LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers came out with a victory in the first game of their five-game road trip on Wednesday night, 96-87 over the Orlando Magic.
But aside from an excellent first quarter where they held the Magic to just nine points, most of the action on Wednesday was fairly forgettable except for a scuffle at the end of the game involving both teams that began with several Magic players shoving Dwight Howard. It ended an ejection for LA.’s Jared Dudley and Orlando’s Wes Iwundu, but with Howard back where his career started in Orlando, it obviously led to questions about how he’s been with the Lakers.
LeBron James couldn’t be happier with the fit, according to his postgame interview with Spectrum Sportsnet.
(H/T Christian Rivas of Silver Screen and Roll)
“He’s thriving. He’s thriving. He’s gonna have more years in his career and he’s gonna add an ingredient to our team’s success because of the role that he’s accepting. He’s just making the most of it every single night. Defending at a high level, rebounding, blocking shots, catching lobs and with zero ego.
“When his number is called he goes out there, and when he’s subbed out he cheers on his teammates every single night. We were lucky to be able to snatch him up late in the summer like that, and we’re happy to have him.”
Howard’s numbers have normalized a little bit after his monstrous start to the season, which briefly included leading the NBA in plus-minus. But he’s still been incredibly important for the Lakers, often playing crunch time for them and averaging more minutes than starting center JaVale McGee.
Another reason why Howard’s numbers have stabilized as of late is that McGee has played better as well, which is a great sign for the Lakers as a squad moving forward. Howard is averaging seven rebounds and seven points per game while shooting 72 percent from the field in just under 20 minutes per game.