Lakers Finish 5-1 Road Trip with 125-120 Win Over Wizards. Jarred Vanderbilt Close to Return?
When you get to the last game of a six game road trip, there are all sorts of ways to view the game. Some might land on "just win, style points don't count," especially given the Lakers were playing on the second night of a back-to-back and didn't get to Washington until 3 in the morning. Others might look at the opponent—the absolutely awful Washington Wizards—and believe the "how" matters. Your POV on this sort of thing will definitely color your reaction to LA's 125-120 win, one that looked like it might be a carbon copy of Tuesday's win over Toronto... until it wasn't. Where the Lakers used a huge third quarter to pull away from the Raptors and never gave them a chance to get back into it, the Lakers on Wednesday built a big lead, then allowed a 15-0 run that got Washington right back in. After another big push, Darvin Ham emptied the bench, only to have to re-insert his starters for the final 17 seconds because Washington pulled back to within five. That ain't good. Bottom line, though, the Lakers finish the trip 5-1, they've won 9 of 10. They are a top five team in the league since the All Star break and are now 11 games over .500. The standings don't show it, but that's where the Lakers are. The next tests are tougher, for sure. Cleveland and Minnesota this weekend in the final back to back of the season. The Lakers will need to run the table (or very close) to have a chance to move up to 8th in the West where they'd only have to win one game to make it into the main draw of the playoffs. They've finally got some continuity and predicability in terms of who is coming into the game and when. Where the minutes are coming from, and all that good stuff. LeBron talked a lot about that after the game. Will it be enough? HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky SEGMENT 1: The Lakers win in Washington, finish the trip 5-1. SEGMENT 2: One of the best in the West since the ASB? SEGMENT 3: Vanderbilt to get evaluated, again, next week. Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! Amazon Fire TV Fire TV recently created Fire TV Channels to deliver a constant supply of the latest videos from your favorite sports brands, all for free. That includes all of us at Locked On and most of the big pro leagues and college conferences as well. To Learn More, visit www.amazon.com/LockedOnFireTV Nissan Our friends at Nissan have a lineup of SUV’s with the capabilities to take your adventure to the next level. Take the Nissan Rogue, Nissan Pathfinder, or Nissan Armada and go find your next big adventure. Shop NissanUSA.com. eBay Motors From brakes to exhaust kits and beyond, eBay Motors has over 122 million parts to keep your ride-or-die alive. With all the parts you need at the prices you want, it’s easy to bring home that big win. Keep your ride-or-die alive at EbayMotors.com. Eligible items only. Exclusions apply. eBay Guaranteed Fit only available to US customers. BetterHelp This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Make your brain your friend, with BetterHelp. Visit BetterHelp.com/LOCKEDONNBA today to get 10% off your first month. PrizePicks Go to PrizePicks.com/lockedonnba and use code lockedonnba for a first deposit match up to $100! Gametime Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDON for $20 off your first purchase. FanDuel New customers, join today and you’ll get TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS in BONUS BETS if your first bet of FIVE DOLLARS or more wins. Visit FanDuel.com/LOCKEDON to get started. FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Follow & Subscribe on all Podcast platforms… 🎧 https://link.chtbl.com/LOLakers?sid=YouTube Locked On NBA League-Wide: Every Team, Fantasy, Draft, WNBA & More 🎧 https://linktr.ee/LockedOnNBA Subscribe to the Locked On Lakers Podcast 📲 https://linktr.ee/LockedOnLakers 📲 Follow the Kamenetzkys: https://twitter.com/KamBrothers #Lakers #LosAngelesLakers #LebronJames #AnthonyDavis #NBA
When you get to the last game of a six game road trip, there are all sorts of ways to view the game. Some might land on "just win, style points don't count," especially given the Lakers were playing on the second night of a back-to-back and didn't get to Washington until 3 in the morning. Others might look at the opponent—the absolutely awful Washington Wizards—and believe the "how" matters. Your POV on this sort of thing will definitely color your reaction to LA's 125-120 win, one that looked like it might be a carbon copy of Tuesday's win over Toronto... until it wasn't. Where the Lakers used a huge third quarter to pull away from the Raptors and never gave them a chance to get back into it, the Lakers on Wednesday built a big lead, then allowed a 15-0 run that got Washington right back in. After another big push, Darvin Ham emptied the bench, only to have to re-insert his starters for the final 17 seconds because Washington pulled back to within five. That ain't good. Bottom line, though, the Lakers finish the trip 5-1, they've won 9 of 10. They are a top five team in the league since the All Star break and are now 11 games over .500. The standings don't show it, but that's where the Lakers are. The next tests are tougher, for sure. Cleveland and Minnesota this weekend in the final back to back of the season. The Lakers will need to run the table (or very close) to have a chance to move up to 8th in the West where they'd only have to win one game to make it into the main draw of the playoffs. They've finally got some continuity and predicability in terms of who is coming into the game and when. Where the minutes are coming from, and all that good stuff. LeBron talked a lot about that after the game. Will it be enough? HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky SEGMENT 1: The Lakers win in Washington, finish the trip 5-1. SEGMENT 2: One of the best in the West since the ASB? SEGMENT 3: Vanderbilt to get evaluated, again, next week. Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! Amazon Fire TV Fire TV recently created Fire TV Channels to deliver a constant supply of the latest videos from your favorite sports brands, all for free. That includes all of us at Locked On and most of the big pro leagues and college conferences as well. To Learn More, visit www.amazon.com/LockedOnFireTV Nissan Our friends at Nissan have a lineup of SUV’s with the capabilities to take your adventure to the next level. Take the Nissan Rogue, Nissan Pathfinder, or Nissan Armada and go find your next big adventure. Shop NissanUSA.com. eBay Motors From brakes to exhaust kits and beyond, eBay Motors has over 122 million parts to keep your ride-or-die alive. With all the parts you need at the prices you want, it’s easy to bring home that big win. Keep your ride-or-die alive at EbayMotors.com. Eligible items only. Exclusions apply. eBay Guaranteed Fit only available to US customers. BetterHelp This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Make your brain your friend, with BetterHelp. Visit BetterHelp.com/LOCKEDONNBA today to get 10% off your first month. PrizePicks Go to PrizePicks.com/lockedonnba and use code lockedonnba for a first deposit match up to $100! Gametime Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDON for $20 off your first purchase. FanDuel New customers, join today and you’ll get TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS in BONUS BETS if your first bet of FIVE DOLLARS or more wins. Visit FanDuel.com/LOCKEDON to get started. FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Follow & Subscribe on all Podcast platforms… 🎧 https://link.chtbl.com/LOLakers?sid=YouTube Locked On NBA League-Wide: Every Team, Fantasy, Draft, WNBA & More 🎧 https://linktr.ee/LockedOnNBA Subscribe to the Locked On Lakers Podcast 📲 https://linktr.ee/LockedOnLakers 📲 Follow the Kamenetzkys: https://twitter.com/KamBrothers #Lakers #LosAngelesLakers #LebronJames #AnthonyDavis #NBA