Max Christie accepted the “huge challenge” of guarding Donovan Mitchell, helping the Lakers to an impressive win.
The Los Angeles Lakers (9-7) pulled together and overcame a series of injuries, turnovers and a missed shot from LeBron James to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 121-115 on Saturday in the opener of a four-game road trip. Team. Rocket Mortgage Stadium.
The Lakers had seven players score in double figures, led by the devastating Anthony Davis (32 points, 13 rebounds) Enjoy it very much Best assist rate of the season. Of the many contributors, none is more famous than Max Christie.
Considering the opponent and his role in the dub, Saturday marked an outstanding performance of Christie’s young career.The 20-year-old made his second start of the season buzzing and cut He had 12 points (5-for-7 shooting), five rebounds and three assists in 33 minutes. I’ve converted from 3-point range to 2-for-4; the Lakers are 9-for-27.
Most impressively, Christie stepped up the Lakers’ point-of-attack defense in the second half — with Darius Garland’s exit also helping — especially Donovan Mitchell’s two clutch blocks. (22 points on 4-for-18 shooting). He scored 6 points on 1-for-10 shooting in the second half.
“A game like this, he’s got to try and guard all these guys. Donovan late in the game. It’s a big, big challenge,” Davon Ham said of Christie. “And it was much needed. He was awesome tonight. We gave him a big thumbs up after the game. Everyone here is rooting for him and knows how special he is and how special he already is… He’s ready There you go. “The kid is passionate about his game. “
Max Christie was outstanding tonight. The offense worked well together and the defense was tight. It’s hard on Donovan Mitchell.
Between Christie, Cam Reddish and Jared Vanderbilt, the Lakers have some good options on the wing. pic.twitter.com/MV0QItPBhR
— Kevin O’Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) November 26, 2023
“It helps when you have your coach’s trust,” LeBron added. “Knowing he was going to get the call, he was ready. He stepped up. He was outstanding tonight. One of the toughest opponents in this league is Donovan Mitchell, and obviously, he’s got the ability to do it all Scoring at three levels…I just thought he did a good job of just trying to keep his body close to him and get him to take tough shots and not foul.”
“He made two big stops for us,” Davis said. There’s not much more you can ask for, because he’s only in second grade and he’s taking on this challenge. “It shows a lot about him.”
Max Christie! ! 🔒🔒
— Jared Vanderbilt (@JVando) November 26, 2023
The Lakers are missing perimeter defenders such as Cam Reddish (groin), Gabe Vincent (knee) and Jared Vanderbilt (heel) stay on the sidelines (Ei Hachimura is also out indefinitely). Christie has now checked out Kevin Irving and Mitchell in back-to-back games.
I asked Davon Hamm about the Lakers’ offensive point D and the impact of Jared Vanderbilt’s loss in that area.
Ham is more concerned with transition D and rebounding than the “middle” stuff. He said the Lakers are susceptible to what Chris Jeter calls the “buddy run.” pic.twitter.com/xPxReXNE5d
— Michael Corvo (@michaelcorvoNBA) November 2, 2023
“Any time he gets a chance to leave a mark on the game, he’s going to do it,” Austin Reeves (15 points, 10 assists) said. “Just because he’s always prepared. “He never takes shortcuts. “
Reddish was initially listed as questionable for Saturday’s game, so he could return to the lineup as early as Monday against the Philadelphia 76ers. Reddish, who was recently named Player of the Week, will return to the starting lineup. Vanderbilt and Vincent would soon be burned. However, after a quiet start, Christie began to lay the foundation for a stable rotation role. His energy, movement and defensive utility won’t waver. It would help if his three-point shooting percentage (20% this year, 41.9% last year) didn’t drop as well.
All three of Cleveland’s Lakers players came off the bench. In addition to Reeves, Christian Wood scored 13 points in the first half, while Jackson Hayes scored a team-high +14 points on 5-for-5 shooting. But in the end, Davis (23 points in the second half) helped the Lakers to a challenging road victory. rebounda confident two-way performance against the Cavaliers’ majestic front line.
“We have big expectations for AD,” LeBron said. “We want him to be aggressive offensively while anchoring our defense. “Tonight was an AD game. “
Austin Reaves steals and passes to Anthony Davis
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) November 26, 2023
LeBron’s latest return (a Museum named after him Saturday’s opening game in Akron) was unusually uneventful: 22 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists, averaging 8-for-23 from the field and 1-for-9 from 3-point range. Tonight — and ideally, with more to come — he was carried by his teammates.
“We played well on both ends of the floor,” AD concluded. “A good team is going to win and go on a road trip.”