Although the Lakers lost a 109-106 heartbreaker to the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday night, there were some good things that emerged out of it. One Laker player was able to set a season high in scoring against one of the NBA’s best defensive teams (Ed Davis) while another just missed their season high, but still torched the Grizzlies (Jeremy Lin).
Lin is averaging 10.3 PPG this season with the Lakers, but was able to just about double those totals by being one of the teams leading scorers with 20 points. Davis, who is averaging 7.8 PPG, also led the Lakers while simultaneously setting a season-high with 20 points of his own.
After the game, Kobe Bryant weighed in on performances of the two players:
Kobe on Jeremy Lin:
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) January 3, 2015
"He just needs to relax. Sometimes really smart people take themselves too seriously." pic.twitter.com/sRGD3OMfH4
Kobe Bryant on @eddavis32: "He knows exactly where to go. His activity is phenomenal. He's just all over the place."
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) January 3, 2015
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It was evident that Bryant is beginning to trust his teammates when the game is on the line. With 2.1 seconds remaining on the clock and the Lakers down by two, instead of taking the contested shot in the lane, Bryant passed the ball to Davis who was then fouled hard.
Even though Davis missed the game-tying free throw, it goes to show that the team is growing as a unit. When asked about the play, Davis responded with appreciation and confidence:
Ed Davis said he didn't feel pressure: "Kobe threw me the ball. He had a lot of confidence in me & that means a lot." pic.twitter.com/tbT0EbZUf8
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) January 3, 2015
Lin also saw positives in the loss:
Jeremy Lin: "I think today was a step in the right direction & I have to take another step in the right direction whenever our next game is"
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) January 3, 2015
Of course there were some mistakes that need to be fixed the next time the Lakers find themselves in another close game. The glaring mistake being the breakdown in communication between coach Byron Scott, Lin, and Bryant toward the end of the game.
With seconds ticking away on the clock, the Lakers didn’t immediately foul Grizzlies guard Mike Conley allowing valuable time to be wasted. When asked about the incident after the game, Scott took the blame:
Byron Scott said he wanted Jeremy Lin to wait until Conley got past half court to foul, that it wasn't Lin's fault.
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) January 3, 2015
Despite the highs and lows of the game, it appears the Lakers are growing as a team and starting to establish a trust in one another that wasn’t there at the start of the season. Let’s hope execution at the end of games grows as well.
Next: Los Angeles Lakers: 3 Takeaways from Loss to Grizzlies