In fact the Lakers had been excited, a perennial MVP candidate now sitting on the finish of their bench in Luka Doncic, a 25-year-old offensive maestro now on their roster.
In fact, the offensive potentialities of him enjoying with LeBron James and with Austin Reaves, of whipping passes to Dorian Finney-Smith and Rui Hachimura for open nook threes have JJ Redick able to get to work.
However it doesn’t matter what occurred throughout the Lakers’ 122-97 win over the Clippers Tuesday, the workforce’s emotions following this commerce are definitely extra advanced.
For 47 video games, the Lakers tried to resolve the issues their roster offered, discovering one of the best methods to cowl up their flaws, intensify their strengths and maximize their potential. And after a win final Saturday evening in opposition to the Knicks, the Lakers may see it.
They had been shut.
After which in a matter of moments, all the pieces was completely different. The earlier season was over. The brand new season was about to begin. And there was disappointment in that.
“Guys are going to really feel a sure means,” coach JJ Redick mentioned. “And there’s a grieving course of. There’s an pleasure and a rebirth course of. There’s all of these items and people issues take time. It’s not, we’re not going to wave a magic wand and say, ‘Ah, we’re good right now.’ Prefer it takes time. The necessary factor is that the mission has not modified and the way we go about doing that mission has not modified.”
However even with out Anthony Davis, even with out Max Christie and even with out Doncic, who remains to be recovering from a calf damage, the Lakers seemed like a workforce nonetheless intent on undertaking that mission, melancholy or not.
In opposition to the Clippers at Intuit Dome, the Lakers continued to play with the sort of depth, the sort of focus and the sort of execution that had them believing they might win this season within the first place.
James, like he was for many of the Lakers’ current street journey, performed with the sort of timeless vitality on each ends of the courtroom that shouldn’t be doable for a participant in Season 22. He scored 26 factors on eight-of-13 taking pictures after opening the sport by making his first 5 photographs. And with out Davis or Christie on the ground, he was one of many Lakers’ most energetic defenders.
Reaves and Hachimura scored 20 every — the 40 factors approaching solely 27 mixed photographs. Reaves including 9 assists. And Jaxson Hayes, the Lakers’ doubtless beginning middle shifting ahead, performed 24 minutes with six factors, six rebounds, 4 assists — and solely two fouls — giving the Lakers an athletic presence across the rim on each side of the courtroom.
The Clippers, who just like the Lakers performed their final sport out East, seemed largely lifeless in a sport the place they by no means led by greater than some extent. Kawhi Leonard, who carved up the Lakers’ protection of their final assembly, scored solely 11 factors in 23 minutes. Ivica Zubac, who dominated the inside so soundly that Davis publicly requested for the Lakers so as to add a middle someday later, made simply two photographs to go together with his 10 rebounds. And on the perimeter, Finney-Smith harassed James Harden right into a two-for-12 evening throughout which he scored solely seven factors, his second-worst scoring sport of the season.
The Lakers held the Clippers to 37.8% taking pictures, their fifth-worst taking pictures sport of the season. The Lakers ended up with 5 completely different gamers with no less than six rebounds.