The Los Angeles Lakers looked like a team on a mission during the NBA’s In-Season Tournament group play, going a perfect 4-0 with a plus-74 point differential.
Because of their perfect record and stellar point differential, the Lakers will host their quarterfinal game against another Western Conference opponent that advances.
Christian Wood played a big role in the Lakers’ latest In-Season Tournament victory over the Utah Jazz with 16 points and eight rebounds. After the game, he explained why the Lakers seem to be extra focused for these contests.
“I think we’ve been making an emphasis, the guys on the team really want that money,” Wood said. “So definitely playing harder and attention to detail, guys are coming together. We really haven’t had everybody on the team yet, guys haven’t been healthy, we haven’t had our whole team, but everybody is picking each other up and the guys are stepping up.”
Wood wound up signing a minimum contract with the Lakers this past season so the $500,000 awarded to the In-Season Tournament winners would be a more significant portion of his salary than most.
He has made a lot of money throughout his career though, so the main motivation in winning the money is for the younger guys on the roster, Wood added.
“For the younger guys, it’s amazing that they would be able to get that money and take care of their family… So it’s big. For me, I’ve been in the league for a long time so I’m trying to save it as much as I can. Who wouldn’t want to try and save that much money? But it’s big time for the young guys and we’re gonna try to do it for them.”
If the Lakers are able to win their quarterfinal game then they would advance to the semifinals and potentially the finals, which will be played at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Having lived in Las Vegas while going to UNLV, Wood knows how many Lakers fans will be in attendance if the team is able to advance.
“I think you’ll see a lot of purple and gold shirts in there, especially with it being so close to California. The atmosphere, I think it’s win-or-go home. So it’s gonna be fun.”
The Lakers still have one more game to win on Dec. 4 or 5 before knowing if they will make it to Las Vegas, but given the energy they have been playing with in these games, it’s hard to see them being denied.
LeBron James happy to take care of business in In-Season Tournament group play
LeBron James has looked phenomenal for the Lakers so far during the In-Season Tournament, and he was even able to get some extra rest while sitting out the entire fourth quarter of the blowout win over the Jazz.
When discussing the In-Season Tournament, James expressed how happy he was to see the Lakers be able to ‘take care of business’ and advance to the knockout rounds with ease.
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