Lakers Dominate with Fresh Players

Los Angeles blew New Orleans out of the water Wednesday night, 120-102, as a few new Lakers made their home game debut in purple and gold. It was D’Angelo Russell, Jarred Vanderbilt, and Mo Bamba’s first home game apart of the L.A. family after they were a part of a three-team trade deal.

The Lakers brought solid offense during the do or die game with Crypto Arena welcoming the fresh players with plenty of energy and cheers.

The game leaders were Anthony Davis with 28 points, 10 rebounds and five assists, Lebron James with 21 points, six rebounds and six assists, and Russell with 21 points, two rebounds and seven assists. All three athletes had double-digit points which Los Angeles had not seen recently.

The team looked strong overall and well-rounded with new shooters on the court. Davis looked comfortable post-injury and made impressive moves with 13 points, five rebounds and three assists before half time. Russell showed his skills in his renewed role as point guard. The team also had help from All-Star James. It was his first game back after being absent since he broke the NBA All-Time scoring record.

The Lakers hit a stride last night as the season gets deeper. During the pregame press conference, Coach Darvin Ham said, “We have no more time, no more games to waste. We have to take care of what’s in front of us...just gotta go out and do it.”

Los Angeles held onto the lead throughout the entire game. New Orleans closed the gap a couple times and made it a three-point game by the third quarter. Although they were persistent in the middle of the game, the Laker newbies made sure to stay on their game and bring both offense and defense to the table to break away from the trailing Pelicans.

During a post-game interview with Davis, he was asked about his early impressions on the new Lakers. “We just competed, honestly. I think J.V. did a good job...just with his lenses presence. D. Lo obviously doing what he does. Play make, scorer, beast shooting. It’s a different look to see in the workforce tonight.”

Besides the gap closing during the third quarter, all eyes were on Russell’s outstanding debut. Before the end of the quarter, he earned 20 points, two rebounds and seven assists. The joy he felt during the game was shown on his face. During the postgame press conference Russell said, “having that much fun playing basketball is a beautiful feeling.”

Bamba also had a Laker debut to remember as he made a powerful slam dunk and hung on to the basket for about two seconds. He made his appearance known and proved Los Angeles is his fresh territory.

By the fourth quarter the Lakers left the Pelicans in the dust with 20 points without a chance to catch up. It was the first blowout for L.A. since November. A blowout that surely increased their confidence as the team continues to compete.