Lakers player grades: L.A. bounces back for big win vs Warriors
After a strong start, the Los Angeles Lakers fell behind by 14 in the second quarter, and it looked like the same old tired story for them.
But they rallied to make it a ballgame in the third period, and in the final frame they outplayed one of the best teams in the NBA for a thrilling 124-116 win.
LeBron James led the way with a vintage performance, but for once he got help, and the most maligned player on the team helped out in a major way.
This was, without a doubt, the Lakers’ best win of the season, at least so far. With 19 games remaining, perhaps it will end up as the turning point of the year.
At times, Johnson made his presence felt on the defensive end, using his 6-foot-6, 240-pound frame to his advantage and making his man work.
But offensively, he struggled, shooting just 2-of-7 from the field and missing all three of the 3-pointers. He did contribute in other areas though, with six rebounds, four assists, two steals and one blocked shot.
Malik Monk: B
Monk didn’t have one of his greatest games, but he did contribute to the win with his outside shooting, as he went 4-of-9 from downtown.
He finished with 12 points, six rebounds, five assists, three steals and one block in 32 minutes.
Austin Reaves: A-
Reaves fought and hustled as hard as any of his teammates on Saturday. His defensive impact was noticeable, as he registered three steals and two rejections.
Offensively, he helped stretch the floor by making three of his five attempts from 3-point land, while adding two assists.
Westbrook did a good job of attacking the basket and playing downhill, particularly in transition.
When LeBron James went to the bench with 3:06 left in the third quarter and the Lakers trailing 91-82, Westbrook scored two baskets to trim their deficit to five at the end of the quarter.
He finished with 20 points on 9-of-17 shooting. He had just four assists while committing five turnovers, but he was arguably the Lakers’ second-best player on Saturday.
LeBron James: A+
The four-time MVP did just about all he could to keep the Lakers in the contest. Down the stretch, the 37-year-old played like he was 27 and delivered the victory for Los Angeles.
He finished with 56 points, tying Trae Young for the highest individual scoring output this season, by shooting 19-of-31 from the field and 6-of-11 from downtown, to go along with 10 rebounds.
All things considered, this was probably James’ best individual game in his four seasons with the Purple and Gold.
Anthony continued his strong play of late by giving the Lakers some much-needed scoring punch off the bench. He was their only reserve who gave them any major offense.
He scored 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the field and 2-of-3 from downtown, plus eight rebounds in 25 minutes.
Avery Bradley: C-
After missing the last five games, Bradley was almost a non-factor on Saturday, missing both of his field-goal attempts.
He did, however, give his team five rebounds and one assist.
Horton-Tucker simply didn’t have it against the Warriors, at least offensively. He missed all three of his shot attempts, although he did have two assists, one rebound and one steal.
D.J. Augustin: B+
Augustin isn’t being called on to do a whole lot off the bench, but he did do a good job on Saturday.
He hit two of his four shots from the field, all of which were 3-point attempts, while adding four assists against just one turnover, plus two rebounds.
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