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LOS ANGELES — Malik Monk’s legs were fresh. He had already proved that by dashing down the level successful transition, catching Carmelo Anthony’s oculus for the agelong cross-court pass.
As if to stress the point, the 23-year-old past took formation from the wing, leaping with the youthful outpouring this squad has been missing since helium past played for the Lakers 2 weeks before.
He had a connection helium wanted to send, helium said afterward: “(Expletive), I’m back.”
Not everyone has travel retired of the NBA’s COVID-19 protocols caller arsenic a daisy, but Monk, with 20 points, surely did successful his archetypal crippled since Dec. 12, 1 of 2 Lakers to exit protocols Saturday morning. The Lakers didn’t play Avery Bradley, the defense-oriented defender who has been a regular starter for astir of the season, but Monk gave the Lakers a small spot of beingness successful a different disappointing evening.
Monk was cardinal to erasing the 23-point fourth-quarter deficit, scoring the game-tying handbasket with 45 seconds left. Ultimately, it wasn’t capable successful a 122-115 nonaccomplishment Saturday evening astatine Crypt.com Arena.
Monk had a confusing roadworthy done the NBA’s protocol system: He thought helium was cleared Dec. 16 erstwhile helium flew with the Lakers to Minnesota successful a travel that was approved by the NBA. But helium ne'er got retired until Saturday morning, aft missing 5 games.
“I truly don’t cognize what happened, man,” helium said. “I thought I was cleared. (The NBA) said I wasn’t. Kept switching backmost and forth.”
There are 3 remaining Lakers successful the protocols: Austin Reaves, Kent Bazemore and Trevor Ariza. Head manager Frank Vogel is besides out, having missed the past 4 games.
The Lakers besides deployed 2 players signed via 10-day hardship contracts: Stanley Johnson and Darren Collison.
Of the two, Collison has generated much section intrigue successful caller years aft retiring connected the eve of 2019 escaped agency. Since then, the UCLA merchandise has flirted with signing with the Lakers, astir notably successful 2020 erstwhile helium attended a crippled sitting close by squad proprietor Jeanie Buss. The 34-year-old spent immoderate clip playing pick-up this summertime with the existent team.
It was wide interim manager David Fizdale has immoderate affinity for a SoCal autochthonal coming retired of a vocation hiatus to enactment for the hometown squad (Fizdale himself did the aforesaid thing).
“Obviously helium is simply a perennial pro, man,” helium said. “He conscionable kept himself successful shape. His attack to the game, his cognition to the crippled is phenomenal.”
Johnson, of course, is besides making a hometown comeback, though the erstwhile Mater Dei prima played for the South Bay Lakers earlier this season. Johnson was rapidly impactful arsenic a defender connected Harden subbing successful during the archetypal quarter, and making a fewer buckets connected the side. He finished with 7 points and a plus-6 rating.
The Lakers made a speedy determination to propulsion the plug connected centers, deploying Dwight Howard conscionable 6:11 earlier playing wing-heavy lineups to amended support up with Brooklyn’s tempo.
“I don’t cognize if we could person adjacent done that if Stanley wasn’t here,” Fizdale said. “Once we made the shift, we made a tally to get the crippled close.”
There was little occurrence for Collison, who went 0 for 3 successful the meaningful portions of the game. His astir notable plays wounded the Lakers: He fouled Patty Mills and Harden connected back-to-back 3-pointers, putting some astatine the enactment for four-point plays soon earlier halftime.
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