Still deprived of Anthony Davis, the Lakers have still not lost in 2023! Winners last night of the Hawks (130-114) in a match mastered from start to finish, LeBron James’ teammates chained a 4th success in a row, and they are approaching the qualifying places for the “play-in”.
Last night, we said to ourselves that they were going to have a good evening since it was Thomas Bryant, 3-pointers, who started hostilities, while Juan Toscano-Anderson punctuated a 9-2 after 70 seconds of play. At first, Dejounte Murray resists, but the Hawks will quickly give up.
The fault at the entry into play of Russell Westbrook which allows the Lakers to take a 10-point lead, while Kendrick Nunn finds his paw. After twelve minutes, the gap is made (37-28), and the Darvin Ham players continue with a 14-2 to take a 21-point lead (51-30).
On the Atlanta side, no reaction, and the return of the incumbents does not change anything. It’s Dennis Schroder who gives a layer, and LeBron, well served by Westbrook, brings the gap to +26 (62-36). At the break, the Lakers scored 70 points with five players at 10 or more points. LeBron is only the 4th scorer on the team…
The second half will be without much interest despite the awakening of Trae Young, and the Lakers will manage to maintain a 15-20 point lead throughout the second half. On arrival, a 4th victory in a row, the 5th in six matches, and here they are on the heels of the Jazz, currently 10th in the Western Conference.
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
A positive balance sheet without Davis. We don’t talk about it much but Darvin Ham still achieves a small feat since his players now have a positive record without Anthony Davis: 6 wins for 5 losses. It’s all the more remarkable as that night, Lonnie Walker, Troy Brown, Damian Jones and Austin Reaves were also missing. Result: the Lakers have lined up their 21st different starting five!
LeBron’s accuracy. After a game nursing a bad cold, LeBron was back, and he didn’t need to plant 40-plus points to save the team. One stat impresses: this is his 12th game in a row at 50% and more on shots. He got stronger as the match progressed, and his 4th quarter is perfect to avoid any scares with some big dunks to ignite the Crypto.com Arena.
TOPS/FLOPS
✅Russell Westbrook. We will have to think seriously about him for the trophy of best 6th man. He fulfills his role as an energizer perfectly, and it was when he came into play that the Hawks exploded. He ends one pass from the triple-double.
✅ Thomas Bryant. A new double-double for the lining of Anthony Davis. His 3-pointer, from the first possession, set the tone for the game. His rebounding dominance allowed for a lot of fast play.
✅ Kendrick Nunn. Finally a big game from him, and it was he, in the 2nd quarter, who was responsible for putting the Hawks’ head under water.
✅Trae Young. Transparent in the first half, he woke up when he returned from the locker room. Really the only one trying to make things happen, even if it leads to waste.
⛔John Collins. After his two performances against the Warriors and the Kings, John Collins falls back into his ways. Pushed back, he did not put one!
THE FOLLOWING
LA Lakers (18-21) : back-to-back on the Sacramento side.
Atlanta (18-21) : Sunday, still in the same room, facing the Clippers.
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