of lakers fell into cleveland 114-100 thanks to a terrible second half in which Los Angeles beat the Cavaliers 56-36.
Before the game, the roster and rotation were all apart. Patrick Beverly has been sidelined due to a non-coronavirus illness, and coach Durbin Hamm has added Kenrick Nunn to the starting line-up. Nan is out of rotation, Keep Russell Westbrook on the bench as a supersub.
Nunn got off to a good start with a beautiful assist to Anthony Davis that led to a quick dunk, but Russ was the main standout player in the first quarter. He entered at his 7:59 mark in the first quarter and was nothing short of spectacular. He went 5-6 down the field and brought unparalleled energy and exuberance to show the crowd that defenders were too small to shimmy on the floor after a tough And-1 basket. Since then, Russ has often been Russ. The Lakers finished this quarter his 36-30. This, believe it or not, was the first time he had won the first quarter of the entire season.
In the second frame, the Lakers kept the pressure on the Cavaliers’ frontcourt. Cleveland had no answer for Russ, LeBron, or AD driving into the paint. All three of him finished in his double figures in the first half, and the Cavaliers failed to close the gap, finishing the 28th quarter with 28. The Lakers led the locker room by six points at halftime.
But these Lakers have lost every third quarter this season, except one ( Denver Nuggets), and at Sunday’s matinee, things started badly in third again. got the lead of
Durbin Ham adjusted and brought in Russ to end the scoring drought. He scored an alley-oop dunk to AD on the first possession. Another Ronnie layup and Russ-to-Bron connection, and the Lakers killed the Cavaliers’ momentum to even the game.
Westbrook has already had three assists since checking in around the eighth minute of the third quarter, totaling eight in 18 minutes, stopping a run by the Cavaliers who trailed by five points. It is useful for
74-all.
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) November 6, 2022
However, he had to sit on the bench in the 4th minute as AD scored his fourth foul. Wenyen Gabriel came in and made a valiant effort and contested his shots, making the occasional basket. The Lakers lost the quarter battle again with his 29-16 finish, finishing third. From the lead of 6 points as it is to the final frame with a difference of 7 points.
In the fourth, the Cavs closed the doors on the purple and gold to continue their 3rd quarter run with 17 unanswered points. By double digits, the Lakers were unable to regain the lead. For the Cleveland side, Donovan Mitchell had his one game and scored 33 points. points, and the Lakers fell 2-7 on the season.
With three more games scheduled, including tomorrow’s matchup against the Utah Jazz, the Lake Show is non-stop this week. The Lakers need to find a way to move from moral victories to actual victories, and they need to do it quickly. His 2-7 record in the competitive West does not bode well for playoff hopes. If there is a good team anywhere here, Durbin Hamm needs to be found quickly.
