Have you heard? The Lakers were grooving tonight. The whole squad turned up in Tampa tonight and defeated Toronto
110-101.
Hot from the start, the Lakers tipped things off and immediately went 6-for-9 from the field with three of those
shots from beyond the arc. Ultimately, the team ended up converting 45% of their triples, compared to 15% from the
Raptors.
Out of 12 Lakers that touched the floor, eight were able to have success from three. In fact, Kentavious
Caldwell-Pope (13 pts) and Dennis Schröder (12 pts, 9 ast) were perfect from downtown.
While the team’s shooting was a standout in tonight’s game, the most major factor that sealed the Lakers’ fate was
their defensive resiliency.
Said heat brought out some spice though as a confrontation ensued between OG Anunoby and Montrezl Harrell. Both
Harrell and Anunoby were ejected in the first.
Still without LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Andre Drummond, and then add Montrezl to the mix, the team got a bit
smaller. The Lakers looked to utilize two bigs from their second unit, Marc Gasol (13 pts, 9 reb, 4 blk) and rookie
Devontae Cacok (10 pts, 8 reb, 1 blk). Both Lakers showed up big time, respectively. Marc and Devontae contributed 5
of 7 total blocks. And in the absence of Montrezz, both men supplemented regarding rebounds and overall aggression
in the paint.
Now offensively, it was Talen Horton-Tucker (17 pts, 6 ast) who led his team in points tonight. In the Lake Show’s
last three matches, THT has had three great performances. The confident young gun continues to evolve his game.
Specifically, he plays with precise deliberation and his iso game lacks no shortage of moves from his bag.
Markieff Morris (15 pts, 9 reb) was among the seven Lakers in double-figures. He is another Lake Show cast member
that will bring balance and stability whether he’s starting a contest or coming off the bench.
Plain and simple, the Lakers came to play tonight. Their performance can best be described as fast, intentional and
most of all, deep. The guys are back Thursday night for a Finals Rematch, round 2 against the Miami Heat.