Luka Magic
The Los Angeles Lakers have been on a hot streak, all thanks to Luka Magic. They are now third place in the west, but do they have enough to compete with the Oklahoma City Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs?
The Los Angeles Lakers have won 9 of their last 10 games. With 9 more games left before the end of the regular season, they are winning when it matters.
As a squad, they were “mid” when the season started, and there were stretches when they had the 5th-7th place in the western conference. The opposite is true right now–despite some minimal roster changes (traded away Gabe Vincent for shooter Luke Kennard), something must have clicked–they are on a very impressive run at the moment.
A lot of this amazing basketball has to do with Luka Doncic, who averaged 40 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists in the past 10 games. He has been crazy unstoppable offensively, and teams haven’t been able to solve him. In addition to that, LeBron James, at 41 years of age, is still undoubtedly better than a lot of the players in the league–his IQ, basketball savvy, and veteran smarts are hard to match.
There is also the emergence of Deandre Ayton as a reliable big–he has averaged 10 points, 8 rebounds, and heaven knows how many ball screens during this run. A lot of critics are doubtful of his consistency, but the intangibles and the 60% shooting efficiency are doing wonders for the team.
Austin Reaves is still a reliable scorer who can create his own shots. Marcus Smart is a veteran 3 and D player. Rui Hachimura and Jake LaRavia are both reliable role players. Luke Kennard and Dalton Knecht are also contributors. Coach JJ Redick has stuck with his guns in the face of pressure during the trade deadline, and the risk is now paying off.
With 9 games left, the Lakers are unlikely to get the number 2 seed even if San Antonio loses all their remaining games, which is even more unlikely. If they want to secure the third seed, they have to keep this pace, as the Denver Nuggets, the Houston Rockets, and the Minnesota Timberwolves are not far behind.
The question is, can the Lakers compete with the Thunder and the Spurs? The Lakers have lost thrice against the Spurs (winning one) this season, and have lost both their games against the Thunder. Ayton and Vanderbilt were no match against the Wembys and the Holmgrens, and the often maligned Laker defense hasn’t done anything against the pace and youth of the Thunder and the Spurs.
But then again, it’s the playoffs soon, and they got Luka and LeBron. Those two like to win.
DAILY FANTASY PICKS:
Captain: Luka Doncic
Vice Captain: LeBron James
Key picks: Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, Deandre Ayton, Marcus Smart, Jake LaRavia
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Here are the matches this week!
