THE Lakers finished an uneven road trip on a high note with back-to-back wins at New Orleans and Milwaukee, saving a 3-2 record on the road trip after a 119-95 victory against the Bucks SATURDAY. The only thing the players seemed more excited about than winning was what awaited them after nine days of travel.
“Let’s go home”, onward Jake LaRavia posted on his Instagram story.
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Here are five takeaways from this five-game road trip:
The Lakers rediscover their magic
Laker Deandre Ayton fouls Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo Saturday in Milwaukee. (Morry Gash/Associated Press)
Deandre Ayton took credit for the Frank Sinatra soundtrack in the postgame locker room, but JJ Redick had Jay-Z on his mind. After finishing a grueling trip, one of Redick’s first thoughts was of Jay-Z’s song “A Week Ago,” which begins with the lyrics: “It was all good just a week ago.”
A week ago, the Lakers were 7-2. They were riding a five-game winning streak heading into practice in Atlanta.
Then things went wrong.
The Lakers (10-4) were blown out against Atlanta and Oklahoma City during this trip. They played about a good half of basketball in their first three games. But during the most demanding part of the streak, the Lakers rallied to end up with critical victories against the Pelicans and Bucks.
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Learn more: Luka Doncic scores 41 points as Lakers beat Milwaukee Bucks to cap 3-2 trip
“It’s the NBA,” Redick told reporters. “And you have to find moments to rediscover what makes you a good basketball team. And I think in the last 24 hours, we’ve done that.”
Redick credited Luka Doncic And Austin Reaves for continuing to lead the team through rough waters on Saturday. Although the team arrived in Milwaukee at 3 a.m. Saturday and Doncic played 40 minutes the day before in New Orleans, the superstar guard was still diving to the floor to recover a loose ball in the second quarter. He pushed the ball to Reaves, who found Ayton for a layup.
As Doncic has become more comfortable with his teammates, his leadership has shown itself not only through his play but also through his sarcastic personality, which has helped develop a strong bond.
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“It’s great chemistry,” Doncic told reporters. “When I first came in, I was probably a little calmer, trying to get to know people. But right now, I’m just being myself, joking around a lot, talking trash. So I think one of the most important things for the team to win is to have good chemistry, and I think we have that.”
Doncic’s MVP campaign continues
Lakers’ Luka Doncic passes Bucks’ Gary Harris on Saturday in Milwaukee. (Morry Gash/Associated Press)
With 41 points, nine rebounds and six assists against Milwaukee, Doncic had his fourth 40-point game this season, matching his total for such games last year.
He leads the league with 34.4 points per game and officially became eligible for the rankings after playing his 10th game on Saturday. His points and 8.9 rebounds per game are close to his 2023-24 production when he led the Dallas Mavericks to the NBA Finals and finished third in most valuable player voting with 33.9 points and 9.2 rebounds per game. He does so despite shooting 32.7% from three-point range, his worst mark since his sophomore season.
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Reinforcements are on the way
Lakers forward LeBron James is expected to return to the lineup soon. (Jae C. Hong / Associated Press)
LeBron James is expected to return to the practice court with the Lakers on Monday after a productive test with the South Bay Lakers. He could make his season debut as early as Tuesday against the Utah Jazz at Crypto.com Arena during the Lakers’ only game this week.
James is the only player on a standard contract still waiting to make his debut after the Lakers brought forwards Maxi Kleber and Adou Thiero back on the court during the trip. Kleber, who was sidelined with an abdominal strain, played in three games. He made his first shot of the season in the win over Milwaukee playing 25 minutes with three points and three assists.
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Rookie Thiero also made his debut against the Bucks, scoring four points and punctuating his first NBA appearance with an emphatic two-handed dunk in the final minute. It showed the type of athleticism and activity the Lakers were looking for when they drafted him in the second round. He also grabbed an offensive rebound during the first half that led to Kleber’s three-point basket.
Guard Gabe Vincent (ankle) is still out and it’s been almost three weeks since he turned his ankle against the Sacramento Kings. The original timetable for his return was two to four weeks.
Shooting Falls
Lakers guard Gabe Vincent throws a lob pass to center Deandre Ayton for an alley-oop dunk against the Kings on October 26. (Sara Nevis/Associated Press)
Vincent’s eventual return could help the Lakers address one of their most glaring offensive flaws: the three-point shot.
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The Lakers rank 25th in three-point shooting at just 33.8%. Their 32.4 three-point attempts per game ranks 26th in the league. That’s a far cry from the 40.4 threes they attempted in games after Doncic joined the team last year.
Part of the drop in shooting could be due to Reaves’ early struggles from three-point range. Outside of his six games in 10 nights that led to a career-high 51 points against Sacramento, Reaves, who missed three games with a groin injury, was shooting 26.4 percent from three this season.
He then caught fire in the second half against the Bucks, making five threes. While finishing with 25 points and eight assists, he made three straight three-pointers to open the fourth quarter that Doncic called some of the most important shots of the game.
“It felt good to do something,” Reaves told reporters. “…I hope we continue to shoot the ball well.”
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Pick up the pace
Bobby Portis of the Bucks and Luka Doncic of the Lakers fight for a loose ball Saturday in Milwaukee. (Morry Gash/Associated Press)
The Lakers are second to last in transition possessions per game and transition possession percentage. Redick was perplexed as to why the team was playing so slowly when asked about its pace before the Charlotte game. He said pacing was “literally the first thing we emphasize in every movie session.”
But on the second straight night, Redick acknowledged that the team, given its personnel, just wasn’t going to be a fast team. However, he still identified markers of success. Before Saturday’s game, Redick told players the team was 9-1 when scoring 12 or more transition points and 8-0 when scoring 24 or more assists.
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“I think there’s a formula here for throwing the ball up front and sharing the basketball,” Redick said. “And they were good with it again tonight.”
The Lakers had 12 fast break points and 23 assists against the Bucks.
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This story was originally published in Los Angeles Times.
