The Los Angeles Lakers looked to shake off a dispirited 120-101 loss to the Orland Magic on Saturday when they visited the Miami Heat on Monday.
Early, it looked like a very winnable game for them. They didn’t trail at the end of the first quarter for the first time this season, and although they weren’t winning the rebounding battle, they were at least doing a better job on their defensive backboards.
But Los Angeles suffered a big blow when Anthony Davis left the game just before halftime with hip spasms. He tried playing on the ailment in two quick appearances in the third quarter, but he was unable to stay on the court without significant discomfort. He didn’t play again after exiting with 1:41 left in the period.
Without him, the Lakers fell behind by 13, staged a comeback and drew within one point with 2:39 remaining in the game. But neither team scored again, as the Lakers settled for questionable outside shots and lost 108-107.
Once again, they lost the rebounding battle down the stretch and were outrebounded, 44-38, for the game. However, they limited Miami to 13 second-chance points, and they outscored Miami, 64-48, in the paint and in fast-break points (19-9), evidence their effort and intensity were better this time around.
They have fallen under .500 again, and they take their 3-4 record into Texas for a game against the Houston Rockets on Wednesday.
Anthony Davis: C
In the 25 minutes he played, Davis shot 4-of-7 to score nine points to go along with six rebounds, four assists and one blocked shot. He deserves credit for trying to play while hurt, and it was another case of him wanting and trying to play while hurt or even injured.
After leaving the game for good, he remained on the bench, and he was very engaged emotionally as the Lakers made their fourth-quarter run. Obviously, everyone is concerned due to his history of being injury-prone, but he said afterward he should be able to play on Wednesday.
Anthony Davis says he is confident he will play in Wednesday’s game in Houston.
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) November 7, 2023
Taurean Prince: B/B-minus
After missing two games with a knee ailment, Prince was back in the Lakers’ starting lineup on Monday. He scored nine points in 34 minutes, but he shot 4-of-9 and just 1-of-4 from 3-point range, although he added three rebounds, two assists and two steals.
D'Angelo Russell: B-minus
Russell’s shot was mostly falling in this game. He went 6-of-10 overall and scored 13 points to go along with six assists, four rebounds and one blocked shot.
However, he was ejected with 7:52 left in the fourth quarter as Los Angeles started to make its run. His absence down the stretch was costly. He could’ve allowed the team to take the lead and possibly win the game in the waning moments.
Austin Reaves: A/A-plus
After a slow start to the season, perhaps Reaves is getting his groove back. After a strong outing on Saturday against the Magic, the undrafted guard shot 9-of-14 overall and 3-of-8 from 3-point range to score 23 points. He also led L.A. with 10 rebounds and nine assists.
With the team being as short-handed as it is (it was down to just six available players after Russell was ejected), Reaves will have to play like he did on Monday for it to have any chance of snapping out of its rut.
LeBron James: A/A-minus
James did just about everything offensively he could to give the Lakers a win. He shot 13-of-23 and scored 30 points while putting on a dunk fest on the fast break, and he helped lead their comeback that almost ended in a victory.
He also put in some effort on the defensive end with three blocked shots, including a spectacular rejection while running back in transition to prevent a dunk by Tyler Herro in the fourth quarter. James has often been accused of taking many plays off defensively at this stage of his career, but his effort on that end of the court was evidence of how much he wanted this game.
Christian Wood: B-minus
Wood went 3-of-6 from downtown and contributed 12 points, six rebounds, one assist and one steal in 30 minutes. However, this was a game in which the Lakers needed more from him.
Cam Reddish: C-plus
Reddish went back to the bench due to the return of Prince. He made two of his five shot attempts and three of his four free throw attempts, giving him seven points plus four rebounds, two assists and one steal.
He had a chance to be the hero near the end of the game when James found him for an open 3-pointer with time winding down, but he missed the shot. Afterward, however, head coach Darvin Ham said he didn’t have a problem with him taking that shot.
Darvin Ham says Cam Reddish got an "awesome look" at the buzzer and that's a shot they would encourage him to take. He praised Cam for his overall effort tonight.
— Lakers Nation (@LakersNation) November 7, 2023
Max Christie: B-minus
In 15 minutes, Christie shot 2-of-3 to score four points with one rebound and one assist.
