LOS ANGELES — Through all of their losses and injuries and turnovers in their first 60-plus games, despite all of their mighty and embarrassing struggles to find their rhythm and identity and a sustainable defensive scheme, the Lakers insisted they had the personnel and the heart to turn around a season that has been irredeemably disappointing by every possible measure.
For too long, they talked a better game than they played. Finally, they came up with the goods in spectacular fashion, riding LeBron James’ Lakers-high 56 points to win an exhilarating, back-and-forth marquee matchup against Golden State on Saturday that left only one question as confetti dropped from the ceiling and the sellout crowd at Crypto.com Arena tried to absorb what it had just seen:
Why couldn’t the Lakers have played this well and showed this deep reserve of skill and fight before the spectacular 124-116 victory that had the building roaring and shaking and rocking to its very foundation?
