The Los Angeles Lakers started the “Grammys Trip” portion of their schedule against the Boston Celtics in a nationally televised game, continuing the best rivalry in NBA history.
Look, it is going to be very difficult to match the excitement of the previous matchup in Los Angeles when the Lakers basically ran Boston off the floor to gain a 13-point lead in the final minutes. But in the end, Jayson Tatum cemented his all-star status to pull the win out for the men in green.
But this game did have some excitement. The sound you heard around 11:00 PM EST was OH MY GOD!!!!! from every NBA fan across the world…
https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1619545917220327425
This was the first dunk by Pat Bev since the 2019-20 season and was one of the most ridiculous set events of the season and that includes his antics in Portland.
Sandwiched between this play is what Pat Bev did in the last two minutes, Follow us now…
- He hit a huge 3-point shot.
- He missed one of two free throws.
- He didn’t box out and fouled Jaylen Brown on a put-back so the Celtics could send it into overtime!
- Then he drew a technical foul at the end of regulation arguing over the missed call on LeBron.
The Los Angeles Lakers franchise owes NOTHING to the Boston Celtics because two regular season games were officially gift-wrapped to them after losing 125-121 in yet another wild affair. As bad as the loss was on the west coast, this one was ten times worse based on the circumstances.
Wow… this is not about the game, it’s about some of the worst officiating of the season and this is not a homer take.
The good of the Los Angeles Lakers loss:
LeBron James is really starting to get in the groove he had during the 2020 championship year!
The one player that is the happiest to see Anthony Davis back in the lineup is LeBron James. Even though LeBron did an outstanding job of holding down the fort with his production in AD’s absence, he’s sustained this high level with a simplicity that is really fun to see and analyze.
https://twitter.com/Lakers/status/1619523792363220992
With the presence of Anthony Davis and Rui Hachamura here in the post, NOW LeBron can cut more to the basket and score due to the fact the Lakers have two legit back-to-the-basket players who demand eyeballs on what they might do next.
LeBron had 15 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists at halftime but it was really quiet and deceptive. When the Lakers needed scoring, they got it. Rebounding and making plays? Cool.
LeBron is gearing up for a playoff run folks. He finished with 41 points, 9 rebounds and 8 assists. They stole one from you LeBron…five to ten in lockup singing ROXANNE!
Lonnie Walker IV looked good coming back from injury.
Lonnie Walker IV looked outstanding in the first half scoring 9 points (4-5 shooting!) with a couple of rebounds after spending a long period of time out with knee issues. The defense needs to improve if he wants time on the floor down the road. But for now, his offense justifies him being on the floor.
Lonnie finished with 13 points.
Dennis Schroder and Patrick Beverley hit timely shots from the field.
These two players were the ones supporting LeBron James down the stretch. Pat Bev is really starting to ramp up his 3-point shooting of late knocking down multiple shots from beyond the arc while Schroder is getting more consistent on both ends of the floor.
- Dennis Schroder: 13 points, 2 rebounds and 3 assists.
- Pat Bev: 15 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. Do yourself a favor and watch that dunk again!
This really was a good game!
Despite the referees (much more on them later!), this was a very well-played game. Most nights, we have to find something decent to put these reports together. This one was outstanding!
The bad of the Los Angeles Lakers loss:
Jayson Tatum woke up in the third quarter!
Tatum was very bad in the first half whether he was off rhythm or Darvin Ham using a defensive combination of a zone and box and one defenses to slow him. But in the third quarter, Tatum dropped 15 points to get Boston back in the game. Look this guy is going to be an all-time great so things happen.
His contributions in this period allowed Jaylen Brown (37 points) and Malcolm Brogdon (26 points) time to carry the load the rest of the way!
Tatum finished with 30 points, 11 rebounds and 4 assists.
Thomas Bryant is starting to disappear.
This was to be expected with AD coming back but he is starting to look lost on the floor and the staff of Lake Show Life is trying to find his production…
3 points and 6 rebounds show he’s trying but it’s not enough.
Russell Westbrook is starting to lose confidence in his offensive game…
If this dude would just relax and stop pressing! Even the back-to-back layups in the third quarter were lucky because he lost control of the ball despite it going into the basket. It’s not even the missed layups that are the biggest problem. It’s the passed-up shots that are wide open in the realm of the offense or the defensive game plan of the opponent.
This is not going to stop. If Russ doesn’t start getting out of his head on the floor and shoot the ball, he’s going to take himself out of games in crunch time. Passed-up shots kill offenses. This is basketball 101.
The referees…
Not bad but awful. Numerous times the referees made their calls late…real late…like 30 minutes late. It’s like they knew the fouls were committed but would wait to see if the ball would go through the basket. If the shot was missed… the whistle blew.
The worst case was when Jayson Tatum missed a layup and the refs called a foul on Dennis Schroder. Dennis collapsed on the floor in disbelief and was assessed a technical foul. This is the NBA, not YMCA pickup ball!
Film don’t lie!
LeBron couldn’t believe it pic.twitter.com/BJELILs11r
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) January 29, 2023
AD…LeBron…Russ…take care of Dennis’ fine because he was right to be shocked and this writer would pay the fine but doesn’t make nearly enough to pay it!
The story of the Los Angeles Lakers loss:
It’s all about Anthony Davis and Rui Hachimura if this team makes the postseason!
These two players should be embarrassed. Forget the box score. Forget the stats. There is no explanation for Malcolm Brogdon to be able to defend these two players in the post for significant periods of time. No…not happening…stay out of the comment section with the excuses.
LeBron James did his part. He kept the Lakers afloat and the refs screwed him good. But if a guard (Point guard at that!) can effectively slow your biggest and longest frontcourt players…
Give Wenyen Gabriel some minutes.
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