It’s been a long time since the Lakers had a team as fun as this one, even though it’s only November.
No Luka Doncic? No problem. No Austin Reaves? No problem. No Luka OR Austin? No problem. No matter the circumstances, this team continues to unleash.
Everyone talks about a “next man up” mentality, but this team shows it. When one guy falls, everyone picks up the rope together and continues fighting. Seeing this in November while knowing there is so much more room for this team to grow this season is such an exciting feeling.
So let’s dive into victory. As always, ratings are based on each player’s expectations. A “B” rating represents that player’s average performance.
28 minutes, 12 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 1 foul, 5-10 FG, 2-5 3PT, +5
It’s hard to believe the Lakers are paying Ziaire and Matisse less than $5 million total this season. If this were a serious award, Ziaire would have a strong case for Most Improved Player. He went from empty stats in Brooklyn to a key role at a contender.
32 minutes, 4 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 5 fouls, 3 turnovers, 2-6 FG, 0-1 3PT, +0
I’ll forgive him for that missed dunk late because he’s still flying around the court doing things. Some of it is bad, as evidenced by his five fouls, but most of it is good.
30 minutes, 21 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 2 fouls, 4 turnovers, 8-12 FG, 5-6 FT, -3
Kessler has been able to show off some of his playmaking skills over the last two games and has been making some excellent passes as of late. You can see the chemistry that builds in these situations.
23 minutes, 6 points, 1 assist, 3 steals, 1 block, 1 turnover, 2-5 FG, 2-5 3PT, -3
At the start of the season, we joked that Matisse only took threes without hollows. Well, he started exploiting them and they don’t come in. At least he got the big one right in the fourth tonight.
39 minutes, 32 points, 8 rebounds, 10 assists, 5 steals, 2 blocks, 2 fouls, 6 turnovers, 11-22 FG, 3-11 3PT, 7-7 FT, +4
It never felt like Luka had any rhythm in this game and then you look at the stat sheet and he almost had a triple-double. Still, he didn’t seem to have the same impact on the game that he has recently, but if he can still give you that stat line on a night like that, then it’s another feather in his cap for being the best player in the league.
32 minutes, 23 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 1 foul, 7-13 FG, 5-8 3PT, 4-4 FT, +20
Without a doubt, this is his best game as a Laker. He was hitting open threes and, perhaps more importantly, getting baskets when Luka was sitting. After a series of bad outings, he chose the right time to achieve his best.
26 minutes, 18 points, 2 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal, 1 foul, 1 turnover, 6-11 FG, 3-4 3PT, 3-6 FT, +7
The sample size of bad Sexton games is always larger than the sample size of good games. However, the Lakers won neither of these last two games without Sexton. He had arguably his two best performances of the season when the Lakers needed another ball handler to make a positive contribution.
This was also the first game where you could really see the chemistry between Sexton and Kessler.
13 minutes, 4 points, 2 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block, 2 fouls, 2-2 FG, +7
Over the last two games, Vando has had some nice finishes around the rim. It would be really cool if this was a sign that something was going to move forward, but I’m just going to enjoy what we saw instead of hoping.
Cameron Carr, Adou Thiéro
It’s exciting to see the team’s possible future getting playing time this season. Thiero continues to impress in his few minutes while Carr didn’t look out of place in his two cameos either. Both should continue to get minutes, even though Carr is currently a bit lower on the depth chart.
The Lakers are coming off arguably their best two wins of the season in a row while shorthanded in both, so Redick gets a ton of credit. He picks the right lineups, keeps guys ready, and helps the team continue to improve along the way.
Monday’s DNPs: Jaden Hardy, Bronny James, Kevon Looney, Lawson Lovering
Monday’s inactives: Austin Reaves, Quentin Grimes
You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude or on Bluesky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.
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