(News4usonline) – In a matchup that saw both the Los Angeles Lakers and the Golden State Warriors shorthanded, the Lakers were able to secure a win. Both teams have been struggling with injuries to their star players.
Luka Doncic of the Lakers was out after injuring his hamstring in their previous game. For the Warriors, their star Stephen Curry was out as well. In what is always an anticipated matchup between these two teams, the Lakers found a way to pull out a victory despite injuries to ensure their third straight win.
Early on in the game, the missing presence of both superstars for each team was felt. The first half saw very low scoring and a lot of poor shooting. Curry is the engine for the Warriors, but Doncic is the tone setter for the Lakers.
Doncic is known for being very aggressive in the first quarter and getting off to a hot start. With Doncic out of action the Lakers had to look elsewhere for their early offense, but in the first half it was a struggle.
After a struggling offensive half where the Lakers only scored 41 points, their other two stars found their stride. Having other star players to rely upon such as Lebron James and Austin Reaves is a luxury to have.
James came in the third quarter in attack mode and scored 9 early points, and was relentless in attacking the paint. He would finish the third quarter with 12 points, but Reaves in just his third game back from injury began attacking the paint as well.
Reaves has been on a minutes restriction the past few games since returning from injury, but he has been aggressive in his return. Still adjusting to restrictions, the first half performance against the Warriors was slow.
However, after attacking the paint and finding a rhythm, Reaves would finish with 16 points and 8 assists. The Warriors are a quick and stingy group. Nothing comes easy on their defense so multiple contributors played a role in this victory for the Lakers
Usually role players such as Rui Hachimura, Marcus Smart, Jared Vanderbilt played a role but it was the newcomer Luke Kennard who made an impact. Kennard played his first game with the Lakers after being acquired via trade from the Atlanta Hawks.
He is known as a three point specialist and he showed early signs that it can carry over to the Lakers. His shooting was not the only thing he did well. He attacked the basket and didn’t always settle for threes. He even played solid defense in spurts, to the point he was a part of the closing lineup to secure a win in the final minutes. Immediately gaining some trust from the coaching staff.
“With Luke in particular he has the ability to make good reads and make good plays, he’s a smart basketball player… for his first time with us he was really good.” said Lakers head coach JJ Reddick.
It took a collective effort to beat the Warriors, as they fought all the way to the end. Despite the Lakers clicking on offense and going up double digits a few times, the Warriors never folded and kept fighting, even without Curry.
The Lakers had to close and earn this win in the clutch like they have done a lot this season. Three straight wins for the Lakers now as they look to build momentum. There is no set time to win Luka Doncic will be back, but the Lakers are eager to keep stacking wins with or without him as we gear towards the NBA All-Star break soon.
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