Tag: NBA Basketball

Lakers look to continue winning ways against Hawks, Trae Young

The Los Angeles Lakers host one of the most exciting players in the game when they play Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday night.

The Los Angeles Lakers are back on the court Sunday night as they host an exciting Atlanta Hawks team that just came off an awful loss last night against the Clippers.

Trae Young had 20 points for the Hawks last night but they lost by 49 points, which means they’ll likely be much more focused for tonight’s game after getting embarrassed the night before. Young will be a challenge for the Lakers defense as his high pick-and-roll game is one of the most lethal in the NBA, even though he’s just in his second season.

Without Avery Bradley, Alex Caruso and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope will likely take the difficult task of guarding Young during the game but the Lakers team defense will be called upon, which shouldn’t be too big of an ask considering the Lakers are the best defense in the league.

Their size should be enough to disrupt what Atlanta is trying to do offensively with Young, especially because the Hawks are pretty inexperienced or not very good elsewhere on the team. Defensively, the Hawks also have trouble stopping people which should make for a great night for LeBron James running the show.

Tip-off is set for 6:30 p.m. PDT at Staples Center.

LeBron James tweets support for Colin Kaepernick before open workout

LeBron James sent his support for former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick before his open workout in the Atlanta area on Saturday.

LeBron James, like many in the sporting community and those who have become invested in the story of Colin Kaepernick and his exile from the NFL, expressed his support for the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback before taking part in a workout on Saturday afternoon in Atlanta that was initially scheduled by the NFL.

Teams are reportedly in Atlanta for the workout, which just began a few minutes ago in metro Atlanta after originally being scheduled for the practice facility of the Atlanta Falcons. Concerns about an uncommon waiver from the NFL and a lack of media availability pushed Kaepernick’s reps to move the workout to another location. Several NFL scouts were spotted at the workout location on Saturday.

But no matter what happens on Saturday, and whether the NFL is truly serious about giving Kaepernick a chance, LeBron James wanted Kap to know that he’s special regardless what happens.

Obviously James and several football fans would love to see Kaepernick back on the field, only six years removed from playing in a Super Bowl, especially as back-up quarterbacks have seen the field in astonishing numbers this NFL season. But even if he doesn’t, James wants Kaepernick to know that his sacrifices were worth it no matter what happens next.

 

LeBron James hits clutch free throws to put Lakers past Kings

The Los Angeles Lakers earned their third straight victory thanks to 29 points and 11 assists from LeBron James on Friday night.

LeBron James had 29 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to their third-straight victory — a 99-97 win over the Sacramento Kings on Friday night. Thanks to a valiant effort from an undermanned but energetic Kings squad, the Lakers barely escaped.

Seven straight points from Bogdan Bogdanovic brought the Kings to 97-97 with just under 20 seconds left, leaving the Lakers and James with the final possession. The Kings’ Harrison Barnes was called for a reach-in foul on James with 5.5 seconds left. James made both free throws, leading to a final play for the Kings. Barnes couldn’t convert on the final lay-up attempt to send the game to overtime, however, thanks to an incredible defensive stop by Anthony Davis.

For much of the early going in Friday’s matchup, the Lakers appeared a little sluggish. But the Lakers closed the half with a fury, capped off by a dunk from James over Kings forward Nemanja Bjelica. Following the half, the Lakers rode that momentum and amassed a four-point lead after three quarters.

James was the catalyst for the Lakers all night long, scoring more than usual while assisting at his regular league-leading rate. With Davis back in the lineup, James once again enjoyed an efficient source of assists offensively and the safety blanket defensively that The Brow provides.

Still, even though the two stars played well, they were unable to pull away from a scrappy Kings team that came into Friday having won four of their last five games. The Kings had a lead midway through the fourth quarter, putting the Lakers on their heels on their home court.

James came out firing in the early going of the final period.

Up by three points, James missed a 3-pointer for the Lakers and then Howard was called for a loose-ball foul with 3:54 remaining. Richaun Holmes made two free throws to cut the lead to one, which was followed by a Lakers basket.

The Kings went to Holmes again, who was guarded by Alex Caruso, but drew a three-point play on LeBron James to tie the game at 90 with 3:25 left. A 3-pointer by Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who had a huge fourth quarter, put the Lakers ahead. Caldwell-Pope had scored four points after three quarters but finished with 16 points.

 

 

LeBron James throws down incredible dunk on Kings forward Bjelica

Lakers F LeBron James was called washed in some corners but he reminded everyone just how explosive he can be with a dunk against the Kings

The Washed King is here to remind challengers that he is still liable to posterize takers looking to block a ferocious dunk from LeBron James. In the Los Angeles Lakers’ Friday night matchup against the Sacramento Kings, James had an incredible dunk against the Kings.

James has led the NBA in assists over the first 11 games of the season and he has led the Lakers to the NBA’s best defense over that same time. For much of the early going on Friday, the Lakers were a little sluggish. But the they closed the half with a fury, capped off by the dunk from James over Kings forward Nemanja Bjelica.

James is one of the greatest dunkers of all time even though he has never participated in an NBA dunk contest. His ability to finish in games, and through traffic, may be the greatest we’ve ever seen. Friday night, approaching age 35, he showed another example of delivering special moments with astonishing regularity.

Tom Brady jokes he will play football ‘until he can’t dunk’ anymore

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady had some fun with comments by Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James comparing the two on Friday.

GOAT talk isn’t something that you hear about every night but it’s also not every night that LeBron James and Tom Brady decide to talk about what they share in common. But LeBron James started the comparisons on Friday morning by saying that he sees himself in the same light as Brady in that he plans on playing his sport of choice until he “can’t walk.”

James has talked in broad strokes in the past about wanting to stick around in the NBA until he has the chance to play with his son Bronny James, but Brady took the opportunity of LeBron’s choice of comparison to make a joke and also let everyone know he doesn’t plan on going away anytime soon either, even though he’s nearly eight years older than James.

I don’t know if Brady can dunk or not anymore at age 42, but he has said as recently as 2018 that he believes he can still dunk it. Maybe he still can (if he’s Vince Carter) and that’s been the secret to his longevity all along. Work on that dunk, aspiring quarterbacks, Tom Brady is working on his.

LeBron joked that he would stop playing ball until he can’t throw touchdown passes anymore, so get used to a lot of these guys.

LeBron James on he and Tom Brady: ‘We’re gonna play until we can’t walk’

LeBron James was asked if he thought about the end of his career and compared himself 42-year old New England Patriots star Tom Brady.

The Los Angeles Lakers have raced to a 9-2 record thanks to their defense and in particular, a revived LeBron James on the defensive end, who said that he’s much healthier this season. Now that he’s healthy once again and leading the NBA in assists for the first time in his career, he doesn’t see an end in sight for his NBA career, seeing himself like a basketball version of Tom Brady.

James made the Brady comparison during Friday’s Lakers shoot around ahead of their game later this evening against the Sacramento Kings. James was asked if he could envision the end of his career, spurred by last night’s news that Carmelo Anthony would sign with the Portland Trail Blazers.

Video via Kyle Goon of the Southern California News Group

Last season was the first time we saw James seriously injured in his career as he missed 17 straight games. But after the longest offseason of his career, which included filming Space Jam 2, James is also enjoying major help on both ends from superstar Anthony Davis. If he can continue to get support from Davis, as well as the other Lakers role players like Danny Green, that can only help LeBron’s hopes to play at a high level into his 40s.

Avery Bradley out at least 1-2 weeks with hairline fracture in leg

After getting Rajon Rondo back this week, the Los Angeles Lakers continue to deal with other injuries in their backcourt.

Just when it seemed like the Los Angeles Lakers were entering a healthier stage of their season, they’ve lost a key member of their backcourt for at least a couple of weeks.

The Lakers announced on Friday morning that an MRI on starting guard Avery Bradley revealed a hairline fracture on the ‘non-weight bearing’ portion of his lower right leg. Bradley missed a game earlier last week after initially suffering what looked like an ankle injury in a Nov. 3 win at San Antonio. According to the Lakers release, Bradley will be re-evaluated in 1-to-2 weeks.

Bradley has stayed in the starting line-up, averaging 9.6 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game. He’s stayed in the line-up mostly because of his on-ball defense and activity. He’s also doing a good job scoring inside the 3-point line to off-set a cold shooting start from the outside.

Without Bradley, the Lakers started Kentavious Caldwell-Pope against Chicago on Nov. 5 but Caldwell-Pope is currently listed as questionable for Friday’s game against the Kings. If KCP can’t go, Alex Caruso or Quinn Cook would be the likely next candidates to take Bradley’s place in the starting line-up.

Bradley will get to do a good portion of his recovery in Los Angeles as the Lakers aren’t scheduled to play a road game until a week from Friday in Oklahoma City.

Lakers look to win third straight as they host short-handed Kings

The Los Angeles Lakers welcome the Sacramento Kings for their first meeting of the season.

The Los Angeles Lakers are back on the court Friday night as they prepare to host a short-handed, yet scrappy Sacramento Kings squad as L.A. looks to go on another win streak.

After starting the season 0-5 and one of the most disappointing teams in the NBA to open the season, the Kings have won four of their last five games and won their most recent one without star point guard De’Aaron Fox. They’ve been without Marvin Bagley since the first week of the season with a fractured right thumb and the Fox injury came earlier this week, robbing them of their best player.

Nevertheless, they stayed on a roll with a home win against a struggling Portland Trail Blazers squad even without Fox. Forward Bogdan Bogdanovic poured in 25 points off the bench and might be the biggest threat the Lakers have to consider on the offensive end.

Shooting guard Buddy Hield will also present a challenge to the Lakers with his movement away from the ball and his ability to shoot the ball from deep spots on the floor. Harrison Barnes can also take advantage of switches if he gets smaller players on him in the post, though the Lakers size might take that away tonight.

The Kings aren’t good, but they certainly aren’t as bad as their start. While the Lakers have been rolling, they can’t take them lightly. And seeing as they are coached by former Lakers coach Luke Walton, they’ll likely be a little motivated to dominate against a mostly unheralded group.

LeBron James celebrates Carmelo Anthony signing with Trail Blazers

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James celebrated his friend Carmelo Anthony getting back into the NBA on Thursday.

One of the most disappointing teams in the early going of the NBA season made a big move on Thursday night, one that got on the radar of LeBron James as one of his closest friends in the league made his way back into the NBA.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Thursday night that the 4-8 Portland Trail Blazers agreed to bring in 10-time NBA All-Star Carmelo Anthony, which brought about a response of enthusiasm from NBA fans and of course, the rest of the Banana Boat crew. Dwyane Wade shared his reaction that it was ‘about time’ and LeBron echoed his friend’s tweet.

For those who are wondering, the first game between LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony is scheduled for December 6th in Portland when the Los Angeles Lakers visit the Portland Trail Blazers. They will also play each other about three weeks after that in Portland on Dec. 28.

After it looked for nearly a year like LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony would never play on the same court again, that chance will come sooner than anybody expected.

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Report: Anthony Davis probable, KCP questionable for Friday vs. Kings

The Los Angeles Lakers will likely get Anthony Davis back in the line-up when they host the Sacramento Kings on Friday night.

The Los Angeles Lakers should get back one of their key players when they host former head coach Luke Walton and the Sacramento Kings on Friday night at Staples Center.

Anthony Davis is officially listed as probable, meaning he has a 75% chance to play, according to Kyle Goon of the Southern California News Group. However, while the Lakers will likely get back Davis on Friday they will likely be without reserve guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope who is questionable after turning his ankle in the closing moments of Wednesday’s win over the Golden State Warriors. However, getting Davis back will likely be more than enough against a Kings group missing De’Aaron Fox.

While the Caldwell-Pope injury was concerning, the Lakers did get some solid contributions from other players who will have to step in for however long KCP has to sit out. Quinn Cook played nearly 25 minutes while Alex Caruso eclipsed 27 minutes on Wednesday.

Caldwell-Pope’s absence will call for more minutes from the Lakers younger guards, but Caruso, Cook and even Troy Daniels have proven they can step in to produce in a pinch at various points so far this season.

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