Lakers Trainer Frank Vogel went through the list before Monday night’s game against the Golden State Warriors in San Francisco, pausing briefly to make sure he got all the names right.
Star forward Anthony Davis was out due to his calf injury; That is a given. He hasn’t been on the field for a month. center Marc Gasol is still included in the NBA’s COVID-19 health and safety protocols. Forward Costas Antetokounmpo is also in the health and safety logs. Forward Jared Dudley has a torn knee ligament. And guard Alex Caruso has a concussion.
Next man It’s hard to keep track with so many going under.
But this is the reality for the Lakers trudging through a compressed NBA season that is both moving too fast and apparently taking forever to get into the playoffs.
And if this is the new normal, the Lakers better get used to it – all in one Win 128-97 they certainly looked comfortable against the warriors.
Montrezl Harrell scored 27 points from the bench, four other Lakers had at least 14 points and Lebron James was able to spend the end of the game on the bench after recording 22 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds for the 98th triple-double of his career. The Lakers shot 62.8% off the field and had 36 assists.
Maybe it was the opponent – the Lakers blew out the warriors without Davis on Feb.28 – or maybe it’s a sign the team is figuring out things with no key pieces.
If it’s the latter, that’s fine because there’s no fixed idea when Davis or Gasol might return. Davis, Vogel said again, is doing “light work” and will not be reassessed until the end of next week. Gasoline, which has been in health and safety logs for the past two weeks, will likely take some time to get back into a playable rhythm once it’s cleared up.
And Dudley, who not only fulfills his role as senior locker room manager, but also made minutes available on site, will soon no longer be an option.
To win, the Lakers need a little more from many different locations.
And that’s exactly what they got on Monday when nine players scored a goal in the first half and all eleven available bodies had at least one bucket in the game. Every Laker who played has finished the game positively in the plus / minus statistics.
After a rare training session on Saturday, which was mostly more of a run, the offensive played with great energy. The ball shot around the field as the Lakers collected 19 assists in the first half and built a 15 point lead at half time.
Lakers security guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope will be defended by Golden State striker Draymond Green in the second half of Monday night.
(Jeff Chiu / Associated Press)
Harrell scored 19 points in the first half, with the Lakers playmakers learning that he is an expert at finding indoor space. Kyle Kuzma and Talen Horton-Tucker scored eight from the bench and shot six for eight off the field. The Lakers’ reserves averaged 38 points in the first half, double that of the Golden State Bank.
“They all played great,” said Vogel.
The Lakers’ second unit would have had 39 points in the half if Kuzma hadn’t missed a free-throw attempt so far to the left that even the Bay Area voters were uncomfortable with it. After the airball, which came after a technical foul, the players – and Kuzma – were seen laughing on both benches.
The only other hiccup came from sales – James had five of the team’s 11 sales in the first half, with the Warriors scoring 19 points from mistakes.
This was offset, however, by hot shooting and willing passing, a byproduct of the Lakers who found a rhythm thanks to solid defense and offensive execution. From then on it started. Horton-Tucker finished the race with 18 points and the best 10 assists of his career.
Still, there isn’t much room left for bad luck.
James pulled to the edge and clung beautifully to the warriors’ defenses for a goal. But when he went to the bank during the immediately following break, cameras caught the star, who winced in pain and shook his left arm. James stayed in the game after a scared commercial break.
Harrell took a quick elbow from angular Warriors rookie center James Wiseman and tossed it on the baseline in front of the Lakers bench. Wiseman was called for the technical foul, and like James, Harrell was able to move on.
Markieff MorrisWhen he started for Davis, he hobbled down the field after firing a shot on his right knee. He was diagnosed with a bruise – an outlandish NBA conversation because of a bruise – and he was cleared to return.
Horton-Tucker, having performed an effort since his introduction to Vogel’s rotation, hit the spot and was slow to get up again.
If any of those falls had been just a little worse, if one of those bumps had been a little heavier, Vogel’s list would have gotten a little longer.
And the Lakers trainer? He can only remember so much.
NEXT
VS. MINNESOTA
When: Tuesday, 7.30 p.m.
Where: Staple Center
In the air: TV: Spectrum SportsNet: Radio: 710, 1330.
Update: The Timberwolves (9-30) took their second win in three games on Sunday with a 114-112 win over Portland, one night after losing four points to the Trail Blazers. This will be the start of a three-game homestand for the Lakers.
