Lakers defeat Trailblazers to get back in the win column
Tonight, the Los Angeles Lakers took on a tall task they have yet to face all season. They played their first game of the season without LeBron James. Going into the season, LeBron shared that he planned to play all 82 games this season. A mark that, while desirable, is rarely attainable.
Even Austin Reaves, who played in all 82 games last year, was out for his fifth straight game now with a pelvic contusion. In a game without two of the team’s top three scorers, this was the most depleted we’ve seen the Lakers all season.
Next Lakers Up
In the first half of tonight’s game, we saw some unfamiliar faces relative to the point of time in the game. Players like Armel Traore and fan favorite Quincy Olivari got some very early run, and didn’t play awful by any means. Even Bronny James got some time at the end of the game, which was much to the crowd’s delight.
QUINCY OLIVARI GETS HIS FIRST NBA POINTS 🥹 pic.twitter.com/fKbgq6vNSr
— Lakers All Day Everyday (@LADEig) December 9, 2024
Traore had a strong dunk, and Quincy knocked down his first NBA three-pointer. Other guys stepped up as well, playing well in their minutes. In the absence of LeBron players like Dalton Knecht and Rui Hachimura helped tremendously on the boards. As good as he was on the glass, that was not all Rui did
Rui Domination
Rui decided to take the game into his own hands in the second quarter, which looked like it was beginning to get away from the Lakers.
Down eight to the struggling Trailblazers, Rui led the Lakers on a 14-0 run, where he scored 12 of the total points. Hachimura also performed this all with Anthony Davis on the bench.
It was a blend of fastbreak dunks, threes, strong rebounds, and forced turnovers on the defensive end. He chose a good night to do this as his fellow countryman and reigning champ, Shohei Ohtani, was in attendance.
Anthony Davis Looks Fantastic
Without his co-star LeBron James tonight, AD took the full weight of the game on his shoulders. He dominated the game from the start and clearly established that he would be the best player on the floor.
While it was a shame to be without LeBron tonight, it was nice to see the team return to truly utilizing their offense around AD being the hub.
Throw it down, AD 🔥 pic.twitter.com/xs2n7pVmMW
— Lakers All Day Everyday (@LADEig) December 9, 2024
The offense was crisp for most of the night, and Davis thrived. Hopefully, the team will stick with this Davis-centric style of play even once LeBron returns. This style of play led to the team’s great start to the season.
Davis’ domination wasn’t just contained to the offensive end either. AD put up an astounding five blocks and affected many more shots than that. You throw in his two steals, and that adds up to SEVEN total stocks. We all know he won’t win Defensive Player of the Year for whatever reason, but tonight, he showed us all who he is on that end of the court.
Welcome Back DLO
In the 4th quarter, the Lakers were hovering around a seven to ten-point lead, not able to really gain much space past that. Enter D’Angelo Russell. For most of the season, Russell has been average to below average. Tonight, however, we got vintage Dlo.
For most of the game, Russell was good but not great. He scored a bit and facilitated the offense well. His assist totals looked good from the start of the game, but it was the 4th-quarter that D’Angelo chose to really show off.
Russell went off on one of his patented personal runs that Lakers fans have missed for quite some time. He knocked in more three-pointers in the 4th-quarter alone (3) than he did the entire three quarters prior. It was the type of run that ultimately took any remaining wind out of the Trailblazers’ sail.
Notable Lakers Performances
Anthony Davis: 28 points, 10 rebounds, 5 blocks, 2 steals
D’Angelo Russell: 28 points, 14 assists, 5 rebounds
Rui Hachimura: 23 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 steals
