First, let's focus on the big picture. The Lakers are menacing and can be described as winning the mid-season championship, but in the face of the Spurs, it seems to be a little unprepared. At the beginning of the first quarter, the Lakers seemed to be shocked by the opponent's firepower, and fell behind with a miserable score of 22-42 in the blink of an eye. Vassell's indiscriminate bombardment under the basket, and the Lakers' interior line was instantly torn open a big hole, which was simply a "Vassell moment".
And the Lakers' defense was also as confused as if they had stolen money, and the Spurs hit 3 long-range shots from the outside, and the Lakers were even more helpless. Hachimura, Reaves and others tried to save face on the offensive end, but compared to the Spurs' firepower, it was like grass struggling in a typhoon. At one point, the Lakers' situation could be described as walking on thin ice.
LeBron James is no fuel-efficient lamp, though. In the second stanza, he is like a fierce lion, starting a personal carnival party. 12 points, 5 rebounds, 9 assists, oh no, don't forget there were zero turnovers! Zhan Huang seemed to be wearing a superhero cloak, and at one point narrowed the lead to only 6 points.
When the critical moment came, the Lakers were like a big enemy, James even threw free throws, Hachimura and Prince also made a strong counterattack. Vassell and McDermott took the outside by storm as the Lakers narrowed their lead to just six points. At this time, the game is like a gripping Hollywood blockbuster, and the audience's mood seems to be tense with the plot.
However, Spurs' comeback should not be underestimated. At the critical moment, Keldon Johnson stepped up and scored 5 points in a row to stabilize the situation for the team. Vassell was like no one on the inside, hitting singles and jumpers, and this brother simply scored points without saying a word, and he deserved to be a "scoring machine".
Let's take a look at how a few players performed in last night's game. The first is James, with a triple-double of 23 points, 7 rebounds, and 14 assists, he is simply the brightest star of the game. Whether it is on the offensive end or the organizational end, Zhan Huang is like a commander who controls the game, which is admirable. Even in the second quarter, his 9 assists tied his career record for a single quarter, and he was simply the "king of assists"!
And Vassell, 36 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, this "scoring machine" can be said to be the biggest contributor to this game. His explosive outburst on the offensive end was nothing short of jaw-dropping, with a game-high 36 points, plus two three-pointers, which really taught the Lakers a lesson in efficient scoring.
Then there were the rest of the Lakers, with Reaves contributing 14 points, five rebounds and three assists, Prince and Wood each scoring 10 points, and Hachimura also having eight points. Relatively speaking, the Lakers' overall performance is still good, but unfortunately, in the face of the Spurs' offense in full swing, it seems to be a little powerless.
In the first half, the Lakers trailed by 20 points at one point, but James' individual ability allowed the team to find rhythm in the second half. In the second half, the Lakers' offense was sharper, and with the tacit cooperation of James and his teammates, the difference was once narrowed to only 6 points. However, the strong response of the Spurs' Vassell and Keldon Johnson ultimately made it impossible for the Lakers to succeed in the counterattack.
Finally, let's comment on this game. The Lakers are not powerless in losing, after all, without the two main players Davis and Russell, the overall strength has declined. But it also shows the Lakers' shortcomings in overall defense and interior control. Comparatively speaking, the Spurs managed to end an 18-game losing streak with the tacit understanding of the team and the excellent performance of individual players.
This game may only be a small quarter of the long season, and the Lakers still have plenty of time to adjust. At the same time, the Spurs also injected a shot in the arm for the team through this victory. In the next game, we can expect a strong Lakers team and a Spurs team that continues to emerge under the leadership of young champions. The basketball court is always full of unknowns and passion, let's look forward to the next wonderful matchup!