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Yes, Stephen Curry wasn't playing. Yes, it was only one game. But for one glorious Los Angeles night against the defending champion Golden State Warriors, the Lakers looked like the team fans hoped they would be in their 124-111 win.
The 13-point difference made the game look closer than it was, as the Lakers led by as many as 28 points and never trailed after midway through the first quarter. LeBron James had one of the worst shooting nights of his career, tallying just 13 points on a 5-of-20 clip. D'Angelo Russell exited after just nine minutes due to injury, too. Despite James, Russell, and Anthony Davis combining for 27 points in total, LA still cruised to victory.
It's an encouraging omen for a Lakers side looking to make a playoff push – one that got the purple and gold faithful excited for what's to come.
LAKERS BLOWOUT WIN ✅
BRON AND AD LESS THAN 30 MIN ✅
1-0 SINCE THE ALL-STAR BREAK ✅
3-1 SINCE THE TRADE DEADLINE ✅
68 BENCH POINTS ✅
WE’RE BACK ✅pic.twitter.com/6F3r44kAh0— Lakers Lead (@LakersLead) February 24, 2023
Okc Loss. Blazers Loss. Pelicans loss. Warriors loss.
Lakers win. I’ll take it 😂🔥
pic.twitter.com/XjuNRllwqb— Coach James 🇭🇹 (@JamesEdrick3) February 24, 2023
The Lakers first two games with LeBron/AD healthy post-trade have been double digit victories. Both against playoff teams
That happened just twice in the Westbrook era. 3 of those 4 wins were against tanking teams.
— Jason Timpf (@_JasonLT) February 24, 2023
One huge factor in the win is their red-hot shooting, particularly from their bench unit. Both were serious problem areas for the Lakers before their trade deadline move that looked like strengths against the Warriors.
Lakers shot 53.3% from 3PT and the bench scored 68 points. That trade saved the season.
— Laker Central (@LakerCentral365) February 24, 2023
Even LeBron and AD were in disbelief at the lopsided scoreboard that actually had them leading for a change. They led by as many as 28 early in the fourth quarter which allowed Darvin Ham to rest his stars in garbage time. That's a concept the Lakers haven't been familiar with this season.
Anthony Davis: “I can’t remember the last time we were up 24 with this much time.”
LeBron James: “Never, never”
(Via @Spence_DFS, h/t @RichStapless)pic.twitter.com/iJbFcVYz6M
— Lakers Daily (@LakersDailyCom) February 24, 2023
LeBron James and the Lakers still have a long way to go. They're sitting in 13th place in the West and are 1.5 games out of the play-in tournament. But if Thursday night's display was any future indication, things could very well be looking up sooner rather than later.
