The Los Angeles Lakers might not have managed to win their overtime thriller against the Golden State Warriors, as they eventually fell, 116-114, after some intense basketball, but the game had plenty of performances for fans of the team to get excited about.
Lonzo Ball continued a hot December stretch with a solid 16-point, six-assist and six-rebound performance while shooting 50 percent from 3-point range. Included in that were multiple baskets that kept the Lakers in the game down the stretch.
Brandon Ingram also kept rolling against Kevin Durant after dropping a career-high in his last matchup with the player so many compared him to heading into the 2016 NBA Draft. Ingram scored 19 points on just 12 shots, to go with six rebounds and rebounds assists, stuffing the box score and making nice reads down the stretch as the Lakers forced overtime.
Kyle Kuzma was additionally stellar off the bench, scoring a team-high 25 points and snatching six rebounds, while his fellow reserve big man Julius Randle chipped in 15 points of his own to go with 11 rebounds for another double-double.
Still, the starkest basketball standout of the night, even amidst all those performances, might have the ferocity and fearlessness with which the Lakers went to the rim against Durant, seemingly relishing the opportunity to posterize the Warriors superstar.
First, it was Randle who brought the hammer on Durant. Randle filled the lane on a fast break and was hit in stride by Corey Brewer, setting up the one-handed flush that electrified the crowd and Lakers bench.
Then in the second quarter, Larry Nance Jr. gave up the ball early in transition, received a bounce pass from Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and got on his trampoline to dunk on Durant. It was Nance’s second impressive dunk in the game, and adds to his collection of posters that feature the Warriors.
Not to be outdone, Jordan Clarkson also had a dunk on Durant, though it was a more faint contest from the reigning Finals MVP.
WANT TO PARTICIPATE IN THE DISCUSSION? CHECK OUT THE NEW LAKERS NATION FORUM CLUB