2 years ago
249
Editor’s note: This is the Monday, Nov. 8 variation of the Purple & Bold Lakers newsletter from newsman Kyle Goon. To person the newsletter successful your inbox, sign up here.
On the agleam broadside … the Lakers play the adjacent 5 games astatine home. That’s a agleam side, right?
Digging into a week successful which a batch of things went wrong:
WEEK IN REVIEW
Tuesday, W, Lakers 119, Houston Rockets 117
Thursday, L, Oklahoma City Thunder 107, Lakers 104
Saturday, W, Portland Trail Blazers 105, Lakers 90
The Lakers (5-5) are tied with Portland and Sacramento for No. 8 successful the Western Conference standings, a three-and-a-half games backmost from No. 1 Golden State (8-1).
HIGH POINT: The Lakers could exhale aft Kevin Porter Jr.’s missed 3-pointer, allowing them to flight from the Rockets connected Tuesday night. At the time, it was viewed arsenic a imaginable stepping chromatic for the Big Three, who each finished with astatine slightest 27 points, adjacent though it was not the team’s champion antiaircraft performance.
LOW POINT: The 3rd 4th successful Portland, erstwhile the Lakers surrendered 42 points to the Trail Blazers erstwhile they were threatening to marque it closeagain. During 1 hard-to-watch stretch, Russell Westbrook missed 4 shots successful a row, including an airball jumper and an easy blocked lay-up. Several Lakers could beryllium seen bickering implicit blown antiaircraft coverages. Neither LeBron James nor Anthony Davis was disposable (Davis had to permission successful the archetypal quarter), and it’s unclear erstwhile James is coming back.
TRENDING TOPIC: Can Russell Westbrook adjust? The 32-year-old played back-to-back clunkers erstwhile the Lakers truly needed him to emergence up successful James’ (and past Davis’) absence. His 1 for 13 crippled against Portland was astir apt his worst arsenic a Laker. Westbrook’s statement is that helium commonly starts retired rocky with caller teams, past adjusts implicit time. Historically, the stats suggest he’s right; lone the Lakers don’t person clip to hold for Westbrook to drawback up with hard games coming up this week.
READ OF THE WEEK: The biggest voices connected the Lakers – LeBron James, Anthony Davis and wide manager Rob Pelinka – person consistently messaged that Russell Westbrook needs lone to beryllium himself to succeed. So far, that attack has resulted successful maddeningly inconsistent play. Our analysis: For the Lakers to succeed, Westbrook needs a much disciplined approach, and the Lakers’ powerfulness brokers request to beryllium much nonstop with him.
HEATING UP: Relative to expectations, Austin Reaves continues to impress. He’s played astatine slightest 20 minutes successful each of the past 5 games, and his antiaircraft instincts person earned Frank Vogel’s spot successful crunch time. If the rookie tin bump up his shooting a fewer points (47.5% from the field, 36% from three), he’ll marque a lawsuit for minutes adjacent erstwhile immoderate wings travel disconnected the wounded report.
COOLING DOWN: One of the amended things that happened successful an different disastrous Portland travel was that Malik Monk yet saw the shot spell done the hoop a fewer times, finishing 5 for 11 with 13 points. He had made conscionable 1 of his erstwhile 13 shots, which was discouraging since the champion accomplishment Monk brings to the array is scoring. It’s worthy wondering if helium has thing peculiar successful store for Charlotte, the squad that drafted him successful 2017 and fto him locomotion this summer.
INJURY REPORT: The large question is however overmuch longer of a hold it volition beryllium for LeBron James, who volition miss a 3rd consecutive crippled with his abdominal strain. The Lakers initially indicated astatine slightest a week, but timelines connected James’ injuries person a mode of getting longer. Anthony Davis started to play with hissprained thumb connected Saturday earlier helium near due to the fact that of a tummy unwellness that caused him to vomit – it’s not yet wide whether he’ll play Monday night. Kendrick Nunn (right genu bony bruise), Talen Horton-Tucker (right thumb ligament) and Trevor Ariza (right ankle surgery) person yet to play a regular play game, and it’s unclear erstwhile immoderate of them volition beryllium back. But connected a affirmative note: Wayne Ellington yet played against the Thunder and Trail Blazers, and Dwight Howard got backmost in, too.
QUOTABLE: I’ve spent the past fewer days wondering precisely what Dwight Howard meant by this punctuation exactly: “If we’re going to win, we person to beryllium humble. We’re not the title squad that we privation to beryllium close now. So successful bid for america to get there, we person to enactment humble. That’s nary sound connected who we are arsenic players. It’s conscionable arsenic a team, if you privation to triumph connected immoderate level, you got to enactment humble.” When pressed upon wherefore helium brought up humility arsenic a needed trait for the Lakers, Howard resisted clarification.
COMING UP
Monday vs. Charlotte, 7:30 p.m (NBA TV)
Wednesday vs. Miami, 7 p.m. (ESPN)
Friday vs. Minnesota, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday vs. San Antonio, 12:30 p.m.
– Kyle Goon
Editor’s note: Thanks for speechmaking the Purple & Bold Lakers newsletter from newsman Kyle Goon. To person the newsletter successful your inbox, sign up here.
English (US) ·