Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers - Luke Kennard Game Winner Gives Lakers 9th Straight Win, 105-104

Starting point is 00:00:00 The Lakers get a Luke Canard buzzer beater and the streak continues. But some potentially dark clouds for their next game will explain next. You are Locked on Lakers. Your daily Los Angeles Lakers podcast, part of the Locked on Podcast Network, your team every day. Thanks, everybody for tuned in to Locked on Lakers. Brian Komenetsky, Andy Kaminetsky, and Andy, this one was not easy for the Lakers. The second half was about as bad of an offensive display that you'll see from two NBA teams.

Starting point is 00:00:45 But the Lakers really did grind this one out in a crazy final five seconds, punctuated by a Luke Knard buzzer beater. And the Lakers, the streak continues. 105-104, the final score, nine straight wins to the Lakers who continue to put a little distance between themselves. and the other Western Conference contenders in terms of that group behind Oklahoma City and San Antonio. And we're getting toward the part of the season now, Andy, where each time the Lakers bank one of these wins,

Starting point is 00:01:17 it makes it that much more likely if they're going to be able to finish in that three seat. Yeah, and that is hugely important. And this was in a lot of ways a really impressive win for this team because you could tell, I think, from the beginning of this game, but particularly in the second half, they are exhausted right now. They are absolutely fried. We talked about how the Miami game where it was the second end of a back-to-back,

Starting point is 00:01:43 they played the rockets on the first end, they get into Miami at like five in the morning. And the first like quarter and a half of that game, it felt like they had slept in the arena until like five minutes before the game started. Then they were woken up mid-rem and told, go put on your uniforms, go play basketball. And for like a quarter and a half, they just seemed like they thought they were dreaming this and it wasn't actually real. Then they eventually looked more energetic. This game, they looked dead ass exhausted. And you could see it in a lot of the lack of execution offensively.

Starting point is 00:02:22 You could see it in a lot of shots that were short. You could see it just in the way that Luca had 24 points in the first quarter, finished with 33. and did not get his second, I think only two second half baskets until, I want to say there was like three minutes left in the second half, like in the fourth quarter. He was exhausted. Everybody was exhausted. And if they had not had enough to push themselves over the top in this game, I wouldn't even been mad because it's like, look, they're clearly trying. They're just fried. but beyond the fact that they didn't give up, when they absolutely had to execute down the stretch, whether you were talking about LeBron, deflecting that Orlando inbound and deflecting it off the magic,

Starting point is 00:03:14 giving them a possession they might not have otherwise had, two dead perfect ATO plays. The first one that was set up for LeBron, frankly, he should have been at the line. It was called a Vancaro block. Okay, they go to the drawing board again. Marcus Smart under the basket, throws a perfect pass to the top of the arc to Luke Conard.

Starting point is 00:03:39 A wide open, Luke Conard. We've said this before, man. If the Lakers could somehow only run ATO plays for 48 minutes, they would be the greatest offense in NBA history. Like they're that good at it. And again, the play by LaBancers, Bron and those two ATOs down the stretch. Those couple other things they did well.

Starting point is 00:04:03 You know, DeAndre Aiton got a massive offensive. DeAndre Aten played very well in the fourth quarter. He was one of the few guys that sort of had some legs. He kept some plays alive. He rebate a couple really strong defensive rebounds, a couple very strong. The third quarter of particular, he got the offense going by getting defensive rebounds. Yeah, he was, Aiden played quite well, I think, overall. only finished with nine points, but he did finish with 12 rebounds, and that is a lot.

Starting point is 00:04:30 Six on the offensive glass. I agree with you. I thought that was a good game. And it's a good game from Aiton, LeBron. And congratulations, by the way, to LeBron. Yet another record. He passes Robert Parrish for more games, most games played in NBA history. I thought he did that in the last one.

Starting point is 00:04:45 No, last one he tied. Last one he tied in Miami, obviously symbolism alert. This one in Orlando, no symbolism whatsoever. but he passed Robert Parrish. And a lot of this game, LeBron, I thought was kind of quiet. Like not even playing bad, but just kind of quiet. But again, he made a huge defensive play. And then he did his part in the ATOs, both getting the ball again,

Starting point is 00:05:11 should have been sent to the line, but also drawing the defense to help Kinnard get open. So just a lot of guys down the stretch when it really mattered made things happen. We will get into the only sort of blemish on this game was Luca's 16th technical. It was a double T situation. He got into a little shouting match with Goga Batazzi's center from the Magic. After the game, there seemed to be at least some contention, not some contention, from Luca that Batadze and Serbian had sent some pretty over-the-line stuff about

Starting point is 00:05:50 Lucas family. Luke Batadez for what it's worth, Bataze said he didn't say that. Apologized if what he did say was going over the line. All of this was happening in Serbian. So unless the court side Mike's picked it up, you know, this may be a he said, he said kind of thing. The big thing for the Lakers is J.J. Reddick said after the game, this, of course, would be Lucas 16th technical.

Starting point is 00:06:18 He said after the game that the Lakers will appeal and see if the league will rescind it. It would not shock me if they did, not just because of the context around it, like in terms of both the fact that it's his 16th T and they might want him to earn it a little more than that, but also any potential in terms of the what prompted it. And then also, too, it was by NBA standards,

Starting point is 00:06:47 pretty mild. It wasn't directed to the official. I was going to say, at a fan. It wasn't. So I think there's a chance that this one actually will get rescinded. Yeah, let's talk about that afterwards because I had a few thoughts on that as well.

Starting point is 00:07:03 But first, got to let people know that Lockdown Lakers is brought to you by Fanduil College basketball is nonstop, particularly now. Big games, tight spreads, momentum swings, every single night from early tip-offs to late-night West Coast shoot-outs. There's always action the board. Fan duel is giving you a way to turn that energy into even bigger potential wins with

Starting point is 00:07:23 with a college basketball parley profit boost. You can build any college hoop parley you want, rivalry games, ranked matchups, non-ranked scrappers. You can mix spreads, totals, player props. You can go safe, go bold, or just ride with the team you've been following all season. It's your parlay, your style, and now with more upside behind it. Plus, you can apply the profit boost and instantly bump up the payout potential. Head to Fandul.com to get started. That's fandle.com. Fandule, play your game.

Starting point is 00:07:55 Locked on Lickers also brought to you by Five Hour Energy. Welcome everyone to the five-hour energy flavor draft with 18 different flavors to choose from, including new options like confetti craze, fruity rainbow, or cotton candy. There's always something for everyone, and the board is set, the flavors are ready. I've got my number one pick for the Five-Hour Energy Flavor Draft Andy, you want to take just hazarded guess as to what my number one pick is.

Starting point is 00:08:20 Wrong. It's strawberry banana. A tropical delight with strawberry. A taste that goes in everything from smoothies to milkshakes to cakes and ice cream. Because you can five-hour energy anything. It's not like you just have to do it in water. It's like the world is your oyster here. It's got sweet strawberry flavor up front, that banana soft mellow banana finish and a creamy fruit profile.

Starting point is 00:08:41 It's really reminiscent of a smoothie. And anybody who knows me knows, I love a smoothie. smoothie. So, five-hour energy shots give you a boost with zero sugar. Five-hour energy has other flavors coming up. So for some reason, 18 flavors isn't enough for you. Give them a shout. Mention the flavor you want to see get made. And maybe you can turn into a hero. Find your new favorite flavor of five-hour energy shots available online at five-hour energy.com or Amazon. And finally, Lockdown Lakers is brought to you by game time. There's nothing like being in an NBA arena, the crowd, the energy in the moment.

Starting point is 00:09:17 Getting tickets, though, that part not always so simple. And that's why GameTime has become the go-to app for scoring tickets fast without the hassle. It puts the advantage back where it belongs with you, the fan, regain your power. You can pull up the GameTime app, pick any NBA game, and you get tickets locked in within minutes. And with all the all-in pricing up front, there's no surprise fees at the checkout. No, wait, what did I just get charged for after the fact with nothing I can do about it? GameTime has features like seat views that makes your decision even easier before buying. The app is user-friendly.

Starting point is 00:09:50 It's user-intuitive. Take the guesswork out of buying NBA tickets with GameTime. Download the GameTime app, create an account, use the code locked on for $20 off your first purchase. That's code L-O-C-E-D-O-N for $20 off. Download the GameTime app today. And remember, it's gametime.com. not.com.

Starting point is 00:10:12 All right. So we're talking technical with Luke. I mean, again, the game itself was, it was a muddy game. It was a slog. I will say, just from a performance standpoint, we did mention a nice energy game from DeAndre Aid. It was a very good bounce

Starting point is 00:10:28 back game for Austin Reeves. Yes. Who once again played 40 minutes. So the minutes continue to pile up for AR in a game that he was questionable coming in. He finishes with 26 points, 10 of 20 from the floor made all four of his free throws. He had seven rebounds. He had five assists. He had two steals. Very, very strong game from Austin. And also, too, I mean, beyond the game winner,

Starting point is 00:10:51 Luke Kennard had 13 points. And I want to say the last at least four, maybe five games combined. I don't think Luke Carnard's had 13 points. Well, I will tell you that. They have, I know for sure, the last four, it may not be the last five. Luke Conard has eight points in the four games coming into this game. Right. So I wasn't sure about the one heading, the one before that, but regardless, he has not been scoring much lately. They have needed it. And we've talked before about how, with everything that's been going so well for the Lakers lately, the bench scoring has become pretty dry. And this was actually a factor in tonight's game. They did a good job keeping Palo Bancaro, Jalen Suggs, Wendell Carter Jr. Like, the starters for,

Starting point is 00:11:40 the magic other than a really good half first half for Tristan de Silva they kept them under wraps reasonably well but Javon carter um uh goga batazi um jemal kane those guys off the bench were playing really well and played a big part in the magic going from being down seven after the first to up three at the half so it was good to see canard have this type of game beyond just the game winner. As far as Luca's 16th tech can't repeat what he said in describing

Starting point is 00:12:17 this, but it was basically that Batazi said he would bleep my family. Right. That's where, I mean, again, Goga disputes it, but like point being. Yeah. Right. And, you know, Lucas said, like, he really had been trying to avoid that

Starting point is 00:12:33 tech, but at this point, he felt like he had to stand up for himself. Gogga crossed the line. Gogah, again, comments that he gave to the Orlando Sentinel and Dave McMedaman from ESPN said that he doesn't think that's not the truth. It's not what he said. He said he apologized if he crossed the line. We also apologize. Well, he apologized for crossing the line, but he also said that in his telling of it, Lucas said something about his mother.

Starting point is 00:12:59 The whole thing is. Right. And then this is interesting, too, the pool report. I got this from Kobe Price, who covers the Lakers now for the California Post, friend of the show, Mark Davis, the crew chief, was asked about this and said, quote, both Donchich and Batazi were both assessed technical files for their continual taunting of one another. They were both warned to cease their comments directed towards each other between the two free throws, after the free throws, and when the ball into the front court, they were both correctly assessed

Starting point is 00:13:32 technical files for their unsportsmanlike comments directed at one another. As you said, I know this was getting obviously, if not over the top, heated between Luca and Batasi. It was certainly getting personal between them. And refs, I know, tried to get ahead of something from spilling out. And I get it. I mean, we just saw a, like a legit ugly brawl between the thunder and the wizards. Like, and this spilled into the crowd.

Starting point is 00:14:02 Like, it was a legit mess for players in that game were ejected. So I get it. but at the same time, this wasn't, didn't seem like, that close to spilling over into something that big. And it was just directed each other. Luca was not railing into the refs. He was not complaining. He was not yelling at fans. Like, I feel like this is the type of thing that is rescindable at the risk of sounding like a homer.

Starting point is 00:14:29 Given the context and given also just dudes talk at each other all the time. They say stuff that crosses a line all the time. this in particular crosses a line that should not be crossed because they are both claiming the other one cross the line. Yeah. But I just feel like this is a, this feels like something that is rescindable. I agree. And it's like it's one of these things too.

Starting point is 00:14:53 It's like, I would get it if they didn't because, you know, the referees are instructed rightly so to try to keep things like that that don't seem like they're necessarily. going to be, you may not be sort of big deals in the moment, but the game was very physical and it was a close game and all these things. You do these things to prevent other stuff from happening. And they say both teams were warned,

Starting point is 00:15:21 both players were warned and all this stuff. It's like, okay. And so like, the league in going back and reviewing this is certainly, I think, on pretty solid ground. I've seen

Starting point is 00:15:37 double T's called for dumber things than that. But I would agree. I think ultimately they won't, but it wouldn't totally shock me. If they did, it would mean he misses Monday or Tuesday in Detroit. Monday. Is that Monday? We miss Monday in Detroit.

Starting point is 00:15:59 Changes the math on that one. Obviously, the Pistons are dealing with the absence of Cade Cunningham. So, you know, you're not going to get much sympathy. No, yeah, I mean, you're not going to get much sympathy from Pistons fans if Luca has to sit this one out. But, I mean, honestly, I think they just as soon he pick up that, you know, get that technical rescinded and then, you know, get into an argument with a piston and miss the Indiana game. Or like, maybe they can. Or the nets coming up. Right. Maybe they can appeal it really slowly and then drop the appeal or something like after the-

Starting point is 00:16:32 The- Take it up to Scotus? Yeah, exactly. they intervene great too because you gotta go like why can't they intervene for this you got to go like federal appeal court you know like there's a lot of different layers to this so does it which circuit does it go to because is the jurisdiction of the game is the jurisdiction where the league offices is it lucca in l.A there's a lot to sort out you might have to take the sir you might have to take a Slovenia or where goga's from like you could stretch this thing out through like the remainder of lucas extension what would potter stewart say but i will say this

Starting point is 00:17:05 though. If Luca is suspended for Monday, that they won this game takes so much pressure off that Detroit game, which is going to be, even without Cade Cunningham, the Pistons are a

Starting point is 00:17:21 good team. Jalen Duren, he could make all NBA this year. He, I think, is in the strong running for most improved player. I mean, he's been really, really good. They're a good team. It just takes some of the pressure off a game that was going to be difficult regardless

Starting point is 00:17:37 that they managed to bag this win. It's huge. Yeah, I mean, at some point this streak is going to end. But, you know, the reality of it is, if they can, if they can get through the Detroit game, I mean, they do get a bit of a reprieve from what they've been doing in terms of this gauntlet of playoff teams. And so just, I,

Starting point is 00:18:05 I guess you could complain, you know, Luca fell off hard in the second half. You could complain that the offense produced. He was obsessed. They're all fired. They were all. The team produced a grand total of 43 points in the second half. A second half where they held Orlando to 39.

Starting point is 00:18:26 It was like watching like Purdue versus Wisconsin in 2007. I just, I mean, I don't think you can, you know, you get to the fourth game of a six-game trip, and it's all been these, you know, you've had that back-to-back. It's all these high-pressure, high-intensity games against playoff caliber teams. You have another one in this one. Plus they did that Epcot drink around the world thing in the morning, which was probably a mistake.

Starting point is 00:18:53 But, you know, like, I just don't, if they win games like this, I just don't see how you can, like, get caught up on style points. if you're inclined to do so. I don't see a lot of that in the comment section or anything like that. I said earlier in the show, if they had lost this game, I wouldn't even been that mad. They were clearly exhausted. They were trying.

Starting point is 00:19:16 Like the effort was there. It just they were, they are fried right now. And this has been a tough road trip. And the three or four home games leading up to this road trip were no picnic either. Like they are in a slate of difficult games that honestly has been. brought out a lot great in this team. Like, the more they've been challenged, the better versions of themselves in different

Starting point is 00:19:40 ways, even when everything isn't working out for them has been emerging. Like, it's been really, really cool to see. Locked on Lickers on YouTube is where you can go hang out with 038,000 now. We cross that 38,000 threshold. So thank you everybody for that. Locked on Lickers on YouTube again, where you can hang out, talk to us. Do check out the Everdare Club. Find out if it's for you, all the information in the show notes.

Starting point is 00:20:03 And we, of course, will be back with a full show on Monday. So we'll see everyone then.

Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers - Luke Kennard Game Winner Gives Lakers 9th Straight Win, 105-104

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.