Tag: Wesley Matthews

Lakers injury news: Anthony Davis (adductor), KCP (ankle) out v. Bulls

The Los Angeles Lakers were without two key players again on Friday night against the Chicago Bulls.

The Los Angeles Lakers will be without two key players on Friday night as they look to get back in the win column following last night’s surprising home loss to the San Antonio Spurs. Lakers star big man Anthony Davis is the biggest name missing in the lineup, as he was ruled out of Friday’s game against his hometown squad just before the game by head coach Frank Vogel. In addition to Davis, Lakers starting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope will miss his fourth straight game as he continues to recover from a sprained ankle he suffered last week in San Antonio.

However, Frank Vogel decided to tinker even more with the starting lineup with Davis out, moving Kyle Kuzma back to the bench and starting Markieff Morris, along with Wesley Matthews, to go with regular starters LeBron James, Marc Gasol, and Dennis Schröder.

Following tonight’s game, the Lakers head out on the road again for a three-game trip with two games against the Houston Rockets followed by one in Oklahoma City.

[lawrence-related id=36948,36946]

 

 

Lakers vs. Spurs recap: LeBron reaches 1k straight games with 10 points in win

The Los Angeles Lakers started their road trip with an impressive win over the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday.

The Los Angeles Lakers were on the road for the first time in this young season and on a night when their best player and leader turned 36, the Lakers delivered an impressive victory against the San Antonio Spurs in the first game of a four-game road trip. LeBron James finished with a team-high 26 points to go with eight assists and five rebounds in the game, which was his 1,000th consecutive regular-season game scoring at least 10 points in a 121-107 win on Wednesday night.

Of course, as has been the case so far throughout the regular season, LeBron has had much more help than he was used to last season. Anthony Davis had 20 points and nine rebounds but newcomer Dennis Schröder had 21 points and four assists. Wesley Matthews also had his first breakout game as a member of the Lakers, scoring 18 points while going a perfect 6 of 6 from the 3-point line off the Lakers bench.

James and the Lakers will spend New Year’s Eve in San Antonio before facing the Spurs again on New Year’s Day.

[lawrence-related id=36764,36735]

 

 

 

Clippers vs. Lakers: Live stream, how to watch, TV channel, start time (Dec. 22)

The Los Angeles Lakers will open the season and receive their championship rings from the 2020 season on Tuesday night.

After the shortest offseason in NBA history, the Los Angeles Lakers are back on the court with an excellent opportunity to claim the lead for the most championships in NBA history. The Los Angeles Lakers begin their title defense on Tuesday night, 71 days after the Lakers defeated the Miami Heat to win the 2020 Championship down in the NBA bubble on the shores of Lake Buena Vista.

In addition to Tuesday night being the first Lakers game since October 11, it’s also the first regular season Laker game inside Staples Center since March 10.

After the Lakers won the championship, Vice President of Basketball Operations Rob Pelinka renovated the roster around their star talent and the younger players who showed they could contribute to a championship team. The additions of Dennis Schröder, Montrezl Harrell, Marc Gasol, and Wesley Matthews, as well as growth from younger players such as Talen Horton-Tucker and Kyle Kuzma, have this Lakers team in position to repeat so long as their two superstar talents stay healthy.

 

Lakers vs; Suns recap: Anthony Davis and LeBron extend minutes to capture perfect preseason

LeBron James and Anthony Davis both scored over 20 points apiece in the final game of their preseason schedule.

Finally, the Los Angeles Lakers are done with the preseason and their last game of the exhibition season was their most exciting. LeBron James eclipsed 25 minutes and scored 20 points, while Anthony Davis was a monster in his 30 minutes, scoring 35 points in a tight 114-113 win over the Phoenix Suns, who look primed to take the next step in the regular season after going 8-0 in the NBA Bubble. The Suns lead by double-digits early in the game but the Lakers came back to finish the preseason a perfect 4-0.

One notable aspect of the game was the Lakers kept Kyle Kuzma in the starting lineup in the preseason finale. After finishing the job for the Lakers and helping them win their game against Phoenix on Wednesday, Kuz only had four points in Friday’s outing. Still, it does appear based on Vogel’s trends that Kuzma is a favorite to start for the Lakers on opening night.

Also as a matter of bookkeeping, Alfonso McKinnie, who was sent to the Lakers in their trade of JaVale McGee to Cleveland, made his Laker debut on Friday.

[lawrence-related id=36495,36490][listicle id=36298]

Lakers news: Dennis Schröder says he doesn’t want to take away anything from LeBron

Although Schröder has been vocal about wanting to start he wants to make it clear it will not take anything away from LeBron James.

Dennis Schröder raised some eyebrows upon his arrival in Los Angeles when he didn’t hesitate to express his desire of being a starter after playing and excelling in a bench role for the Oklahoma City Thunder. As I wrote after the statement that he wanted to start, this is both nothing wrong nor nothing new for Schröder. And at least on Wednesday, Lakers coach Frank Vogel was curious about how the Lakers’ new point guard would look next to LeBron James in the starting lineup. It wasn’t perfect but after the game, Schröder wanted to make it clear that this is LeBron’s team and he’s going to fit in, according to Ryan Ward of Lakers Nation.

Schröder is definitely a much more talented and available point guard than they were used to having last season. Schröder has done well by fitting next to other great players like Russell Westbrook, Paul George, and Chris Paul, over the past few years. It’s more than reasonable for him to expect a chance at doing that full time, but we will see ultimately where Vogel lands by next Tuesday’s opener.

[lawrence-related id=36482,36479]

 

NBA: 2020-21 Los Angeles Lakers roster

Who will be helping LeBron James and Anthony Davis in their quest to defend the NBA championship.

The Los Angeles Lakers are coming off of their first championship in over 10 years and their 17th championship as a franchise, they are looking to repeat as champions with an even stronger roster in 2020-21. Of course, everyone knows their two stars will be major factors in their season but who are the other Lakers? Here we hope to take care of any questions you may have and for the sake of organization, we are going through the roster in alphabetical order.

The Lakers’ first preseason game is Dec. 11 and their first game of the regular season is on Dec. 22 against the Los Angeles Clippers, where members of last season’s team will receive their 2020 championship rings.

Without further preamble, here’s a look at the Lakers for this compressed 72-game schedule.

Lakers coach Frank Vogel says LeBron ‘looks great’ in training camp

Los Angeles Lakers head coach Frank Vogel says that LeBron James has looked great so far in training camp.

The Los Angeles Lakers are back at work and from what it sounds like, they are doing great and their best player, LeBron James, looks to be in the form everyone else expects him to be in to start a new season. The Lakers finished their second day of camp on Monday and the question was asked of Frank Vogel, how does his star player and arguably the best player ever look? The answer is, of course, that he looks like LeBron James.

According to Lakers team reporter Mike Trudell, Vogel told reporters that James looks in form as the world’s best player in the early days of camp.

While the shortened season and the quick turnaround may not have been LeBron’s ideal start to the season, the Lakers never had to worry about whether he would be serious about getting ready for the season. For being that he’s LeBron James, he’s always ready

[lawrence-related id=36239,36229]

Wesley Matthews believes off-ball ability will show with Lakers

One of the newest additions to the Lakers, Wesley Matthews, believes he fits very well with the Lakers star players.

One of the newest Los Angeles Lakers spoke to the media on Tuesday and he is one that fits in a lot of different ways. Matthews’ father was a part of the Lakers from 1986-1888 and was on both of those championship teams in ’87 and ’88, while Matthews developed a relationship with the late Kobe Bryant after suffering a torn Achilles back in 2015. He’s also re-established himself as a capable player in the league after that injury, so much so that he was a starter for a Bucks team that had the best record in the league last season. But one thing that has defined Matthews throughout his career is his work ethic and belief he can be more than his assigned station in the league.

Matthews hopes to do that again with the Lakers and while many expect him to stand and watch while the Lakers stars make things happen, he is ready to unleash an underrated aspect of his game with L.A.: his off-ball movement, as transcribed by SB Nation’s Christian Rivas.

Watching the Lakers from a distance and competing against them, there’s a lot of ball movement, a lot of player movement, a lot of random situations; stuff that I feel like I really excel in, and an underrated part of my game is playing off the ball.

Moving off the ball is a key part of being a good 3-point shooter and can be even better with a guy like LeBron James. James is arguably the best passer in the league and having players like Matthews, who can shift into open windows on the outside while the defense isn’t looking, is like having a smart wide receiver who can find an open space on his routes.

While NBA defenses have man responsibilities, the way they have to help makes them connected and when they have to shift to someone like LeBron James, finding the hole in the shift is a skill that can help Matthews and the Lakers defend L.A.’s title.

[lawrence-related id=36012,36009]

Magic Johnson is a big fan of the deals made by the Lakers so far

Lakers legend Magic Johnson gave his Twitter seal of approval on the new deals the Lakers made to remake their team.

The Los Angeles Lakers have been very busy this week in remaking their team and have done so in a way that has made them better despite not having many options at their disposal. By trading the 28th pick and Danny Green, as well as using available roster spots created by the start of free agency, the Lakers have gotten better and also a little bit younger by adding Dennis Schröder, Montrezl Harrell, and Wesley Matthews, after losing Dwight Howard and likely losing Rajon Rondo and Avery Bradley. Lakers legend and former Lakers President Magic Johnson is a big fan of the moves by his former colleague Rob Pelinka.

The Lakers improved their team even though they lost key pieces to their championship run. However, they’ve also weakened some rivals, especially with the deal for Harrell taking him away from the Clippers. The Denver Nuggets, their opponent in the Western Conference Finals, saw Jerami Grant join the Detroit Pistons in free agency.

[lawrence-related id=35935,35933]

Lakers bolster backcourt, defense with addition of Wesley Matthews

The Los Angeles Lakers have found a replacement for Danny Green with the acquisition of Wesley Matthews in free agency.

The Los Angeles Lakers have already made significant progress in rebuilding their backcourt. After trading Danny Green and seeing almost the entire rest of their guard rotation leave in free agency, adding more backcourt help was a top priority for the Lakers and they’ve already made a move to help in that endeavor. The Lakers have agreed to a deal with free agent guard Wesley Matthews, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic/Stadium.

Matthews was a starting guard for the Milwaukee Bucks for 67 regular-season games and the 10 playoff games the Bucks were in. Matthews shot 39.5% from the 3-point line in the postseason and he’s a career 34.3% shooter in his playoff career.

Whatever role the Lakers have for Matthews, he will be a solid contributor at a very low price. Whether he starts or comes off the bench, the Lakers added toughness, 3-point shooting, and good defense to their backcourt. While it’s still early, the Laker backcourt appears to be on course to be a much stronger unit in 2021.

[lawrence-related id=35931,35928]