The LA Lakers (3-2) picked up their first road win of the year by powering past their longtime rival San Antonio Spurs (2-2) 121-107 in what proved to be a historic game on several fronts. LeBron James extended his streak of scoring at least 10 points to 1,000 games. Additionally, Becky Hammond becoming the first woman in NBA history to coach a team when she took over for Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich after he was ejected in the 2nd quarter with just under 4 minutes to go after he picked up 2 technical fouls.
STAR OF THE GAME:
Got to give it to the birthday boy here in Lebron James. He led the victorious team in scoring with 26 points to go along with 8 assists and 5 rebounds with a block and a steal. He may have been a -1 in the +/- column, but he did lead the team in minutes with 35. Sometimes that stat can be misleading because he did not look like a negative player while on the floor. He also etched a bit of history with extending his double digits scoring streak to 1,000 games all while turning 36. That age may be ancient when it comes to basketball (or any pro sport for that matter), but the King is showing no signs of slowing down. He continues to try and give validation to the argument of him being the GOAT whether people agree with it or not.
BIGGEST CONCERN:
After a decisive road victory there is not a whole of cause for much concern, but something that does grab my attention is the status of Alex Caruso. He missed his second straight games due to the NBA’s health and safety protocols. It is presumed this is due to a COVID related issue. With the calendar finally turning over after a dreadful 2020, hopefully this does not set a trend for the upcoming new year.
SURPRISE CONTRIBUTION
Wesley Matthews without a doubt in my mind. The guy finally broke out of his shooting slump and looked like the player he has historically been, coming off the bench to score 18 points on 6-6 shooting all from behind the 3 point line. He up until this point looked like he had yet to settle in with his new team and had been a non-factor, but after last night that should all be behind him and he will hopefully keep up the good performances.
