A team that many wondered if they’d go above .500 has rounded out their record 43-39 and sits seventh in the Western Conference… for now.
*The West has been in such disarray; it’s going to take until the end of nearly everyone’s final regular-season game to see how the conference standings shake out.
It’s confirmed, Los Angeles will host the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday in DTLA.
This Sunday afternoon in Los Angeles marks Game 82 for the Lakers and they ended the regular season with a big 128-117 win over Utah.
LeBron James and Anthony Davis held it down. LBJ in the front court, AD in the back court. Davis had seven boards by half. And LeBron lit things up to start with three triples in the first quarter. At half, he was up to 17 points.
LeBron closed things out with 36 points, six rebounds, six assists, one block, and one steal. The reason for his firepower? “I got to watch my son play last night,” Bron said.
LeBron’s son, Bronny, closed out his high school career at the Nike Hoops Summit in Portland last night and LeBron made sure to be there to support his son. Even after arriving back in L.A. late last night, LeBron said he woke up today with “plenty of energy” after spending time with his family.
And like Bron, AD also had a full tank. The big fella had 16 points, 13 rebounds (10 defensive), three assists, three steals, four blocks.
D’Angelo Russell provided support for Bron with 17 points and five assists, Austin also provided some playmaking with six assists in addition to his 12 points.
“Take care of your own business,” Head Coach Darvin Ham said pregame. “And let the rest figure it out.”
“We need to come out ready to go to work,” Ham said.
The team, who’s had a strenuous stretch of games this past week, came out with both chemistry and energy; their passing was especially aligned in the first quarter. Twelve minutes in, the Lakers had 13 points off the fast break, which grew to 22 at halftime. Jarred Vanderbilt was doing his best to find Davis under the hoop, and LeBron returned the favor for Vando. But things slowed down a little after the half…
Utah came out hard from the jump, the Lakers came out strong too, but Utah didn’t let up and the Lakers got sloppy in the third; they started committing careless fouls. At 4:50 in the third quarter, LeBron stood under Utah’s basket, after they just had an easy make, he clapped his hands together and shouted, “Hey, let’s go,” at his teammates. AD answered with two back-to-back blocks on Luka Samanic.
While Davis held it down defensively with four blocks and three steals in 26 minutes of play, the Lakers allowed the Jazz to score 39 points in the third quarter. Los Angeles held the lead by only four heading into the final frame.
LeBron finished the game exactly the way he started, with back-to-back triples to give the Lakers a considerable 11-point lead with 39.7 seconds to go. King James had eight triples on his way to a Lakers Win.
Now, the Lakers have a day and a half of rest to be ready for Tuesday.
Until then—
