The Los Angeles Lakers are looking for ways to bounce back from their disappointing start to the 2022-23 NBA campaign, hoping their win over the Brooklyn Nets could be a turning point.
L.A. beat the Nets on Sunday, improving to 3-10 on the season. But they still rank 14th in the Western Conference and own the third-worst record in the league.
However, the Purple and Gold played noticeably better in the last two games, particularly on the offensive end. The Lakers shot 48% from the field and 40.4% for 3 against the Sacramento Kings and Brooklyn after making 44.5% of their shots and knocking down 29.3% of their triples in the first 11 games of the season.
On Sunday, Anthony Davis led the team with 37 points and 18 rebounds, leading L.A. to a win despite LeBron James missing his second game in a row with an adductor sprain. But the 29-year-old forward received plenty of support from Austin Reaves and Lonnie Walker IV, who combined for 40 points against the Nets on high shooting efficiency.
Even though James couldn’t help his teammates on the court, Patrick Beverley said the four-time NBA champion deserves credit for the Lakers’ improved form due to his leadership. “Yeah, we had a phenomenal practice, probably one of our best practices yesterday,” Beverley said.
“Got to give a lot of credit to LeBron, he started to get on guys the right way, and guys in the locker room responded. So credit his leadership, obviously the things that you guys don’t see in the locker room, but he was a big voice in practice yesterday, and that kind of led over to our energy and game plan and focus for this game today.”
Davis hopes victory over Nets can spark Lakers winning streak
The Lakers enjoy a four-day break before they take on the Detroit Pistons on Friday, giving the players some extra rest — needed particularly by the injured James as well as Thomas Bryant and Dennis Schroder.
Davis hopes the Lakers will come back fresh and able to build on the win over the Nets, perhaps even start a winning streak.
“Hopefully, Bron and some other guys get to come back,” Davis said.
“And we go on the road from here. So, you know, I think it’s good that we got this win. Give a chance for guys to kind of get away from the game for a couple of days and you know, reset and come back with a mentality that we got to run some off in a row.”
Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch player interviews, exclusive coverage from events, participate in live shows, and more!
