Lakers shock Warriors in Curry’s return despite Darvin Ham’s mistakes

The Los Angeles Lakers had an early Sunday matchup against the World Champion Golden State Warriors. This team would be slightly different from the one the Lakers beat down previously. This game marked the long-awaited return of Stephen Curry, who was out with a leg injury.

Saying that this game is a must-win is being redundant because all of the remaining games are. However, after a disturbing loss at home to the Minnesota Timberwolves, it seems that Darvin Ham is starting to understand the pressure of being a Los Angeles Lakers head coach and the heat of underachieving…

Darvin Ham on the Lakers’ lack of effort after the Minnesota loss:

"“We can’t be locked in for 2.5-3 hours? Out of a 24-hour day? … We do basketball for a living. Someone shouldn’t have to tell you to be locked in … We get paid millions of dollars to do basketball for a living.”"

Man, it’s on now. Congratulations Darvin Ham, you are the next contestant on the longest-running game show…

Who Will We Blame For the Troubles of the Los Angeles Lakers!

Well, the other part of this concept is the Golden State Warriors, who are a team that is a borderline lottery team on the road. Just check out the resume for this season.

• The Warriors are at the bottom of the NBA with a 7-23 record on the road. That record is the third worst for an NBA champion in NBA history (They own the worst one too!).
• Even worse? The Warriors also have a record of 0-17 when they find themselves behind going into the final quarter!

The Los Angeles Lakers added to Golden State’s road issues with an impressive 113-105 bounce-back win. The Memphis Grizzlies are next on Tuesday and boy their issues might be worse.

• Brandon Clarke is out for the year with a torn Achilles tendon
• Dillon Brooks got suspended for 16 technical fouls and finally…
• Ja’ Morant is away from the team for…ahem…social media offenses. 

Nothing has changed from this website. The Lakers have to stack wins by way of winning streaks. Winning games here and there is not going to get it.

The good of the Los Angeles Lakers win:

Man, that first quarter!

It seemed like a slow Sunday matinee NBA game, and then the Lakers went off! The Lake Show went on a furious 28-5 run to open up a 20-point lead early in the game. After one quarter, the Lakers were off to a good start with a 33-18 lead.

Well, that lead evaporated kind of quickly (More on that in a bit!), but the defense was there and they made sure that the tall dude with dreadlocks got the ball early and often. Well, there’s no time like the present, so let’s talk about him, shall we?

Anthony Davis came out like a wrecking ball looking to destroy the Golden State Warriors!

The Los Angeles Lakers pretty much are going to need Anthony Davis to play like that 40-20 dude that was pushing himself into the MVP conversation for two weeks to survive. The ESPN pre-game crew discussed the two-way dominance that was required.

Man, the dude is really trying.

In the first half alone, Davis dropped 23 points (9-13 shooting!), 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocks. The problem was that he did not get enough offensive support that allowed the Golden State Warriors to get back into the game.

https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1632524622577954818

He finished with a masterclass of 39 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 blocks. Most importantly, he didn’t fall into the Warriors’ trap of moving the ball around for long periods of time and losing his rhythm. He stayed aggressive.

Austin Reaves continues to flourish in SPITE of Darvin Ham!

It’s a shame watching a guy that is one of the players Darvin Ham needs to be locked in…be locked in and continue to get the same rotation minutes while others (Cough…cough Dennis Schroder!) get more minutes.

Reaves finished with 16 points and 8 assists. He knocked down three shots from beyond the arc.

Start looking at Austin’s face during the game for the rest of the season. The locker room politics are starting to frustrate him. Can’t blame him because he has a right to be.

Jarred Vanderbilt is balling!

This dude does not stop playing. He finished with 10 points and led the team with 13 rebounds. All of this in only 24 minutes. But Darvin Ham needs players locked in right? It seems those dudes don’t get enough minutes. Put him with a Wenyen Gabriel and see how far the Lakers go!

Troy Brown Jr. is still hot from 3-point land!

He hit a team-high four 3-pointers on his way to 14 points while adding 8 rebounds.

Free throw shooting!

This team wins when they outshoot their opponent from the line. 18-22 is outstanding.

The bad of the Los Angeles Lakers loss:

The second quarter!

Remember how great the first part of the analysis was for this report? Well, Anthony Davis sat down to rest and the Warriors started getting their rhythm. The issue with this team is that they depend on AD for too many things just like they did with LeBron James when he was shouldering the load by himself.

After Steph started out cold from the field, AD’s absence gave him an extra second to get his shot off. He started hitting. Klay Thompson was comfortable from the start. He was rolling. Jordan Poole joined the party in the second quarter knocking down threes.

There’s something wrong with the defense of the Los Angeles Lakers. The staff of Lake Show Life has already figured that out (More on that later!) and realizes that if any team can bring AD out of the paint and move the ball, they get any shot they want.

https://twitter.com/warriors/status/1632499041694269440

The problem now is…it’s too late to fix the problem.

Rui Hachimura…

Can we rescind that trade from the Wizards? Asking for Lakers fans that are tired of watching this dude put up 2 point games three times a week. But Wenyen Gabriel can’t get more than ten minutes a game right?

The story of the Los Angeles Lakers win (More like the future!):

Darvin Ham is going to have to get over his fascination with Dennis Schroder!

Darvin Ham has now put himself in a peculiar position. It’s one thing to call out your team to the press, but it’s another to set a culture that seems hypocritical. Let’s discuss…

He wants players that are locked in and play hard. Well, let’s go down the list with the minutes they played…

• Jarred Vanderbilt played only 24 minutes and he was NOT in foul trouble.
• Wenyen Gabriel played only 8 minutes and he had 6 rebounds. This means activity folks.
• Austin Reaves is playing like an All-Star and he can’t crack 30 minutes.
• Mo Bamba even though he turned his ankle hasn’t got a chance consistently.

Now let’s look at the inconsistency of the players that Darvin Ham is complaining about and their minutes…

• Rui Hachimura: 20 minutes, 2 points and 3 rebounds. This guy’s shot is going to stay bad with no arc on his shot, so get used to this.
• Dennis Schroder: 11 points on 4-13 shooting with 6 assists. The real problem is that this guy A) can’t guard anyone on the wing and B) When the Lakers have to get some offense in the halfcourt, he’s blind in one eye and got the basket in the other! By the way, he played 33 minutes.

Thomas Bryant asked to be traded because his minutes bottomed out. Patrick Beverley asked to be traded even though Ham jammed his starting spot and poor shooting down the fans’ throat for most of the season.

When D’Angelo Russell gets back, if Dennis Schroder is not on that bench, watch some of the roster let go of the rope. Don’t think there aren’t players that are wondering why Dennis quit against Memphis letting that fast break just standing in the backcourt and still getting minutes like everything is everything.

There’s no reason to play hard if there is no reward of extra time on the floor while we all watch Dennis Schroder provide slippage every night.