break. The meeting served to see the potential of the young people of the Spurs, although Derrick White was also missing, and even to see Anthony Davis a few minutes of pivot, something that will happen little throughout the season if the marked line is followed. Victory without many setbacks for the Lakers.
