Larry Nance Jr.
A big reason the Lakers were in the position they were in was that of Larry Nance Jr. With Markieff Morris still sidelined, the Wizards are a little undersized with Kelly Oubre and Otto Porter in the frontcourt with Marcin Gortat. Nance Jr. would take full advantage.
Nance Jr. almost registered a double-double in the first half. He would finish the game with 18 points and 10 rebounds in 27 minutes. He also added two steals as he was a difference maker on both ends of the court on the interior.
However, Nance Jr. would not receive much playing time in the second half. Nance Jr. was subbed out with 3:50 remaining in the third quarter and wouldn’t get back into the game. With how well his teammates were playing, Luke Walton decided to ride the hot hand, which brings us to partly why Nance Jr. was a standout against the Wizards.
Yes, Nance Jr.’s stats were impressive. Arguably more impressive than his performance on the court was remaining on the bench not getting him down. Nance Jr. was cheering his teammates on from the sidelines despite not getting back into the game.
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It was a nice thing to see. Nance Jr. had done more than enough to warrant a shot at closing out the game; he was playing very well. Walton decided to go in a different direction, and Nance Jr. did not seem one bit disappointed. The Lakers got the victory, which at the end of the day is the most important thing.