The Los Angeles Lakers went 2-2 in the opening week of the NBA season.
The Lakers finished off their first week of the 2017-18 regular season with a decent showing. Lakers fans (and the rest of the NBA world) got to see the debut of Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, and of course, the real reason to watch the Lakers; LaVar Ball.
Game Recaps
The Lakers were hounded by the new-look Clippers featuring a very motivated Patrick Beverley, determined to shut down Lonzo Ball at all costs. They made up for that defeat with a thrilling 132-130 victory over the Phoenix Suns. Ball had an immense 29p/11r/9a stat-line and showed a glimpse of his limitless potential. The Lakers wrapped up the week after getting destroyed by Cousins in Los Angeles by torturing the undefeated Wizards in overtime. Caldwell-Pope came back from suspension and showed his class, while Brandon Ingram reminded all of us that it’s too early to close the book on him. Want more details on each game? Check out our game recaps.
Five Stories from the Week
Been out of touch with the site? Check out these posts from the past week.
Magic Johnson needs to learn from his own Dodgers: The Los Angeles Dodgers are in the World Series and you know Anthony Irwin had to workshop that into a post. Irwin provides solid reasoning into why Magic should take inspiration from his Dodgers’ ownership and apply that to running the Los Angeles Lakers.
Lakers Owner Jeanie Buss once told Yasiel Puig that he could be the star in LA: An inspirational story that involves Yasiel Puig, Jeanie Buss, the Cincinnati Reds, and a buffet line. What more could you want?
Lakers studied Kidd, Nash, Stockton to build offense around Lonzo Ball: Luke Walton revealed some of the work and inspirations that went into adapting the offense to rookie Lonzo Ball.
Is the Julius Randle situation salvageable?: Dillon Hiser takes a look into the hectic week surrounding Julius Randle, including his new role, and his cloudy future with the Lakers. Hiser breaks down just how complicated this situation has become.
Flashback Friday: Los Angeles Lakers in rap: Kendrew Abueg delved into the Lakers’ history with rap music and there is nothing that disappoints. From Lonzo Ball to Kobe Bryant, this piece has it all. My personal recommendation? The 1987 Lakers’ All-Stars – “Just Say No!”. Kurt Rambis could have gone platinum if he ever pursued a career change.
Upcoming Games
The Lakers will host the Toronto Raptors at Staples Center on Friday night before they pack up and head up to Salt Lake City for their first matchup against the Utah Jazz. The team will have two days off before they head back home and face Caldwell-Pope’s former team, the Detroit Pistons. The team wraps up the next week by playing Damian Lillard’s Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday night.
Want more information on the Lakers-Raptors matchup tonight at Staples? Check out our preview of the game.
