It was a long and grueling road trip, but the Los Angeles Lakers managed to end it on a high note when they beat the Detroit Pistons this past Sunday.
LeBron James and Anthony Davis proved once again they are one of the — if not the — top duo in the league when healthy, and are making a strong argument that the front office should make a deal to improve their title odds.
After the win, head coach Darvin Ham said he was pleased with his team’s overall performance when asked to evaluate the trip out East, via Spectrum SportsNet:
“I thought they performed great. It’s tough being out this long, I think it’s been 11 days. Starting out in Milwaukee, going to Washington, Cleveland, Toronto, playing some tough, tough teams. Let one get away from us in Philadelphia, and then to finish here is…woo. And we started and finished in two places that are beloved to me. Starting in Milwaukee, just the professional impact that that place has had and my basketball family back there. And then finishing here where I’m from and my biological family…it’s been a whirlwind.
“But I’m happy, I’m satisfied with our team. But again, there’s always going to be room for improvement. We did a lot of things well, a lot of things we need to get better at. But we’re trending in the right direction, so I’m very pleased with that.”
Going 3-3 is a reasonable outcome for the Lakers, though it would’ve looked much better had they been able to pull out a win against the Philadelphia 76ers. However, for a team that floundered early on in the year, the improvement on both ends of the floor is notable and should give fans some optimism that they can make a playoff push.
While the Lakers and Ham should be proud of their progress, the upcoming schedule does not get any easier as they draw the league-best Boston Celtics followed by a visit from the Denver Nuggets. The Lakers has their work cut out for them, but they’ve shown they can hang with contenders when they’re playing up to their potential.
Lakers discussing Bojan Bogdanovic deal
One name that’s hot on the trade market is Bojan Bogdanovic, who just dropped a season-high 38 points against the Lakers. Detroit is heading toward the worst record in the league and it would make sense for them to ship out the sharpshooting forward, but they have rebuffed offers even from Los Angeles.
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