The Lakers rebounded from a demoralizing loss this past weekend to pick up a road victory over the Nuggets
The Los Angeles Lakers lost by 40 points in their outing prior to climbing to the Pepsi Center to take on the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday night. After that game, there was a surreal amount of finger pointing between the players and head coach Byron Scott about who was to blame for the loss.
Given the way that last game against the Oklahoma City Thunder played out, there wasn’t much of a reason for optimism heading into the matchup with the Nuggets. Ever the case of Jekyll and Hyde this season, though, the Lakers looked like a completely different team against Denver.
For one, Kobe Bryant provided an absolutely vintage Black Mamba performance against the Nuggets. He was looking for his advantages with the ball in his hands and finding quality looks at jumpers. Moreover, he was helping to facilitate the offense as well and just generally making big plays, particularly down the stretch in the fourth quarter.
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What’s most impressive from the Lakers in this game, though, is that they showed a ton of fight and grit in the second half after being down handily in the first half. After they just rolled over against OKC this past weekend, it was refreshing to see this team, energized by Kobe and a surprising performance from Brandon Bass, show that kind of fight and intensity necessary to fight back.
The Lakers ultimately picked up their first win against a Western Conference opponent this season, but even then there were still some disconcerting notions, most prominently with D’Angelo Russell, who played only 21 minutes in Denver. His confidence looks absolutely shattered after this recent stretch and with his inconsistent playing time, something that needs to be remedied as soon as possible.
These are the types of games that are going to happen on occasion for a team constructed as the Lakers are. They are built to be wildly inconsistent with aging veterans and young talent comprising the roster. There are going to be tremendous lows like against the Thunder, there are going to be mediocre performances and there are going to be highs like on Tuesday night. That said, it’s going to be impossible to know when either is coming.
Three stars
Kobe Bryant looked like the Mamba yet again after missing last game with a sore shoulder. The 20-year veteran finished with 31 points, five assists, three rebounds, one steal, and one block on 10-22 shooting.
Will Barton absolutely torched the Lakers in the first half, though he quieted tremendously in the second 24 minutes. He finished the night with 25 points and eight rebounds.
Brandon Bass was one of the shocking heroes of this game for the Lakers. After being out of the rotation for quite some time, he found a role tonight and gave LA a ton of energy as he put up 11 points, si rebounds, and four blocks.
Highlights
https://twitter.com/Lakers/status/679500295689342978
"What a pass from Julius Randle"
Odds
The Nuggets were 5.5-point favorites at tip-off in this game… The two teams combined to hit the over on the 204-point O/U line.
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Next Game
The Los Angeles Lakers will be in STAPLES Center on Wednesday night for a rematch with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Denver Nuggets will travel to Phoenix on Wednesday night to take on the Suns.