LeBron James continued his odd domination over Kemba Walker on Friday night with a 129-115 victory over Charlotte, giving the Lakers their third win the last four games.
The Good: ….Rajon Rondo and Lance Stephenson?
The Lakers veterans have taken a deserved beating in the home stretch of the season but the duo of Rondo and Stephenson were great on Friday. Rondo handed out a season-high 17 assists while Stephenson had a double-double of 14 points and 13(!) rebounds.
The two looked like the guys who had the Lakers in the top-four in the Western Conference at Christmas and not the two that has the Lakers in the top 10 in the draft lottery.
The Bad: The tank
While it was known for a while, Friday’s win was likely the final blow in the Lakers’ tank. The win moves the Lakers to 2.5 games away from New Orleans in the ninth spot. The bigger concern moving forward is not catching the Minnesota Timberwolves in 11th as they are just a half-game up.
The Lakers have one less game than Minnesota but the Timberwolves have the third-hardest remaining schedule to Los Angeles’ fourth. In short, it could still be squeaky bum time to close the season.
The Ball: No Lonzo, no problem of late
The Lakers have actually played well of late. With all the pressure off, Los Angeles has actually put together its best winning stretch since the All-Star break. Alex Caruso continues to look great for the Lakers, prompting questions about if he’s a long-term fit in L.A.
