Jessica Archie-USA TODAY Sports
With LeBron James out with an injury, it took a full team effort for the Los Angeles Lakers to earn their second straight victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday night. Anthony Davis will of course lead the way, but the likes of Rui Hachimura, Cam Reddish and Austin Reeves all played huge roles in this win.
The Lakers were able to limit some of the issues they’ve had this season as tonight they actually won the first quarter 31-28 while only giving up 5 offensive rebounds and only turning the ball over 9 times.
The Trail Blazers did fight back in the fourth quarter after the Lakers seemed to have the situation under control, but Davis was pleased with the way his team kept their composure and played throughout the night.
“I thought we just competed,” Davis said after the win. “Even though they made some three-pointers and second-chance points in the game, we didn’t let that affect the way we played basketball, especially late in the game.
“We were still able to get stops, take some tough shots and then be able to control their possession. So even though they were running, we stayed resilient and kept fighting, which we’ve shown all season long that we can do that a little.”
There’s no question that the Lakers’ battle has been going on all year. Due to problems in the first quarter, the team often had to fight back to make the game more competitive, and more often than not, they did just that.
With LeBron out, many anticipated the need to play again on Sunday. As Davis pointed out, when you’re missing someone like James, it takes everyone to step up, and Davis believes the Lakers have done just that.
“When you don’t have guys like that in every aspect of the game, everybody has to step up, from rebounding to playmaking, scoring, defense,” the Lakers big man added. “Guys have to step up and I Thought the guys did it tonight.
“Austin made some big shots, defensive end TP, defensive end Cam, Rui took on the challenge and guarded Jerami Grant. So I think everybody stepped up and when you take a big dog out, you That’s what it will do.”
LeBron James’ injury is something many teams can’t overcome, no matter who they face. But the Lakers finally got healthy, and because of that, everyone played a big role when it mattered most and they were able to pull off a big win.
Lakers’ LeBron James’ injury not believed to be serious; listed as day-to-day
LeBron missed Sunday’s game against the Trail Blazers because of a calf injury he suffered in the Lakers’ previous game against Phoenix. Head coach Davin Hamm made it clear that the Lakers were just being proactive and believed the injury was not serious.
“He’s got some issues with his shine and he was injured last game. So just be proactive. We don’t want to put him in trouble so early, so this is an opportunity for him to get some treatment and not force it. So. He just takes it day by day.”
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