The Los Angeles Lakers have completed their six-game, 11-day “GRAMMYs” road trip. It was eventful: LeBron James got hurt, Anthony Davis returned, and Russell Westbrook rebounded, among other things.
Let's recap the major developments.
Recapping the Lakers' wild 6-game road trip
LeBron James gets injured
LeBron dominated the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday — culminating in back-to-back slams that shook the Barclays Center.
On Thursday, LeBron woke up with soreness in his left knee. He missed the Lakers' loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, then experienced swelling on Friday, causing him to miss matchups against the Charlotte Hornets and Atlanta Hawks. The Lakers lost all three games.
Frank Vogel initially said LeBron would not need to undergo further testing. On Sunday, Vogel revealed that James flew back to Los Angeles on Saturday to, in fact, get tested. An MRI revealed “general swelling.” He's day-to-day, and his status for Wednesday's game against the Portland Trail Blazers is uncertain.
“As long as the swelling is there, he's going to be out and we'll get him back as soon as we can,” Vogel said.
LeBron's load had been a percolating topic of conversation around the Lakers. In his 19th season, the 37-year-old is second in the league in scoring and fourth in minutes. He has been brilliant, but this was not the plan.
“We're always mindful of the load that he's carrying, in constant communication with him and the medical team,” Vogel insisted. “And in terms of what we do going forward with the knee and where he's at, it's really a heavy lean on the medical staff and [trainer] Mike Mancias and what they feel is best.”
The Lakers are 5-1o without LeBron this season. His health is paramount.
“He’s just out there orchestrating everything for us,” Malik Monk said. “He’s missed — tremendously. But it’s our job to figure out how to play without him. We’re not always going to have him.”
Monk himself aggravated a groin issue on the trip, though he said he's fine.
LeBron, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook have played 16 games together.
AD Returns
On a positive note, Davis returned to the Lakers in Brooklyn after missing 17 games with an MCL sprain. He immediately made an impact on defense, ignited fast-break opportunities, and sparked the team with his presence. In Philly, he outplayed Joel Embiid — despite falling on his wrist in the first half, which caused him to miss the Hornets bout.
Davis returned in Atlanta and kept up his stellar play, scoring 27 points on 10-of-20 shooting. Most importantly, he said his body feels great, besides the sore wrist.
“I feel good now,” Davis said. “I think I’m starting to find a rhythm, my old rhythm, be my old self. But I’m also — my body is feeling good. Besides the MCL this year, which still I’m trying to get back all the way healthy, and the wrist a couple games ago, but besides that, I feel great.”
The Lakers are an abysmal defensive team without Davis. To see him moving well and playing All-NBA-caliber D is exciting. 20 of the Lakers' remaining 31 games are against teams over .500 — they're going to need the eight-time All-Star to play like it.
https://twitter.com/LakeShowCP/status/1487877258920570883
For the brief time LeBron, AD, and Russ balled together in Brooklyn, they excelled.
Russ finds his mojo
Russell Westbrook was benched the last time the Lakers played in Los Angeles. Based on his response, it's not going to happen again anytime soon.
After a tense 48 hours following the benching — which included a two-hour meeting with Rob Pelinka (revealed in a concerning story on the Lakers' lack of internal faith in Russ) and seemingly limited communication between him and Vogel — Westbrook stepped up. Russ averaged 22.0 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 6.7 assists on 53.5% shooting on the road trip. He heroically carried the Lakers to a near-upset win in Charlotte, posting 35 points in his highest-scoring game of the season (he did miss the final shot).
“That’s gonna be something that we can build on, honestly,” Vogel said after the Hornets loss.
Russell Westbrook on the TAKEOVER! 🔥pic.twitter.com/KVDUNp77wF
— LakeShow (@LakeShowCP) January 29, 2022
If nothing else, Westbrook has found his groove, for now.
Vogel's job is safe
Before the Lakers headed East, Vogel's seat was scorching. He was nearly fired before the win over the Utah Jazz, and the news cycle surrounding the team was centered on reports that Vogel was coaching for his job on a nightly basis.
Over the past few days, various reports have surfaced that indicate the Lakers have committed to Vogel for the rest of the season. That's the right call. It would be counterproductive to make a change this late, especially without a fully healthy Big 3. Furthermore, the game-to-game, will they-won't they narrative is untenable.
Vogel made some schematic errors, but the Lakers generally played hard on the trip. Considering the roller-coaster nature of the season, the Lakers should aim for as much stability as possible.
Lakers go 2-4
The Lakers — while short-handed — could have, and should have, gone .500 or better on the trip. Instead, after being outscored 38-20 by the Hawks in a sloppy fourth quarter (wasting 33 points from Monk) they finished the trip 2-4. They defeated the league-worst Orlando Magic and a Nets team without Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant. Los Angeles was non-competitive against Philly and was a level below the Miami Heat.
Their unexpected resiliency in Charlotte after a horrid first quarter was promising. They were up 10 in the fourth quarter against a Hawks team that has won seven games in a row. That said, another win or two would leave a far friendlier taste in their mouths on the flight home.
“I thought the last two games we played really well, we just fell short,” Vogel said after the Hawks defeat. “We always feel like we have enough even [when] Bron — or in Charlotte, Bron and AD — are out. We showed we have enough to be right there at the end. We just need to make a couple more plays to get these Ws. We could have easily won these last two games, we've just got to make a few more plays. … I’m disappointed for these guys.”
The Lakers lead the NBA in blown double-digit leads.
“I think the most frustrating part is that we can’t finish games,” Davis lamented. “We had a lot of games that we had won and teams come back in and beat us. That’s the frustrating part. We’re frustrated right now because we’re supposed to win this game. And it’s self-inflicted mistakes.”
The Lakers landed in Los Angeles a season-worst three games below .500 (24-27), ninth in the West, with their best player injured.
“We’re not in a position we want to be in right now and that’s OK,” Westbrook said. “We know what we need to do as a team and just find a way to get over the hump and close games out. That’s all we can do. We can’t worry about what could have happened and what we should have done or where we’re supposed to be … We’ll make the best of it and keep our energy positive and find ways to get a win.”
What a long, strange trip it was. Then again, this is the Lakers' season.
“I still have belief,” Davis said. “No matter what happens in the regular season, we get to the playoffs and we’re a good team. I still believe that and when Bron comes back, we’re going to be an even better team. We just have to stay the course, try to go into All-Star break with a nice run and then take that break and come ready and come out the second half of the season rolling.”
Follow Us
Subscribe