The Los Angeles Lakers have moved up ESPN’s NBA Power Rankings. How many spots did they jump in this week’s rankings?
The Los Angeles Lakers are coming off an impressive week of basketball. The Lakers are in the midst of arguably the toughest part of their schedule. Last week they began their east coast trip and it got off to a great start.
The Lakers only played twice last week but were victorious in both games. In the first game of their road trip, the Lakers exacted some revenge on the Philadelphia 76ers. The 76ers defeated the Lakers at the STAPLES Center on November 15th 115-109. In the second meeting, the Lakers defeated the 76ers in Philadelphia 107-104.
It was a strong win for the Lakers, as Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid played well once again. Simmons recorded a triple-double while Embiid 33 points with seven rebounds, six assists and five blocks.
The Lakers had seven players score in double-figures led by 21 from Brandon Ingram. That was an important win for the Lakers as it snapped their five-game losing streak. It also got them off on the right foot on their east coast trip and they carried that momentum over into their matchup with the Charlotte Hornets.
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The Lakers blew the Hornets out on Sunday night. Los Angeles won 110-99 with a dominant second half. After allowing 56 points in the first half, the Lakers defense stepped up in the second half. Charlotte would score only 43 points in the second half, while the Lakers scored 58.
With an undefeated week, the Lakers moved up ESPN’s NBA Power Rankings. Last week the Lakers were ranked 23rd. This week, the Lakers made one of the biggest moves up in the rankings, rising three spots to No. 20.
Here is what was said about the Lakers moving up in the rankings.
"Brandon Ingram has fared well with Lonzo Ball on the court this season. Ingram is shooting 47 percent when paired with Ball and 39 percent when on the floor without him. Ingram had his biggest basket with Ball assisting last week: the last-second 3-pointer that beat the 76ers. — David Gordon"
Ingram knocked down the game-winning shot against the 76ers on a great kick out pass from Ball. Ball drove to the basket from the corner and the defense collapsed on him. He kicked it out and Ingram knocked down the open 3-pointer.
After playing only two games last week, the Lakers will have another quiet slate of games this week. The Lakers will take the court only twice this week as well as they continue their east coast trip.
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The next stop for the Lakers will be a marquee visit to Madison Square Garden to take on the New York Knicks on Tuesday night. They will then face off with the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena before returning back home to the west coast.