The Lakers completed an uneven street journey on a excessive notice with consecutive wins at New Orleans and Milwaukee, salvaging a 3-2 document on the journey after a 119-95 win over the Bucks on Saturday. The one factor that appeared to excite the gamers greater than the victory was what waited for them after the nine-day journey.
“Let’s go homeee,” ahead Jake LaRavia posted on his Instagram story.
Listed below are 5 takeaways after the five-game street journey:
Lakers recapture their magic
Laker Deandre Ayton fouls Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo on Saturday in Milwaukee.
(Morry Gash / Related Press)
Deandre Ayton took credit score for the postgame locker room’s Frank Sinatra soundtrack, however JJ Redick had Jay-Z on his thoughts. After wrapping up a grueling journey, considered one of Redick’s first ideas was Jay-Z’s monitor “A Week In the past,” which begins with the lyric: “It was all good only a week in the past.”
Every week in the past, the Lakers have been 7-2. They have been driving the excessive of a five-game profitable streak heading into follow in Atlanta.
Then issues turned bitter.
The Lakers (10-4) have been blown out in opposition to Atlanta and Oklahoma Metropolis on this journey. They performed about one good half of basketball of their first three video games. However throughout essentially the most demanding a part of the stretch, the Lakers rallied to search out themselves once more with essential wins in opposition to the Pelicans and Bucks.
“That is the NBA,” Redick informed reporters. “And also you gotta discover moments to recapture what makes you a very good basketball workforce. And I feel during the last 24 hours we’ve completed that.”
Redick credited Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves for persevering with to guide the workforce by way of uneven waters Saturday. Regardless of the workforce arriving in Milwaukee at 3 a.m. on Saturday morning and Doncic enjoying 40 minutes the night time earlier than in New Orleans, the celebrity guard was nonetheless diving on the ground for a unfastened ball within the second quarter. He pushed the ball forward to Reaves, who discovered Ayton for a layup.
As Doncic turns into extra snug along with his teammates, his management has proven by way of not solely his play however his sarcastic character, which has helped develop a robust bond.
“It’s nice chemistry,” Doncic informed reporters. “After I got here, I used to be most likely just a little extra quiet, making an attempt to get to know folks. However proper now, I’m simply being myself, simply joking round so much, trash-talking. So I feel one of many greatest issues for the workforce to win is have an ideal chemistry, and I feel we’ve got that.”
Doncic’s MVP marketing campaign rolls alongside
The Lakers’ Luka Doncic drives previous the Bucks’ Gary Harris on Saturday in Milwaukee.
(Morry Gash / Related Press)
With 41 factors, 9 rebounds and 6 assists in opposition to Milwaukee, Doncic collected his fourth 40-point video games this season, equaling his whole for such video games all of final yr.
He leads the league with 34.4 factors per sport and formally grew to become eligible for the leaderboard after enjoying in his tenth sport Saturday. His factors and eight.9 rebounds per sport are near his manufacturing in 2023-24 when he led the Dallas Mavericks to the NBA Finals and completed third in most beneficial participant voting with 33.9 factors and 9.2 rebounds per sport. He’s doing it regardless of taking pictures a 32.7% from three-point vary, his worst mark since his second season.
Reinforcements are on the best way
Lakers ahead Lebron James is anticipated to return to the lineup quickly.
(Jae C. Hong / Related Press)
LeBron James is anticipated to return to the follow courtroom with the Lakers on Monday after a productive check stint with the South Bay Lakers. He may make his season debut as quickly as Tuesday in opposition to the Utah Jazz at Crypto.com Area within the Lakers’ solely sport this week.
James is the one customary contract participant nonetheless awaiting to make his debut after the Lakers obtained forwards Maxi Kleber and Adou Thiero again on the courtroom throughout the journey. Kleber, who was sidelined with an stomach pressure, has performed in three video games. He made his first shot of the season within the win over Milwaukee whereas enjoying 25 minutes with three factors and three assists.
The rookie Thiero additionally made his debut in opposition to the Bucks, scoring 4 factors and punctuating his first NBA look with an emphatic two-handed dunk within the remaining minute. It confirmed the kind of athleticism and exercise the Lakers have been in search of once they drafted him within the second spherical. He additionally grabbed one offensive rebound throughout the first half that led to Kleber’s three-pointer.
Guard Gabe Vincent (ankle) remains to be out and is approaching three weeks since he turned his ankle in opposition to the Sacramento Kings. The unique timetable for his return was two to 4 weeks.
Taking pictures slumps
Lakers guard Gabe Vincent throws a lob go to heart Deandre Ayton for an alley-oop dunk in opposition to the Kings on Oct. 26.
(Sara Nevis / Related Press)
Vincent’s eventual return may assist the Lakers with considered one of their most evident offensive deficiencies: three-point taking pictures.
The Lakers rank twenty fifth in three-point taking pictures at simply 33.8%. Their 32.4 three-point makes an attempt per sport rank twenty sixth within the league. It’s a far cry from the 40.4 threes they tried within the video games after Doncic joined the workforce final yr.
A part of the taking pictures hunch could possibly be Reaves’ early struggles from three-point vary. Outdoors of his six for 10 night time that led to a career-high 51 factors in opposition to Sacramento, Reaves, who missed three video games with a groin damage, was taking pictures 26.4% from three this season.
He then caught fireplace within the second half in opposition to the Bucks, making 5 threes. Whereas ending with 25 factors and eight assists, he made three consecutive three-pointers to open the fourth quarter that Doncic referred to as a few of the most necessary pictures of the sport.
“It was good to get one thing to go down,” Reaves informed reporters. “… Hopefully we proceed to shoot the ball effectively.”
Choose up the tempo
The Bucks’ Bobby Portis and the Lakers’ Luka Doncic battle for a unfastened ball on Saturday in Milwaukee.
(Morry Gash / Related Press)
The Lakers are second-to-last in transition possessions per sport and transition possession share. Redick was puzzled as to why the workforce performed so slowly when requested about its tempo earlier than the Charlotte sport. He mentioned the tempo was “actually the very first thing we emphasize in each movie session.”
However on the second night time of a back-to-back, Redick acknowledged the workforce, contemplating its personnel, was merely not going to be a quick workforce. Nevertheless, he nonetheless recognized markers of success. Earlier than Saturday’s sport, Redick informed the gamers the workforce was 9-1 when it scored 12 or extra transition factors and 8-0 with 24 or extra assists.
“I feel there’s a formulation right here for throwing the ball forward and sharing the basketball,” Redick mentioned. “They usually have been good once more with that tonight.”
The Lakers had 12 quick break factors and 23 assists in opposition to the Bucks.
