Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers - POSTCAST Lakers beat Grizzlies 116-100

Episode Date: December 16, 2024

Anthony Davis scored 40 points and grabbed 16 rebounds, and after missing two games, LeBron James returned to the lineup, where he scored 18 points, had 8 rebounds, and dished out 8 assists as the Lak...ers beat the visiting Memphis Grizzlies 116-110. The Lakers will look to continue their winning ways Thursday night at Sacramento.Lakers, LA Lakers, Los Angeles Lakers, LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Rui, Austin Reeves, NBA, Lakers Post cast, JJ Redick, Dalton Knecht, Lakers vs Grizzlies, Los Angeles Lakers vs Memphis Grizzlies Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Transcript
Discussion (0)
Starting point is 00:00:05 You are Locked-on Lakers Postcast. Part of Locked-on Sports Los Angeles on the Locked-on Podcast Network. Your team every day. James is back. Anthony Davis gets hurt, but the Lakers hold on to beat one of the best teams in the West. We get to all of that in the next 30 minutes right here on the Lockedon Lakers Postcast. This show is brought to you by Robin Hood Gold. Robin Hood Gold provides you the privileges of high net worth with any net worth.
Starting point is 00:00:38 These generous benefits are now available for only $5 a month. The new gold standard is here with Robin Hood Gold. Sign up at robin hood gold.com slash gold. Again, looking at the Lakers, it's a big night for Los Angeles as the Lakers get LeBron James back and the Lakers hold on to win. The Lakers, again, with a big win tonight. And that is something that has been rare because it has been painful watching this team over the last 30 days.
Starting point is 00:01:06 They have struggled. They have struggled shooting. They have struggled with lineups. They haven't had LeBron James. The rookie Dalton Connect has disappeared as far as three-point shooting goes. And then, of course, Austin Reeves has been out. So the Lakers back in action tonight. And with LeBron James, I think, was surprised to many because we did not know when
Starting point is 00:01:24 LeBron James was going to come back. What was going to happen when? How long will the king be out? We all know he turns 40 in about two weeks. And was there going to be a big deal, a big celebration about a player who's a Hall of Famer, but still playing like a Hall of Famer, no longer with the team and where is he? The Lakers will tell you it was a foot injury, but we all know it was for something else. And so when you hear about he's gone from the team for personal reasons and the head coach says there's no timetable and when he returns, it's concerning.
Starting point is 00:01:53 So right now with LeBron James, all of a sudden, you get ready to go for the Lakers Memphis Grizzlies game and you're saying, how are you supposed to beat a team like Memphis without LeBron in the lineup and you find out LeBron is playing tonight? it was a boost of energy, not only for the fans, but especially for the players. And so when you look at LeBron being back on the court, and yeah, let's be honest, LeBron James missed only two games. It was nine days away from the team, though. So LeBron James has gone for a while, misses two games, comes back, and there are times you can see that, hey, just a few days off that maybe his energy wasn't completely there, but you know whose energy was there, it was his teammates.
Starting point is 00:02:30 And you could tell they were happy to have them back. You could tell by Anthony Davis the way he attacked from the very beginning. You could tell by even a guy like Cam Reddish, the way he went about it. There's so many players that seem like they're at a different level knowing LeBron James was there. And so for this team, the way they started out, I'll make the comment. You can tell me in the comments if I'm wrong. I'll tell you that first half of Laker basketball tonight, I thought was the best half the Lakers have put together their entire season. I think looking at what the Lakers had done so far this year, the first game they had against
Starting point is 00:03:02 Minnesota was fantastic. You beat Minnesota at home. Minnesota is supposed to be a very good team. Minnesota is still trying to figure out what they are. We don't know what they are. At the same time, I know the San Antonio Spurs aren't a great team. When the Lakers were playing San Antonio earlier this year in San Antonio, when they needed a win, I thought that was the best game of the year.
Starting point is 00:03:19 But when you sit there and try and put pieces together and say not only a full season, but let's just start with one full game, the Lakers at least show they could put a half together, which I think is something you can live with as a Laker fan, And something that J.J. Reddick and Rob Polinkett can live with as a Laker fan, most importantly. So the Lakers end up outscoring Memphis in the first quarter, 30 to 20, and the energy level was something else. I mean, you have guys that are moving without the ball. You have guys that are playing the best defense.
Starting point is 00:03:47 They've played all season long. But you're seeing the effort from the Lakers that you're seen from other teams when they're playing the Lakers. And so it's been frustrating all season long going, why does it look like other teams are so much younger than us, or their offense is so much better than ours. And we understand we can't shoot threes like the other teams, but this is an effort deal. And when you have a situation with the new head coach and your question team effort or your question the player's abilities,
Starting point is 00:04:13 what happens then? And so we have looked lost as an organization as a team. And I say we a lot. I understand that. I'm a diehard Laker fan. Again, if you're new to the show, man, I was a credential member of the Lakers for more than 10 years. Again, I had the good years.
Starting point is 00:04:28 I'll tell you all the time. I had the Kobe Shack years. I was a fan of the team when obviously Magic Johnson was there with Kareem and worthy and all throughout the 80s. I'm a diehard. Just like many of you, if you're listening to this show and you're following the Lakers postcast, look, you're a diehard too. So we need this team to win. It's one of those things that we talk about sports all the time, that it's an escape from your everyday life.
Starting point is 00:04:51 And the Lakers usually give you a good reason to say it was worth my time, not only watch the team, but to wake up in the morning and think about on your way to the shower. my team won yesterday. My team's the Lakers. I'm doing so much better than most of the people who are sports fans, and they haven't given that to us in a long time. So it was exciting for the Lakers. Again, off to a hot start. I love the rhythm. I love the way it felt. Again, you're talking about a Grizzlies team that comes in 18 and 8, one of the better teams in the West, and you have the Lakers who have been struggling, 13 and 12 heading into this game. Now I'm proving to 14 and 12. This is the way you're starting lineup look tonight. And I think a lot of people are, hands up in there. And I'm sure JJ Redick, too, what is the right combination? You know, I've gone as far as saying Dalton Connect needs a shot. Angelo Russell needs a shot. They kind of went back to what they did in game one when they faced Minnesota at home. And your starting line up tonight was Anthony Davis, Ruiz, Austin Reeves, LeBron James, Max Christie.
Starting point is 00:05:48 Max Christie is a big question mark because we know Max Christie has given that spark off the bench. Are you taking a gamble, taking them as a player that's off the bench that's providing a little bit of a spark doesn't take bad shots, but at the same time, it's some kind of offense. Someone that you know is going to make free throws and someone that, again, is going to give you 100% effort-wise, but is it going to translate? So the big story, of course, when you talk about the starting five, just like I said, it's LeBron James, missed two games. The fact LeBron's back, it feels a lot longer.
Starting point is 00:06:16 I don't know about you, but, boy, it felt like a lot longer that LeBron had missed because the team was lost. So Anthony Davis, first quarter, he was the star, 12.6 rebounds. LeBron James first quarter, seven points, four rebounds to assist. Lakers defense, and we hardly ever talk about defense because it's one of the worst in the leagues. But the Lakers defense held Memphis to a season low for any quarter, the entire season. The Grizzlies only had 20 points. So they're going great.
Starting point is 00:06:43 Things are going exactly what we had hoped. Again, Lakers outscored Memphis by 10 points in the first quarter, 30 to 20. Second quarter, Anthony Davis. Again, 10 points in the quarter. It gives them 22 at the half, 9 of 15, shoes. to go along with 10 rebounds. And he even heard some chance tonight of Anthony Davis when he's at the line. And they're going MVP, MVP.
Starting point is 00:07:03 I told a couple of games ago, I don't want to hear it anymore. He deserved it tonight. Anthony Davis was great. LeBron James, he had eight points, five rebounds, four assists at the half. And that's great too. But Austin Reeves, Austin Reeves, who we know is coming back from the pelvic injury. He's starting to look at a little bit more like Austin Reeves. Today he looked like Austin Reeves is back.
Starting point is 00:07:23 You know, at the half, 10 points on four of eight shooting to go along. with four assists. Things are going great. The best player for Memphis at the time was Jerry Jackson Jr. scored nine points. And then, of course, he had 16 at the half total. So he did okay. He did okay. And he was a big guy that got into foul trouble, we'll get into that. But he's an underrated player in the league. Outside of John Morant, when he talked about Memphis, John Moran's always the name that always comes up because he's the one that makes all the highlights. but don't forget, Jaron Jackson Jr. is a heck of a player for Memphis,
Starting point is 00:07:56 and he was given Anthony Davis everything you could handle, and at the same time, Anthony Davis and him, two of the better players in this league. It's great to see the big guys. Memphis is always a concerning team because they have so much size. And if you remember the first time the Lakers, when they went to Memphis earlier in the year,
Starting point is 00:08:11 they got pushed around a little bit, actually pushed around a lot to the point where all the rumors came out on who was going to be the guy the Lakers traded for to get a big body, not only to go against teams like Memphis, but other teams like San Antonio and Oklahoma City, what were they going to do then? But Jaron Jackson's a good player,
Starting point is 00:08:29 and unless you're a dire NBA fan, a lot of people don't pay attention to his highlights and I saw a lover player he's in. Either way, at the half, Lakers up 6446. They're rolling. At one point, they had a 22-point lead in the second quarter, and you're excited about what you saw. Lakers outscored the Grizzlies 34-26 in that quarter.
Starting point is 00:08:48 So things are rolling, right? You outscoring by 10 in the first quarter. And then you have a big margin where you guys outscoring by eight in the second quarter, 6446 at the half. And we're feeling pretty good about what's happening to the Lakers. Lakers, again, arguably the best defensive half of the season. J.J. Reddick said when he was asked about it, what do you see tonight that's different than the other nights? And J.J. Reddick said, look, the Lakers followed the game plan.
Starting point is 00:09:17 He didn't sit there and push to one player here or there. he said the Lakers followed the game plan and they were doing the right thing. Lakers shot 50% from the field. Grizzlies 30%. Lakers scored 16 points off of nine Memphis turnovers. Grizzlies only scored eight points off of nine Laker turnovers. Lakers are looking good. Three point shot, not great for the Lakers in the first half, but we'll take 6 for 19 shooting 32%.
Starting point is 00:09:39 Grizzlies terrible from behind the arc, which was fantastic to see. Usually it's us. That's three for 14, 21% from behind the arc. So Lakers, again, first half, you're going to, this is going to be great. This is going to be one of those perfect Laker games where the team goes into the half, not only confident, they come on the third corner and they keep stepping on the gas. Well, it's not exactly what happened right there. They didn't continue to continue stepping on the gas. Lakers started to struggle a little bit, and things weren't going the Lakers way. So a little bit frustrating, and we'll talk about that in just a second about how the Lakers, you know,
Starting point is 00:10:15 struggled a little bit and not where they wanted to be in the second half. Anthony Davis with an entry. We'll get into that talk as well. But there are other things that happened with this team on why things weren't exactly as smooth as we had hoped for. So overall for the Lakers, it was a great night. We'll talk about the second half in just a second. But first, I want to mention the people over at Robin Hood Gold. Again, Robin Hood Gold, they are the people that can help you out. You can be set up right there. Robin Hood Gold, again, don't forget.
Starting point is 00:10:48 Robin Hood Gold, you don't need a silver spoon to eat up the financial favors of the 1%. Robin Hood Gold allows others to get the rates and perks usually reserved for the high society. Now, resourceful individuals with Robin Hood Gold can earn a very liberal rate of 4.25 APY on uninvested cash and be rewarded with a handsome 3% retirement boost on an IRA account contributions. Don't forget, Robin Hood Gold provides the privileges of the high net worth of any note worth. These generous benefits are now available for only $5 a month. The new gold standards is here. Robin Hood of Gold, sign up at Robin Hood, gold slash.com slash gold.
Starting point is 00:11:26 Again, I'll give it that to you correctly. Robinhood.com slash gold. Again, that is all you need right there. Robin Hood Gold is the way to go for that. And then at the same time, we talk about what the Lakers are doing. We talk about the excitement of everything that seems to go the Lakers way. I want to mention the people over at BetterHelp as well. Better help, don't forget with a better help,
Starting point is 00:11:52 this is brought to you by your need right here for therapy. And so if you're in a situation where you say, you know what, this is tough. The holidays are coming up right now. And you know what? It's tough to deal with family. And it's tough to deal with what just happened in the election and whatever else. If you feel like things are overwhelming right now, you don't need to worry about it.
Starting point is 00:12:13 How do you stay cozy during the winter months? Some people say they stress out during the winter months. Some people need therapy is a great way to bring yourself some comfort that never goes away even when the seasons change. Look, a lot of people, they won't admit to it or they will admit to it, but therapy is fantastic. If you're willing to go as far as taking care of your teeth twice a year, why not take care of your mental health? Again, don't forget, better help is the way to go. If you're thinking of starting therapy, give better help a try. It's entirely online designed to be convenient, flexible.
Starting point is 00:12:45 and suitable to your schedule. Just fill out the brief questionnaire, get matchup with a licensed therapist, or you can switch therapists at any time, no additional charge of it doesn't feel like a correct fit. Again, visit betterhelp.com slash locked on MBA today to get temperest done off your first month. That's visit BetterHELP Help.com
Starting point is 00:13:07 slash locked on NBA. Okay. So with Anthony Davis in the third quarter, going, okay, this is going to be a fantastic game. We're excited about Anthony Davis and everything that he's doing and the chance of MVP and we're excited. And then the worst case scenario for the Lakers and this is something we were about AD all the time.
Starting point is 00:13:27 With 530 remaining in the third quarter, Anthony Davis suffered a shoulder injury when he was hit by Zach Edney's arm when it came down on top of AD's right shoulder. Now, AD was gone for a while. Even went to a commercial break. He's laying on the floor and he go, okay, well, when are you getting up? you know it didn't look terrible but look at the size of Zach Edney he's a giant he's just a huge guy he makes AD look small well he returned to the lineup immediately as soon as they come back from the commercial break he's up ready to go he made it down the court basically one time and after
Starting point is 00:13:59 one possession he was walking in the locker room and he was gone and you look at the score if you're like a mean and go can the Lakers hold on the Lakers weren't very good without AD I mean that took away a lot of size a lot of you know basically a width in the paint and so the gris is going a 16-5 run while Anthony Davis is in the locker room. Anthony Davis, thank goodness, he returns in the fourth quarter, and he returns right at the beginning of the fourth quarter, and the Lakers start to play more like Laker basketball. But if you're like me, you're holding your breath,
Starting point is 00:14:29 and you might even said to yourself, I don't know if the Lakers are going to win this game. You know, this seems like the scenario of what we've seen in the past, that the Lakers are going to fall apart without one of their stars. 4-12, Lakers got good news. At 4-12 left in the game, Jaron Jackson, Jr., he fouls out with 25 points. Lakers, though, were held with out a field goal for five minutes in that quarter. And he's going, man, that's a lot. That's a lot. Again, the stress levels here.
Starting point is 00:14:54 With this Laker team, I still don't think they have their identity of what they are. And whether that's a lack of players on the team or it's a lack of continuity on the team, the Lakers haven't figured out exactly what they are. So looking at the final box score again in the second half, Lakers are outscored in the third quarter, 31, 22. They're outscored in the fourth quarter, 33, 30, even though they hold on. Final Lakers win 116, 110, which is the most important numbers. But it's a little concerning how well they played in the first half,
Starting point is 00:15:27 how poorly they played in the second half, how poorly they played without Anthony Davis. There was no answer when they're missing AD. So AD's final numbers on the night, 40.16 rebounds, fantastic, right? 40.16 rebounds for AD. for the king back in the lineup. LeBron James started off pretty hot,
Starting point is 00:15:46 but you could tell he was either his legs weren't all there. Something was missing when he missed that much time. And there were times when you're watching LeBron, he disappeared on defense. He wasn't chasing after loose balls. There was one frustrating moment where there was a rebound that if he were to take him two feet forward, it looks like he could have grabbed it.
Starting point is 00:16:04 Instead, the man that was on him ends up grabbing a rebound, starts a break. And LeBron James barely makes down the court, the guy that he was with, it ends up scoring the basket. So not only LeBron James not get a two-point, you know, rebound that the Lakers could have had two, they gave up two on the other end within seconds.
Starting point is 00:16:22 And that was one where if he was a rookie, he would have come out of the game immediately. That was an effort play that is extremely disappointing. Obviously, he's bought himself some time, being considered by many as the greatest of all time. So 18 points for LeBron, eight rebounds, eight assists, exciting five turnovers is what he had he led the team in turnovers tonight okay but austin reeves he picked up the pieces for the lakers in 36 minutes austin reves 19 points eight assists and if we can
Starting point is 00:16:50 get those kind of nights from austin reves on a regular basis the lakers are good uh one of the guys i like when you talk about effort uh as mentioned it before is cam reddish who we always talk about cam being a defensive guy in 14 minutes cam had eight points tonight so that that was solid right solid he didn't hit any threes it was 0 for two a three point range but three of six field goals we'll take it 50% from the field we'll take that would have been nice if he if he knocked down a couple threes wasn't able to do that d'angelo russell for the second straight game question marks about d'angelo russell where number one what is his value what are you going to get from d'angelo russell it's going to be a coin flip and seven points on two of seven shooting
Starting point is 00:17:29 three two three pointers he knocks down makes one or two free throws but you need more from a guy that thinks, hey, I'm a starter. I'm a guy that not only is a starter, I'm a guy that's a former all-star. I want my role to be extended. Well, there's opportunities there. For this team more than ever, if you can play, you're going to find yourself in the rotation pretty quick because there is no rotation on this team. There are too many guys who aren't doing their job.
Starting point is 00:17:54 So for Daniela Russell to have seven points, and I'm sure right now, as he's taking the shower and get ready to drive home, he's going, man, I need more than 17 minutes. You've got to play better all around defensively. your passes, everything, three turnovers. Again, the turnover numbers are too high. We talked about it before where he had, I think, four turnovers in the first three minutes in the last game he played. That's not what you want.
Starting point is 00:18:16 That's not what JJ Reddick can put on the court night in, night out and go, I'm going to be safe with a veteran. He's not playing like a veteran at times. And he almost seems like he plays as an unhappy player. Gabe Vincent three points in 14 minutes. And there always the player that I'm concerned about right now, because I can't figure out what's happening, is Dalton Connect. In 13 minutes, Dalton Connect at five points,
Starting point is 00:18:38 but the big numbers, he's 0 for two from three point range. So Dalton Connect was a guy that was shooting in the 40% range, I think 44% through the first 19 games from three point range, has lost his shot in the last three weeks. The last three weeks, he cannot get that three-point shot to fall down. He's important to this team because the Lakers don't have the threat of a three-point shooter without basically DeAngelo Russell and Dalton Connect. and neither one of those guys are doing their jobs.
Starting point is 00:19:04 You know, I don't know about you, but when I'm watching in Memphis, and I see Luke Conard to come in the game, and Luke Conard is a guy that we saw, of course, with the Clippers in town, and he drops, you know, 12 points on three or four, three-pointers, and he going, how's this guy not a Laker? I mean, he was available.
Starting point is 00:19:22 He's a Duke guy. How's Luke Conard not a Laker? He's exactly what the Lakers need. And who knows if they make a trade down the line for a three-point shooter, but it seems a lot harder to find than you think it would be in the NBA where it seems like so many people are dropping threes. Yet at the same time, you have a Laker team that has been struggling with the threes for a long time,
Starting point is 00:19:44 a long time. So again, you're looking at this Laker team. What do you feel this team needs to do to get better? Did you like what you saw like me in the first half? We're like, this is the best first half. The Lakers have played the entire time. I'm watching some of the people here saying B.C. saying LeB.C. saying LeBron was rusty, 10 days off.
Starting point is 00:20:02 Yeah, he did look a little bit rusty. To me, it looked a little out of shape, which is weird, but it's tough. I mean, when you're sitting there, you're used to running and sprinting four to five miles a day, and all of a sudden, that stops. It's tough to do. At the same time, when you look at what the Lakers have going on, are you happy? I mean, at what point do you see that Rob Polinkin needs to improve this team? Does Rob Polinkin need to do something?
Starting point is 00:20:26 He told us in December. He would start making moves if this team wasn't doing it. supposed to do. It seemed like there's nothing going on right now. It's December 15th. We're halfway through the month. Is there any talk at all? And the guy that I'm throwing out there just because I'd like to see him come back and
Starting point is 00:20:41 New Orleans is terrible right now, I'd love to see Brandon Ingram come back. When I brought this up to a friend of mine who's a Dyerd Laker fan, he goes, Brandon Ingram and LeBron don't play well together. That was a long time ago. Brandon was younger. Brandon's more of a veteran. Brandon's been an all-star since he left the Lakers. I'd love
Starting point is 00:20:57 to see the Lakers with basically a another offensive player with some size that can put the ball in the basket, something that is a threat that could help this team out. Because Anthony Davis, as we saw tonight, and he has a history of being injured, if Anthony Davis goes down, what is this team supposed to do? What is the team supposed to do without Anthony Davis or a LeBron James situation? This is really a two-man team. You know, they've been compared to the Dallas Cowboys.
Starting point is 00:21:23 They have a couple star players at the top, and they've got a bunch of guys underneath that can't seem to do their job. So it's scary right now. I know it's mid-December, but every single one of these games matters for the Lakers. Every single one of these games matters because they aren't the kind of team that's going to run away with, you know, basically in the standings run away with games or go on one of these long winning streaks of 17 games. That's not what this Laker team is right now. So it's scary to see what the Lakers have coming.
Starting point is 00:21:54 They're going to have to make some changes in the very near future if you want to see this team actually have a chance. give this teams, the fan base, the head coach, some hope that they can actually do something. I want to mention FanDuel. Don't forget FanDuel right now, get ready to tackle the NFL action with FanDul America's number one sports book. After tomorrow night, only three weeks remaining in the regular season. But right now, new customers can bet $5, get $150 and bonus bets. If you win, the FanDul Sportsbook app gives you everything you need to place live bets on the NFL all in one place. So when you get a hunch in the middle of a game, you can check out the latest stats,
Starting point is 00:22:31 view live play-by-play, and so much more on the same page where you place your bets. Like, again, if you get a hunch, if you had a hunch that Tampa Bay was going to come out and stick it to the Chargers in the second half, you're going to be smiling pretty big today.
Starting point is 00:22:45 Same time you have the Raiders taking on the Falcons, Monday night football this week, and how exciting is that? Do you have a hunch that something good is going to happen? Raiders are starting a new running back, and this is one where, hey, is this guy going to prove that he is the difference for the Raiders and put up big stats. Again, all you have to do is just visit Fandul.com to join today.
Starting point is 00:23:04 You'll get started with $150 in bonus bets if you win your first $5 bet. That's Fandul.com. Real simple right there for you. All right. So this Laker team, where do they go from here? What did you see? What did you like? What did you not like from this Laker team?
Starting point is 00:23:20 Want to know what you thought at the same time. Give me some players. Give me some players that you'd like to see the Lakers go out. and make some moves. I'm curious to know what you think. Is there anything that you saw that concern to you? This is the second time, by the way, that the Lakers have felt a superstar this week in check for a while. John Morant got his points basically towards the end of the game. You finished with 20 and 30 minutes, but John Moran's a guy that's one of the more exciting players in the league. It's kind of weird that his dad's always traveling around and sit in front row and talking trash,
Starting point is 00:23:49 but it is what it is. I like John Morant. I'm a John Morant fan. He's one of those guys where if there's an NBA game on, and I know John Morant's on one of the channels, I'm going to watch for the excitement. He does things in this league that other guys can't do, whether it's his ability to jump, score points, or just not even have that big of a body, but takes a beating, hits the floor a lot,
Starting point is 00:24:08 and it continues going. The Lakers did the same thing to Minnesota. They were able to hold their star player in check. And so for what the Lakers are trying to do right now, when you can hold a guy like John Morant in check, that's great. If you're the Grizzlies, you come into this game at 18 and 8, and you're saying, we're going to tick on a Laker team that has been struggling. It hasn't found the way. It seems like they won't say finger pointing. But even from the head coach to the players,
Starting point is 00:24:36 players to the head coach, things haven't been working right. If you're Memphis, you're thinking we can get a win in Los Angeles and that's not what happened tonight. So outside of Jaron Jackson Jr., with his 25 points and his five rebounds, the Lakers did a fantastic job. Zach Edney, by the way, of course, the big kid from Purdue in 24, points, excuse me, 24 minutes, 13 points, 10 to rebounds. He's a big body. He's one of those big bodies that are going to be looking out for years. Father, it will never be an all-star, but he's a guy you have to be concerned about when you're putting a game plan together. So overall, the Lakers, Lakers did a really good job. Lakers bench tonight. Again, it seems like
Starting point is 00:25:12 every single night we have the same conversation. The same conversation, Lakers bench is not one that's going to let the world on fire. Nobody in double digits for the Laker bench. Cam Redish with, with eight. I'll add it up for you real quick. 1619, 24 points total for the Laker bench, 24, and not good enough. So it comes down to the three guys that carried this team. Pointwise, Anthony Davis, LeBron James with 18, Austin Reeves, the 19. Max Christie has mentioned we didn't get a chance to touch on Max Christie, but Max Christie, is he better as a starter, or is he better as a guy coming off the bench? I tend to believe he's a bench guy. They need help on the bench, me in the Lakers right now.
Starting point is 00:25:51 They need help on the bench. They need some kind of spark, some kind of consistency. I think Max Christie gets lost when he's on the court with Andy Davis, Ruey, LeBron, Austin Reeves at the same time. There's not a lot there, not a lot of opportunities,
Starting point is 00:26:03 not saying that he hates it or he's bored. I just think he gets lost in his rhythm. I don't think he's the right person. I don't know who that right person is. I think he doesn't, isn't even on the Laker team right now, but I don't think Max Christy is that guy. 29 minutes for Max Christi,
Starting point is 00:26:16 one of three shooting. You know, it's kind of surprising to see a guy play 29 minutes, I only get three shots off. He made one of two, three-pointers, made all four of his free throws. The best thing about Max Christie is that he's been money at the line for this team. Speaking about at the line, the Lakers shot 39 free throws tonight, 39. And he goes, that's a ton. And they look over at Memphis, and they shot 30.
Starting point is 00:26:40 So you go, you watch a game, and you go, and okay, what times this game is starting, when's this game going to end? That's nuts. That's nuts right there to think there are 69 free throw shots. in this game is amazing. James Hardin's thinking, that's a lot of free throws. That is a lot. And that's a game that drags it out.
Starting point is 00:26:57 That's not great entertainment if you're the NBA. You don't want that. And how does that possibly happen? So the Lakers, though, they shot basically 72% from the three point from free throw line pretty good. From three point range, they shot 30, 29%, 29.4. And field goals out that weren't, that combined with three-pointers, the Lakers were shooting and 48%. I'll take the field goal percentage, not bad at all. And when you look at Memphis, 83% from the free throw line.
Starting point is 00:27:26 So they outshot us there, three points. They made 9 to 28, and their field goal percentage was 39.2. So we beat them in most of the stats, free throws, and we kind of lost that battle. It wasn't the thing that made the difference. For the Lakers, we learned tonight, this team is in a lot of trouble without Anthony Davis. And we've seen this now for a while with Anthony Davis, where Anthony Davis is a guy that that when he's either not into the game mentally or physically, the Lakers fall apart.
Starting point is 00:27:54 We saw it in Miami. The Lakers need Anthony Davis to be at his best at all times. Looking at the Lakers, what did this win do for standings and playoffs and everything else? Again, I know it's December, but I have a goal as a Laker fan that I really do want to see them in the top four. I think they need to be in the top four to have a chance the way home court advantage works out.
Starting point is 00:28:14 Your number one's still Oklahoma City Thunder, 20 and 5 on the season. and they've won five straight games, nine of their last 10. You look at Memphis, they're still number two. So again, when I said the Lakers beat a good Memphis team, they did. Memphis has the number two seed. They're 18 and 9, and they've won eight of their last 10. The Houston Rockets still hanging in there.
Starting point is 00:28:33 The third seed, Dallas Mavericks are tied with them. They're both 17 and 9. Denver Nuggets are the fifth seed. Right now, 13 and 10. The Lakers are real close. Only real close. Only a couple games back from Denver, who's the number five seed. Phoenix Sun, six seed, 14, 11.
Starting point is 00:28:48 Minnesota's 14-11. So watch the Minnesota Timberwolves, okay? Minnesota is getting hot. They had such a horrible start, but yet they've gotten healthy. Unfortunately, they've gotten healthy against the Lakers twice in the last two weeks, and also they destroy the Clippers as well. Golden State, eighth seed, 14-11. Clippers are just ahead of the Lakers.
Starting point is 00:29:08 They're actually tied right now. With today's win, Lakers and Clippers are tied at 14 and 12. So Clippers right now are listed as nine. Lakers are listed as 10. Lakers are in the playoffs if it started today. with the teams that are behind them, I really don't see much of a threat. San Antonio, Sacramento, Portland, Utah, and the Pelicans. So the Lakers are there. I mean, they're within range. There's six and a half games behind Oklahoma City Thunder. That's fine. But the Lakers are
Starting point is 00:29:32 basically two and a half games behind the three seed Houston Rockets. So if the Lakers can figure this out, make some adjustments. I think right now a lot of people are looking at Rob Polinka saying, it's up to you. You know, when's Rob Polinkka going to change this roster a little bit? I think all of that is a big deal for the Lakers. I want to remind you as well, don't forget the Lockdown Lakers Daily Podcasts with Brian and Andy, they do a great job. Make sure if you're a Laker fan,
Starting point is 00:29:57 you're following Brian and Andy, they do a great job. The Locked-on Los Angeles Network is where you find your daily sports. Again, what's happening with all the Los Angeles teams? I love talking to Lakers postcast with you, but if you need to hear more Laker basketball, don't forget Lockdown Lakers daily podcast, or excuse me, podcast with Brian and Andy. I'll be your postcast guy as well.
Starting point is 00:30:18 But appreciate that. And we will be back on Thursday. So Thursday is an interest tonight in Los Angeles sports. You got NFL football. You have NBA basketball. Lakers are not home. Lakers will be on the road Thursday against the Sacramento Kings. But, of course, it's going to be a good time.
Starting point is 00:30:35 Again, my name is Dave Palais. You can follow me on Twitter or social media anywhere else you want to look or X, as they call it now. At Dave Palais, it's in the corner of the screen. But we'll see you on Thursday after. the Lakers hopefully beat the Sacramento Kings. Have a good night, everybody.

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