The Los Angeles Lakers had to play the second game of a back-to-back tonight, following last night’s emotional, tough, and intense tribute to Kobe Bryant. To top it off the solemn night, it ended with a loss as the Lakers came into tonight on a two-game losing streak. They got back to their winning ways though, beating the Sacramento Kings 129-113 in a building where Kobe made big shot after big shot.
Avery Bradley and Alex Caruso make it rain in the first half
The Lakers came out firing in the first half, going into the intermission with 81 points (RIP Kobe Bryant) to the Kings’ 64. Believe it or not, the Lakers weren’t led in points in the huge half by LeBron James OR Anthony Davis. No, the first half leader in points was actually Avery Bradley with 16.
Bradley was extremely effective from three, ending the first half making four out of five including three straight threes within the first three or four minutes of the game.
Alex Caruso isn’t really known for his shooting, but he joined Bradley in the fun in the first half with three threes of his own in the 2nd quarter. It was a really nice thing to see from Caruso since his shooting has always been a huge negative while his impressive defense kept him on the floor.
Lakers bench struggles to hold the lead at times
The Lakers were leading by upwards of 20 points per game most of the night, however, the lead got down to below 15, and even at 12 at a point in the third quarter. Things were feeling much closer than they should have been, which can be attributed to the bench struggling to hold leads against the Kings’ bench. In fact, four of the five starters had plus/minuses at 20 or more, with no one on the bench eclipsing 10.
This all comes back to the Lakers’ presumed need of a shot-creating guard off the bench. This is why the Lakers have been connected to players like Derrick Rose and Darren Collison.
Keep a lookout for more rumors possibly connected to those two players, as the Lakers could outright sign Collison out of retirement, with the Lakers needing to figure out a trade for Rose before the NBA Trade Deadline on February 6th.
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The Lakers will return home on Tuesday, as they’ll take on the San Antonio Spurs at 7:00 p.m.
