The vibes felt different.
The new Lakers came in and provided a huge jolt to the team. They were flying around and were seemingly always in motion, which would only happen on spurts this season. Anthony Davis played some clutch defense and the Lakers took one in San Francisco, 109-103.
I’m going to spotlight the new guys really quick.
D’Angelo Russell was smooth and didn’t look rattled. He did his job running the offense, made the correct play, and didn’t do too much. It was almost like a calming effect on the team that was badly needed.
Malik Beasley didn’t have a good shooting night but what he did provide was spacing. It gave everyone else so much room on the court. Hopefully, he shoots better in future games.
The way everyone was talking about Jarrod Vanderbilt, it seemed like his jersey was going to get retired by halftime. But man, was he a bundle of endless energy. And he had a couple of surprise drives, too. Vanderbilt was a huge acquisition.
The game was close throughout but I felt a lot more confident with this group of Lakers going into the final minutes. Anthony Davis did not have a great game and it felt like he was listless for most of the game. But he came through in the last few minutes of the game, including two blocks that stopped the Warriors in their tracks. Then Rui Hachimura and Dennis Schröder made clutch buckets to take it home for the Lakers.
The Lakers look bigger (they outboarded the Dubs by 8), more energized, and fit better as a team overall. The chemistry was surprisingly immediate (though we know the new guys all played for Minnesota together last season). Darvin Ham can actually use better three-guard line-ups because his 6’1″-6’2″ guys have been replaced with guys that are 6’5″-6’9″. When Anthony Davis finally regains his MVP-caliber legs and energy and when LeBron James can play, this team could be very interesting. It’s only one game but I feel pretty optimistic at the moment. Now it’s all about staying focused and consistent.
Schröder led the team in scoring with 26 points. Rui Hachimura had 16. D’Angelo Russell had 15 in his re-debut while the new fan favorite Jarred Vanderbilt scored 12 and grabbed 8 boards.
Anthony Davis looked like he just got out of bed for most of the game. It didn’t help that he was getting a lot of contact in the paint in the fourth quarter. But he scored three important baskets in the fourth and the Warriors couldn’t get anything past him in the paint. He finished with 15 points, 16 boards, and three blocks.
Malik Beasley finished with four points (2 for 9 shooting; 0 for 6 from three). He’ll get more chances to shoot next game.
As for the Warriors, Jordan Poole scored 17 of his 29 in the fourth quarter. Klay Thompson struggled from the field (5 for 21) and finished with 15 points. Kevon Looney grabbed 13 boards.
The Lakers are now 26-31. They are now two games behind the 10th-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder. Now let’s see if the new deeper Lakers can go on a run here. They have the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday and that team is also having their own problems. Gotta get these Ws while they can.
