Lake Show Life
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Los Angeles Lakers: LeBron and AD return as THT and Kuzma beat Suns!

By Ronald Agers

Dec 13, 2020; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers vice president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka watches game action against the Los Angeles Clippers during the first half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 13, 2020; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers vice president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka watches game action against the Los Angeles Clippers during the first half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Los Angeles Lakers are now 3-0 in the preseason.

The Los Angeles Lakers traveled to Phoenix to play the Suns in their 3rd preseason game. Their chemistry showed up late in the second quarter as Talen Horton-Tucker and Kyle Kuzma shined in the Lakers’ comeback in the 4th quarter to stay undefeated this preseason!

This preseason game was all about quarters for the Los Angeles Lakers. Either they were bad (1st and 3rd!) or they looked like a well-oiled machine (2nd and 4th!).

The good thing about basketball is that the game ends after the 4th quarter as Kyle Kuzma went crazy from the 3 point line and Talen Horton-Tucker carved up the Suns players from the midrange as the Lakers ended up winning 112-107.

Lakers Nation got their first chance to lay eyes on LeBron James and Anthony Davis play their first game in two months. In the first quarter, boy it looked like it didn’t it?

  • The effort was inconsistent. 
  • LeBron James missed all of his shots from the field and one of two free throws.
  • They turned the ball over. Missed free throws…
  • You know what? Who cares? They didn’t get hurt. Chemistry will not be a problem for these two of the season. But it was fun to see that these guys are human beings.

Kudos to Frank Vogel for trusting the process (AKA using common sense!) with playing his superstars in the first half. It could have been really easy to change his mind when the Suns’ starters got hot early in the third quarter stemming a 16-3 run. ‘

After James and Davis were pulled out, the Lakers could have easily moonwalked to the end of the game, but the 11 man rotation of this roster will not allow this on many nights.

The Good:

Even though LeBron and AD had issues in the 1st quarter, it didn’t transfer to the second. After being down 13 early in the game, James and Davis led the Lakers on a  27 point turnaround that had the Lake Show leading by as much as 14 points.

The second unit defense was immaculate in the first half that melted Phoenix’s early double-digit lead. They shut out the Suns the three minutes of the first quarter. Then the Lakers outscored the Suns 32-19 as the defense got the Lakers fast break in gear and the Suns star in foul trouble. To put this in perspective, Devin Booker had 4 fouls in the first half! Deandre Ayton had 3.

The depth of the Los Angeles Lakers is close to ridiculous. This is the deepest team in the NBA by a country mile. This roster is 11 men deep and if someone is not bringing effort, they will be riding the pine for the night.

The Bad:

Man, on the 3rd game in four or five nights, look for Marc Gasol to have games like this. He missed layups, turned the ball over and Ayton basically had a ball running him up and down the floor. He looked like the old guy in the YMCA playing with college kids.

Two games Dennis Schroder has played. Two games Dennis Schroder has stunk up the arena. When he was running the point, the Lakers fell behind by double figures. Defense? Close your eyes. What do you see? Nothing? Let’s move on.

This is ticky-tack, but the Lakers struggle in transition defense. It was a problem last year along with slow starts, but when the Lakers turn it over, it’s almost an immediate basket for the opposing team.

The Story:

Kyle Kuzma:

Kyle Kuzma is starting to make all of the basketball pundits and Lakers fans that have him traded on a daily basis look like idiots. Kyle Kuzma got the Lakers’ big 4th quarter started with huge shots from the 3 point line. He ended with 23 points on the strength of four shots from the land of plenty. He looked engaged and played with purpose.

Talen Horton-Tucker:

This dude right here is a basketball player. he didn’t start the game strongly but when it was winning time, he made winning plays. He finished the game with 18 points and made an impact on both ends of the floor. Remember, THT is only 20.

Next. 40 greatest Lakers of all-time. dark

Lake Show Life’s more in-depth breakdowns will come in Lake Show Life Lessons tomorrow. Keep it locked for the only Los Angeles Lakers post-game report with highlights and in-depth analysis.

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