LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 13: Draymond Green #23 of the Golden State Warriors celebrates his dunk during the first half against the Golden State Warriors at Staples Center on November 13, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
The Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors appear to be headed in separate directions this season for different reasons. The Warriors are experiencing a historical year of injuries, all among their trio of Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and Steph Curry. The Lakers are trending up after their 120-94 victory on Wednesday. The Lakers (9-2) are tied with the Boston Celtics with nine wins on the year – the most in the league.
A Smoking Hot Start
The Lakers scored 67 points on 63 percent from the field in the first half. They canned five three-pointers igniting their blistering start in the first quarter. This was the Lakers best start to a game all season. What’s more impressive is the offense catching fire without Anthony Davis suiting up.
Kyle Kuzma pitched into their successful beginning as a starter in place of the injured Davis. He finished the game with 22 points. This performance follows a season-high of 25 points in last night’s win against the Phoenix Suns.
Solid minutes from Dwight Howard and Jared Dudley
Dwight Howard continues his resurgence in his second stop at Staples. He finished the game with an array of vintage finishes and good defensive activity. He posted 15 points on the evening. The hair is starting to come along as Howard sports the blonde look.
After catching an inadvertent elbow from Draymond Green, Kuzma had to leave the game. In stepped Dudley, who canned two threes to the crowd’s delight. As usual, he was also making extra passes and communicating in the middle of the Lakers defense early on.
LeBron was LeBroning
The King set the tone early with a first half season-high of 19 points. It was business as usual from that point forward. James finished the night early with 23 points and 12 assists . The jump out of the gate got him some much-needed minutes to “manage his load” during the Lakers’ rout, as he sat the entire fourth quarter.
The Lakers are set to take on the Sacramento Kings at home on Friday. This will be the first time they are visited by former head coach Luke Walton.
