Tuesday night in the battle of Western Conference bottom dwellers, the Lakers prevailed
Let’s be honest, with Kobe Bryant playing in limited minutes due to a sprained Achilles and Pelican’s star, Anthony Davis, sitting with a sore back, this game was not necessarily on the top of any NBA fans’ watch list.
Prior to the game it was announced that Kobe, alongside D’Angelo Russell who sprained his ankle in the comeback attempt against the Sacramento Kings a week before, would be giving it a go to the delight of fans everywhere. Considering his current health situation, the fact that Kobe still comes out and try to play every night is commendable.
Kobe Bryant AND D'Angelo Russell ARE playing tonight, according to Byron Scott
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) January 13, 2016
With both Davis and hard nose defender Quincy Pondexter out, the Lakers finally had a chance to show what their offense could do against a team with little defensive resistance and did so when it mattered.
As expected, both teams got off to a sloppy start, as the Lakers only had seven points, eight minutes into the first quarter, seeming to duplicate their start against the Kings. Only this time, the Pelicans seemed to struggle equally as much, as the teams combined for only 79 points in the first half.
Byron Scott continued to ride with the lineup of Jordan Clarkson, Russell, Anthony Brown, Julius Randle and Brandon Bass off the bench, but instead of sparking the team, the lineup was just as stagnant as the first unit. One positive from the first half was that the Lakers only had four turnovers. The Lakers have seemingly become a fourth quarter, comeback team edging the Pelicans by 4 down the stretch.
In other news, Kobe Bryant had to leave the game early, which should be cause for concern for those trying to catch their last ever live Mamba moment.
Next: The Lakers Refusal To Give Up In the Fourth Quarter