Lakers roll past the Warriors in their most complete win of the season.
The Lakers had one of their most complete games of the season tonight rolling past the Golden State Warriors 117–91. The Lakers had stellar performances from their offensive tonight having 6 players score in double-digits and had a season-high 73 first-half points in tonight’s victory. With tonight’s win, the Lakers move their overall record to 24–11 and move into the 2nd place spot in the NBA standings behind the 27–7 Utah Jazz.
On the night the Lakers were able to get to the free-throw line 38 times going 26–38 for 68% compared to the Warriors 13–19 (68%). The Lakers were able to finish above 30% from the 3 point arc which has been something the Lakers have struggled with in the first half of the season. From the field, the Lakers finished 40–85 (47%) and 11–31 (68%) from the perimeter and had a game-high 54 points scored in the paint with their biggest lead of tonight’s win being 35 points.
The Lakers might have had their best defensive performance as a team this season in tonight’s big win over the Golden State Warriors. The Lakers had a season-high 60 rebounds on the night with 14 of those being 14 offensive rebounds. Another huge reason the Lakers had arguably the best defensive game tonight was their game plan on the all-star Stephen Curry. The Lakers were able to hold Curry to finish with 16 points on 5–13 (38%) from the field and 2–7 (28%) from the perimeter. Another season high the Lakers were able to eclipse tonight was finishing with 14 steals and added 6 blocks.
As LeBron James continues to perform like an MVP this season, in the past couple of games James had started to create an argument to put him in the discussion of being on an all-defense team this season. After finishing with 4 steals and 2 blocks last game, LeBron James followed that with 2 blocks and 2 steals in tonight’s win. Kyle Kuzma was vocal about it on Twitter after the game:
In a season-low 24 minutes, LeBron James finished tonight with 19 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists and shot 7–12 (58%) from the field and 3–5 (60%) from the perimeter. With a hot start tonight the Lakers were able to take care of business and gave LeBron James a low-minute night to give him needed rest and a less heavy workload tonight. Lakers head coach Frank Vogel was asked about the season-low 24 minutes had tonight and how he felt about that in tonight’s win saying:
“I sleep better at night, that's for sure. We want to make sure that we’re managing him the best we can. You welcome nights like this where you can keep those minutes low.”
Ever since the resurgence of Dennis Schroder being back in the Lakers lineup from COVID protocol, the Lakers have had a huge boost on their tempo on both sides of the ball as Schroder continues to bring that energy night in and night out. Schroder played unbelievably tonight picking up Steph Curry in half-court defense and making it tough for him most of the game. In 25 minutes Dennis Schroder finished with 12 points, 6 assists, and 3 rebounds finishing with a whopping game-high 32 in the +/- in tonight’s win.
The Lakers had a huge night from the bench in tonight’s victory, with the bench scoring 55 points. The bench saw some new faces in their lineup with the newly signed Laker Damian Jones, who was signed to a 10-day contract two days ago. Damian Jones looked great in the short minutes he had tonight, giving the Lakers a need for the presence of an athletic defensive big man. Jones finished with 8 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 blocks in 8 minutes.
Kyle Kuzma finished with a double-double on the night, giving him his 8th time he has achieved that stat this season. In 20 minutes, Kuzma ended the night with 12 points and 11 rebounds on 4–7 (57%) from the field and 2–4 (50%) from the 3 point arc.
Alex Caruso led the way tonight, scoring the most points off the bench and gave the Lakers a huge spark off the bench in tonight’s win. Caruso finished with 13 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists on 5–8 shooting. He also had a solid +/- of 16 on the night.
The Lakers will use the momentum they have in this 2 game win streak into the next game on Tuesday against a very talented Phoenix Suns team. The Suns are currently in 4th place in the wild-wild Western Conference with a 22–11 record and look to knock out the defending champion Lakers. Look for one of the best backcourts in the NBA Chris Paul, and Devin Booker to come out with a lot of energy.