After adding superstar guard Luka Doncic in a trade with the Dallas Mavericks that sent superstar two-way big man Anthony Davis and 3-and-D guard Max Christie to Dallas, many questioned if the Lakers got better in the short-term. Everyone knew that they fleeced the Mavericks and extended their championship window for the next decade, but many fans also thought that the Lakers got worse right now to land them a generational player in Luka Doncic. However, the Lakers have been rolling ever since they traded for Luka, winning 10 out of their last 12 and putting the league on notice, and that was no different in the game against their neighbors, the LA Clippers. Luka had one of his better games as a Laker, recording 29 points, 9 assists, and 6 rebounds, shooting 53% from the field and 42% from 3, and played a massive part in the win. As for LeBron James, he had a below average game for his standard. Despite being one of the best players in the NBA in the new year, he only dropped 17 points, 9 assists, and 5 rebounds, shooting 6-17 from the field and 1-6 from behind the arc. Some other notable contributors include rookie Dalton Knecht, who had 19 points on 70% from the field and 63% from 3, and defensive menace Jarred Vanderbilt, who almost recorded a double-double and was all over the court defensively. The Clippers main performer was star two-way forward Kawhi Leonard, as he recorded 33 points and 10 rebounds, and held LeBron to only 17 points, 9 assists, and 5 rebounds, despite him averaging 29 PPG, 10.5 RPG, and 7 APG in the month of February in which he won the NBA’s Player of the Month.
As for what happened in the game itself, it was a great game. Lakers 3-and-D forward Dorian Finney-Smith opened the scoring with a 3-point shot off the catch. The Clippers then responded with a shot from their big man, Ivica Zubac. Then, Luka Doncic got an iso against Zubac, and hit a stepback 3 to get the crowd amped up. Both teams traded buckets in the 1st quarter, with the score being 34-28 at the break. In the 2nd quarter, both teams were still hitting shots to start the quarter, with the score being 44-43 in the Lakers favor with 7:35 to go after Kawhi Leonard made a mid-range jumper. However, that would be the last of the Clipper’s points of the half, as the Lakers would go on a 12-0 run to end the half to extend their lead to 13, with the score being 56-43 at the half.
After the half, both teams went back to getting buckets and making shots. The Clippers could not dig out from the hole they were in during the 3rd quarter, with the Lakers being up 21 points at one point in the third quarter, with the score being 84-63. It appeared that it was going to be a blowout, but the Clippers managed to go on a 14-5 run in the last 3 minutes of the third, giving them life and only being down 89-77 going into the 4th. In the 4th quarter, both teams were quite sluggish, with constant turnovers and missed shots by both teams. The Clippers managed to make it a 5 point game with 1:40 left in the game, and it was appearing that they may comeback and win. Then, it almost happened; with 30 seconds left in the game, Clippers guard Kris Dunn stole the ball from Luka Doncic, and had a “wide-open” layup to make it a one-possession game. Then, after not having much of an impact all night, as Dunn was slowing down to make the layup, LeBron James caught up to him, jumped, and got the chasedown block to put the game on ice. Dorian Finney-Smith would be fouled with under 10 seconds to go, hitting a free throw to make the score 108-102. The Clippers tried getting a quick 3, but they missed, and that was all she wrote. The Lakers won, 108-102, and took the Western Conference 2nd seed with it.
The Lakers have been so good as of late, and it comes down to three main things. First and foremost, despite trading one of the best defensive players in the game with Anthony Davis for one of the worst defenders in the league with Luka Doncic, their defense has become elite, holding opposing teams to an average of 106.4 points per game since the trade, which is one of the best in the NBA. With the return of Jarred Vanderbilt, the addition of Dorian Finney-Smith, Head coach JJ Redick’s defensive adjustments, and the other players all stepping up on defense, they are a force to be reckoned with on the defensive side of the court. The second reason is Luka has allowed LeBron to return to playing like an MVP candidate. Luka is a perfect compliment to LeBron, as he draws so much attention from the defense; it spaces the floor for LeBron to do what he does best, drive to the paint and get an easy 2, or kick out for the open 3. If the defense keys in on LeBron, then Luka will end up dropping 30. So it is kind of like picking your poison for opposing defenses. The final reason is their HC, JJ Redick. The last two seasons, the Lakers had Darvin Ham as their HC. To keep it blunt, he may have been the worst HC in the league when he was there. He never made any adjustments mid-game, did not know how to draw up plays, had horrible time management, he looked lost out there. In an interview, at different times, both were asked on how to guard and gameplan around the league’s best player and 3x MVP, Nikola Jokic. Darvin Ham said, “Try to catch him coming out of his house and kidnap him.” While a comedic response, this is an NBA head coach saying this. It sounds like he’s just accepting the fact that Jokic is going to go off against them, and if he did, the Lakers would end up getting swept 4-0 by the Nuggets and Jokic in that series. However, when JJ Redick took over, after a 123-100 win against Denver, where they held Jokic to only 12 points, said he had “sleepless nights” trying to gameplan around him. With his IQ as a coach, he elevates this team and all its players to a new level.
The Lakers have emerged as a serious contender in the NBA, and now as a #2 seed in the West, teams will be scrambling on how to stop Luka and LeBron, how to score against this defense, and how to outsmart JJ Redick.
