Category: Los Angeles Lakers Blog

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Lonzo Ball likes Earl Watson as candidate for UCLA coaching job

Here’s the OC Register getting Lakers guard Lonzo Ball’s opinion on UCLA head coach candidates:

The only Bruin on the Lakers has an opinion on whom the next UCLA basketball coach should be.

Lonzo Ball said after Wednesday morning’s shootaround that he would like to see Earl Watson, a former Bruin himself, get the head job.

“I know Earl personally,” Ball said. “I think he has coaching experience in the league. Obviously he went there, he’s alumni, so I think he’s a good fit.”

Even if you don’t follow college hoops or UCLA, it’ll be interesting to see who actually gets the job.

On the Dec. 25 Lakers vs. Warriors game

At 8 p.m. Tuesday on ESPN, LeBron James and the Lakers visit Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry and the Warriors. Here’s the LA Daily News with some thoughts on the matchup:

The timing of the game is intriguing, given that the Lakers are coming off a week hot with James saying he’d like to play alongside Anthony Davis. With rumors earlier in the month that the Lakers were open to trading for Trevor Ariza and other trade talk rumors continually circling the team, even a regular season game can take on a mountain of seemingly high stakes. It has the feeling of an audition — even if that’s not something the Lakers will admit.

For their own part, the Lakers did their best to tamp down the importance of the Warriors’ game. Both Rajon Rondo and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope said it was just another game, and Luke Walton said he thought it was imprudent to start sizing up how the Lakers match up with the Warriors.

“I never like to put too much importance on one game as far as it shows you how close or how far you are,” he said. “They’re a team that can hit 30 threes in a night, doesn’t mean they’re that much better than you, or we can go up there and win. Doesn’t mean now they need to close that gap to us. It’ll be a lot of fun.”

The only Laker who admitted to looking forward to the game more than others was JaVale McGee, who will be receiving his 2018 championship ring before the game.

Tuesday’s NBA Christmas day action begins at 12 p.m. ET with the Knicks hosting the Bucks.

Full article

Grizzlies get much-needed win, beat Lakers

The Grizzlies on Sunday outscored the Lakers by 11 points in the 4th quarter to leave Los Angeles with a 107-99 win. Rookie Jaren Jackson Jr. did big things in the win. Here’s the Los Angeles Times reporting:

Jackson finished with 27 points while Marc Gasol and Conley each scored 17 for the Grizzlies.

Lebron James led the Lakers with 22 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists. Ivica Zubac added 19 points and Brandon Ingram had 20.

Although center JaVale McGee was cleared to play, the Lakers held him out for one more game as he recovers from an illness that eventually became pneumonia. McGee played against the Charlotte Hornets on Dec. 15 after he began to feel ill, then missed the Lakers’ next three games.

The Lakers are now 19-14 this season, which puts them in a three-way tie for the 4th best record in the Western conference. The Grizzlies are now 17-16, which is the 10th best record in the West — yet they are just 5.5 games out of first place. Because that’s how close the West is this season.

Full article

Brandon Ingram out with sprained ankle

Here’s the L.A. Times reporting on Lakers forward Brandon Ingram:

Brandon Ingram’s MRI Thursday evening confirmed a sprained left ankle and Ingram will be reevaluated in one week, the Lakers said Saturday.

That means Ingram will miss at least two more games after Saturday night’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies. The Lakers play the Miami Heat at home Monday and will start a four-game road trip that begins in Houston Thursday.

Full article.

And here’s ESPN.com with more:

Ingram is averaging 15.2 points and 4.0 rebounds per game this season. He suffered the injury in the first quarter of Wednesday’s win over San Antonio when he landed on the foot of Spurs big man LaMarcus Aldridge after taking a jump shot. Aldridge was whistled for a flagrant foul 1 for sticking his foot where Ingram was going to land.

Full article.

LeBron James, Lakers play Cavs in Cleveland tonight

LeBron James and the Lakers visit Cleveland tonight to play a Cavs team that has been in shambles this season and looks nothing like the contender they were when LeBron was still on the squad. The game will be on national TV. Seeing the type of reception LeBron receives during pregame intros and an expected video tribute will be fun to watch. More on the game from Cleveland.com below:

Cleveland Cavaliers center Tristan Thompson opted for the canned answer when asked about the importance of Wednesday night’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers.

“Just another game. Another game on the schedule,” Thompson said following shootaround. “Another opportunity for us to play at home and compete and be on our floor.”

Only it’s not. Wednesday marks LeBron James’ first return to Quicken Loans Arena since leaving the Cavaliers a second time in free agency.

Promos have been playing for weeks on ESPN. It’s one of two games nationally televised for the Cavaliers this season. This is the one fans have had circled on the calendar since it was released.

The Lakers through Tuesday’s games are 9-7 and the West’s 8th seed, while the Cavs are an NBA-worst 2-13 and currently dealing with a reported trade request/demand from veteran shooting guard J.R. Smith.

Lakers use no-PG lineup to close game vs Hawks

The Lakers began the season 0-3, then won 7 of their next 10 games, and at 7-6 are currently the 8th seed in the Western conference through Sunday’s games. Rotation adjustments will likely continue for weeks or longer as head coach Luke Walton continues to learn how to mesh LeBron James with young players that the team hopes will be around for a long time with the team’s veterans, many of whom are signed to one-year deals.

As for how they closed things out in a one-point win Sunday against a rebounding Hawks squad, here’s the LA Times reporting:

With the outcome of the game in the balance, Lakers coach Luke Walton chose to use an unconventional lineup — with no point guard — to close against Atlanta on Sunday, a decision he made because he wanted his best defenders on the court.

In the final minutes of a tense game at Staples Center, Walton’s resolve to leave point guards Lonzo Ball and Rajon Rondo on the bench served the Lakers well.

Ball had replaced Rondo with seven minutes, 41 seconds left in the game. Ball had not played in the fourth quarter of the previous two games, but now he was getting his opportunity.

Then with 4:32 left and every defensive stand being crucial in a game the Lakers were trailing by three points, Ball was replaced by Josh Hart, who the Lakers consider to be one of their better defenders because of his ability to guard multiple positions.

Hart closed out the game with LeBron James, Kyle Kuzma, Brandon Ingram and Tyson Chandler.

— Full Article

Moritz Wagner heads to G League for health recovery reasons

The Los Angeles Lakers have assigned rookie center Moritz Wagner to the South Bay Lakers on rehab assignment.

Wagner, who sustained a left knee contusion on July 10, has been medically cleared to return to play and will continue his rehab progression with the South Bay Lakers. The Michigan product was selected by the Lakers with the 25th overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft.

Nuggets fall to Lakers for first loss of season

The Nuggets are off to a great start this season, but their first loss came courtesy of a LeBron James triple-double fueled Lakers squad. Here’s the Denver Post reporting:

The Nuggets were up 106-98 with 6:11 left in the game before the Lakers closed on a 23-8 run. LeBron James’ triple-double helped, as did Lonzo Ball’s clutch step-back 3-pointer, but give Lance Stephenson credit. He had a personal run of eight straight, including back-to-back 3-pointers that energized the Staples Center crowd with Kobe Bryant sitting courtside.

“Six minutes is a lifetime on the road with a guy like LeBron James,” Nuggets coach Mike Malone said.

Veteran Paul Millsap, who struggled from the floor with just six points, put the onus on the Nuggets.

“Something we haven’t been all year, got a little rattled, little rattled down the stretch. Forced a few shots. We didn’t stay poised like we normally do,” he said…

Monte Morris finished with a career-high 20 points, seven assists and three steals as the third Nugget to notch at least 20 points (Nikola Jokic 24, Jamal Murray 22).

— Full article

Lakers assign Isaac Bonga to G League

The Los Angeles Lakers have assigned guard Isaac Bonga to the South Bay Lakers, the team’s G League affiliate.

Bonga appeared in five preseason games for the Lakers, averaging 3.6 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 10.7 minutes. The rookie guard was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers with the 39th overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft and acquired by the Lakers on July 6, 2018.

The South Bay Lakers opened their 2018-19 training camp today and will host the Northern Arizona Suns for their lone preseason game on Saturday, October 27 at 12:00pm PT from the UCLA Health Training Center.

NBA fight suspensions for Brandon Ingram, Rajon Rondo and Chris Paul

Los Angeles Lakers forward Brandon Ingram has been suspended four games without pay, Lakers guard Rajon Rondo has been suspended three games without pay, and Houston Rockets guard Chris Paul has been suspended two games without pay, for their roles in an on-court altercation with 4:13 remaining in the fourth quarter of the Rockets’ 124-115 win over the Lakers on Oct. 20 at Staples Center. The suspensions were announced today by Kiki VanDeWeghe, Executive Vice President, Basketball Operations.

Ingram has been suspended for aggressively returning to and escalating the altercation and throwing a punch in the direction of Paul, confronting a game official in a hostile manner, and instigating the overall incident by shoving Rockets guard James Harden. Rondo has been suspended for instigating a physical altercation with, and spitting and throwing multiple punches at, Paul. Paul has been suspended for poking at and making contact with the face of Rondo, and throwing multiple punches at him.

Paul will begin serving his suspension tonight when the Rockets face the Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Center. Ingram and Rondo will begin serving their suspensions on Mon., Oct 22, when the Lakers host the San Antonio Spurs.

To view the incident, click on this link.