The Lakers have switched alternately between the most explosive and normal-looking for this precedent, and this was the same situation once again in their Friday night match against the Suns. Oprah dominated the first half, but came to play in the third quarter, resulting in a 114-113 win, which included a full 4-0 performance slate for Los Angeles.
Here are some gifts from their final preseason game.
The less said about the previous part, the better
For a second outing directly in front of the sun, the Lakers trailed 20-7. Unlike Wednesday’s game, the Lakers took a long time to wake up. Phoenix ran all over to start the game, facing a little defensive resistance, hitting nine first half thrashings in the paint and finished with a will. The Lakers, meanwhile, could not get out on their own. There was a lot of turnover and mishandling, and a general lack of attention to detail.
There may have been a point of predestination when the Lakers were playing as if the games didn’t make a difference, and that was it. Even without Chris Paul in the lineup, Phoenix took the lead that extended to 21 points during the opening period and the Suns were still at 13th when they went on break.
Anthony Davis has arrived
Davis had 35 points in 30 minutes, including a 6-7 shooting from the 3-point range. The third quarter was his Tour de Force. He scored 19 points, brought the ball to court, and fought in every Phoenix shot. At the offensive most of his losses came on the jumper; His step back felt good and he also ran some peaks and rolls. Appropriately, he stopped the period with three hitting the buzzer to pull the laser inside one.
After a body-tax-paying playoff run, Davis comfortably took a big chunk of the fuss. He had just 10 points in his predecessor debut, but this was very close to Davis claiming a DPOY and MVP in his second year with the Lakers. He played essentially a point guard for the Lakers without LeBron James on the floor, and brought the team back into the game.
Tylen Horton-Tucker is still shining
The Lakers pulled the ball into Horton-Tucker’s hands and put it down, and the second-year player delivered once again. He ran some Nifty pick-and-roll with both Montreal Herald and Devonta Kecock, which led to many finishes for his own 18 points and big men. Horton-Tucker’s reach was also displayed on the defensive end, with theft and obstruction.
The Lakers had a few minutes to play Horton-Tucker due to Dennis Schrader’s leg injury, but it has become harder and harder to find a reason not to play him. He delivers empty whenever he is on the court. We’ll see if he sees it when the games count begins on Tuesday.
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