After beating the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday night, the Lakers mood was lighthearted, a stark contrast to Sunday night. In the locker room, Ed Davis and Nick Young argued about fashion. Davis, wearing a tropical sweater, proudly claimed he was the best dressed. “Everybody wants to give it to Nick but he does too much. I stay in my lane” Davis proclaimed.
Nov 18, 2014; Atlanta, GA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Nick Young (0) reacts after making a basket in the fourth quarter of their game against the Atlanta Hawks at Philips Arena. The Lakers won 114-109. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports
Nick broke out into laughter and made a pitch for himself as the best dressed, pointing to his fuschia shoes.
It was a unique moment for a team that has had more bad days than good days. But as Nick Young put it, “the Swag effect, it just rubs off on everybody. It felt good for me to be out there. I know I could help with this team, bringing my joy to the game.”
Ed Davis credited the win to playing defense for 48 minutes. “Everyone contributed”, he said. “It’s always good to start a road trip with a win.”
As for Nick? Ed Davis said the obvious. “Nick is a flat out scorer.”
It was hard to argue with what Nick Young did on the court in his first game of the season. He was sharp offensively and defensively. He made half of his three point shots and 60% of his overall field goals. He had 5 rebounds. His energy and confidence was the missing link the Lakers so desperately needed.
Byron Scott was happier with Nick’s defense than with his offense. The entire team seemed connected defensively. “We played with a lot more energy on the defensive end. Overall defense was much better than it had been.” Byron was also pleased with the ball movement, 24 assists. “The spacing was good”, Byron Scott said. “We were just looking for each other. We played real good team basketball on both ends of the floor.”
In the last minutes of the game, Kobe Bryant made big shots which Byron expected. “When we really needed him to step up he was able to do that. He made some key passes.” But before the game even started, Byron threated to remove players if they didn’t play with effort. He wasn’t disappointed.
Jordan Hill and Carlos Boozer both had double-doubles. Jeremy Lin had 10 assists. The Lakers outrebounded the Hawks and had more assists. Byron summed it up. “It’s progress.”
Back in the city where he went to high school, Jordan Hill hustled all night long. “No one’s going to keep me off the boards. I’m going to compete every time.”
Nick bet Jordan that Nick would score more points. Nick lost. Jordan had 18 points and Nick had 17.
Kobe was the only Laker not overly ecstatic. “It’s good to get one. Our bigs did a good job. We stopped a lot of easy baskets.” He complimented Nick on staying in shape while he was injured. “He didn’t look tired at all, like he could run all day.”
Late in the fourth quarter, Kobe scored points 32,000 and 32,001 of his career. It helped seal the victory. Kobe was humble about the achievement. “It means a lot. I can’t stress how much work it is just to be in this position to be able to get out there and play. It’s a lot of work over 19 years. It feels good to be able to have that accomplishment.”
The Lakers accomplishment was giving the Atlanta Hawks their first home loss. And winning their first game on the road.
“You just have to have confidence”, Nick Young reminded everyone. “It’s no time to be shy now. You got to have fun.”