Los Angeles Lakers fans got to draw some first real impressions on Wednesday of how their side may fare in the more immediate future, as they got their first proper look at the revamped roster as they took to the court against the New Orleans Pelicans.
The game was also the last look Lakers fans would get to have at the side before the All Star break, and they did not disappoint, taking a 120-102 victory as they played for the first time since using the trade deadline to its fullest.
Speaking after the final buzzer had gone, legend and superstar LeBron James said of their run out, that his own first impressions of what they could achieve together were very good indeed and for those who want to achieve try online roulette here, the odds on them finishing the year strongly would probably be very favourable.
“I think we’re going to continue to build off tonight. I think our skill sets all kind of fit each other.”
The Lakers 59th game of the season saw them field a 30th different starting lineup, which is the most in the NBA), but this variant featured three recent signings in the shape of D’Angelo Russell (point guard), Malik Beasley (shooting guard) and Jarred Vanderbilt (power forward) and in the eyes of many, they all seemed to instantly click with a good understanding of each other.
Once they jumped to a 12-2 lead, the Lakers simply did not look back and at one point in the tie up, their advantage over the Pelicans was a very comfortable 20 point gap – the result will do their chances of chasing them down in the Western Conference playoff battle no harm at all.
Leading the Lakers with 28 points on 13 for 17 shootings, Anthony Davis, commented himself.
“It was good. One, for us to get on the winning side of things going into the break, to feel good about ourselves and not let a loss kind of linger over the next six, seven days. But for standings purposes, it’s also a good win for us.”
Davis also had ten rebounds and two blocks across the game.
They now sit in 13th place in the West standings at 27-32 overall but they are within touching distance of another very good season. Two games off 10th seed and the final play in spot and only 3 and a half from sixth seed and a guaranteed no play in a tournament first round berth.
James knew that they still had work to do, but again after the recent roster tweaks, he remained positive for the future ahead as he made his own return to the court after missing their three last games with a sore left foot and ankle complaint.
“We got a lot of work to do still. And every game is going to be tough for us, especially going down the stretch, knowing the type of push that we need to make. I want the guys to enjoy the break but don’t get 100% detached because we want to come back and try to keep this thing going. I feel really good about what we have brewing, but it’s going to take a lot of commitment from us going down the stretch so I’m looking forward to that.”
It will be interesting to see what happens when the break is over.
