Dennis Schroder finally looks like $84 million as Lakers shock Heat
By Ronald Agers
The Los Angeles Lakers just cannot catch a consistent break these days, can they? After gaining much-needed momentum over the road trip with a two-game winning streak that stretched out to three wins in their last four games, LeBron James re-entered his name in the top five players in the NBA with a 47 and 43-point performance that dazzled the basketball world…
He has been doing this for 20 years, and no one has ever questioned this dude’s talent.
A year's worth of @KingJames plays since his last #NBABDAY!
— NBA (@NBA) December 30, 2022
Happy 38th, LeBron 🎂 pic.twitter.com/nhiCbJyZjo
Enjoy the highlights, Los Angeles Lakers fans because LeBron James sat out due to a non-COVID illness. Sure the staff of Lake Show Life basically predicted that LeBron would be out of future games, but this one does not count. This writer had to deal with an illness bout of his own that lasted two weeks. Just hope LeBron’s infection was not as bad. COVID is a threat, but the flu hasn’t gone anywhere. Get healthy brother!
The Los Angeles Lakers did a very good job catching the Miami Heat napping when it was clear that they didn’t respect the game or the roster that was put in front of them.
The Lakers absolutely SHOCKED the so-called South Beach bullies, 112-109. Break up the Lake Show! They have now won three straight games and four out of their last five!
This again shows that there is enough on this roster to make the play-in tournament whether there is a splashy trade (Not happening!) or not. The schemes that the Lakers coaching staff put together to keep this game close is enough to keep Lakers Nation happy for now!
The good from the Los Angeles Lakers’ win:
Russell Westbrook…really got the Los Angeles Lakers rolling in the first quarter!
The Lakers were behind for most of the first half of the quarter before Russ got into the ball game. Then the offense to the tune that the Lake Show finished with an 11-1 run. The offense was buoyed by the change of pace that Westbrook brought to the game setting up his teammates for shots. He had five assists in seven minutes which included this rumbling…bumbling…stumbling assist to Wenyen Gabriel to end the quarter at the buzzer…
Wenyen Gabriel at the buzzer 🚨#LakeShow pic.twitter.com/lVG2GCntRL
— LakersHighlights (@LakerHlghlights) January 5, 2023
By the end of the first half, Russ had already hit double figures scoring on the strength of two shots from the 3-point area and a double crossover on Victor Oladipo for a layup. Russ had a huge layup late to keep Miami at bay in the final seconds…
Austin Reaves with a DIME to Russ in the final seconds 💰 pic.twitter.com/hDjDOlQki6
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) January 5, 2023
Russ finished with 21 points, 9 assists, 8 rebounds and 3 steals.
Thomas Bryant/Wenyen Gabriel really brought the inside toughness to offset Bam Adebayo!
The theme of this Lakers opponent is that the Miami Heat looked at the Lakers roster for this game and saw a night off and an easy win. These two Lakers’ big men showed the Heat that they collect NBA checks too. They handed out some business cards in this game!
- Thomas Bryant: 21 points (11 in the 4th quarter!), 9 rebounds and a block.
- Wenyen Gabriel: 10 points, 4 rebounds and a block.
When the Lakers were struggling offensively against the zone, it was Thomas Bryant’s movement and activity that produced points in the 4th quarter.
This has to continue when or if Anthony Davis comes back.
The Lakers bench destroyed the Miami Heat’s bench in production…
Lakers: 42 points, 20 rebounds, 11 assists, 4 steals and a block.
Heat: 24 points, 15 rebounds, 9 assists, 4 steals and a block.
The bad from the Los Angeles Lakers’ win:
LeBron James being out…
He has really stepped up his game over the road trip and we all want to see how long this scoring streak can be sustained. The temperature of this website is really calm when LeBron plays well and with purpose. He has been doing that and it’s good for Lakers Nation, the Lakers and the NBA in general.
The Los Angeles Lakers have to stop turning the ball over!
The Lakers should have had a double-digit lead at halftime. This did not happen thanks to 12 turnovers. The Miami Heat looked listless and uninterested but was only down four points. This can’t happen when your two best players are out of the lineup! We just finished singing Russ’ praises and he had seven in 18 minutes.
They had only five in the second half (Westbrook…NONE!) and this really kept the game in the Lakers’ hands!
Another Lakers player got hurt!
Troy Brown Jr. strained his quad which kept him out of the second half. Then Dennis Schroder stepped on Bam Adebayo’s foot and REALLY turned his ankle.
The story from the Los Angeles Lakers’ win:
Dennis Schroder…
He flat-out was the best player on the floor and it goes way past his scoring. He finished with 32 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 4 steals. He also played the best wing defense in the last two seasons. This is what the Lakers wanted when they traded for him giving up a first-round pick AND the $84 million offer in his first tenure in a Lakers uniform.
Darvin Ham had a great game plan for this matchup on both ends of the floor!
It seems that Darvin Ham really shows his coaching chops when he is without his superstars. In this game against the Miami Heat, his schemes just drove Tyler Herro and the Heat nuts. On defense, Ham implemented a zone defense that evolved into a box and one scheme on Tyler Herro that threw off the Heat offense. Why is this brilliant?
- As talented as Jimmy Butler is…he is known to coast in games, especially during the dog days of an NBA season.
- Bam Adebayo is where the offense starts for the Miami Heat. With a zone and box and one, it will not allow Bam to initiate at his favorite spots.
- They know that Kyle Lowry can’t carry this team offensively at this point of his career.
- The defense just allowed Miami to fire up 3-pointers which is not a strength of any player other than Herro.
On offense, the Lakers went back to quick ball movement making it a point to seek out Herro and place him in defensive situations. Even though Miami had more talent on the floor on paper, win, lose or draw, Ham did an outstanding job coaching with limited talent.
The Lakers weathered the second-half storm of Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo and threw Tyler Herro in a broom closet basically embarrassing him on both ends of the floor.