It was a welcome return to NBA action for the Los Angeles Lakers, but for once it wasn't LeBron James that stood out in their victory on Thursday night.
The Lakers beat the Golden State Warriors 124-111 on Thursday and they were firing on all cylinders, but it was newly acquired Malik Beasley that stole the show. Beasley scored 25 points on the night, but was one of eight Lakers players to hit double figures.
All season long it's been the James / Anthony Davis show, and LeBron has been urging the Lakers to make positive trades. The Lakers were very active before the trade deadline, and Davis now thinks that they have the "complete team" after a shaky start to the season.
Beasley now has two 20-point games in his first four starts for the Lakers, and it's clear to see that the pressure has been removed from James and Davis. The Lakers were crying out for more balance within their roster, and it likes like they may finally have it.
James scored 13 points on the night while Davis hit 12, but it was a real team effort on Thursday - and it's not gone without notice. "We’re still figuring things out on the fly," said Davis.
"The past two games we’ve really looked good as a whole. I think we’ve got a complete team where we’re able to make a run."
The Lakers made a terrible start to the season, and had a 2-10 record inside the opening few weeks. They've since stabilised that and are 28-32, but with a run in the second half of the season they're likely to make the play-offs.
Head coach Darvin Ham was delighted with what he saw on Thursday, as he said: "Just overall great team win. Everybody contributed, everybody had different moments and guys stayed aggressive.
"I feel great about what we’ve been able to do (since the trade deadline). It’s paying dividends right now and we’ve just got to continue to get more and more familiar with one another."
Beasley, who scored 25 on the night, also thinks that the Lakers made a statement by proving they can win even without a huge points haul from James or Davis. "LeBron and AD didn’t get going as much as they wanted tonight, but we’re deep, and I think that’s the statement we want to make," Beasley said. "It can be any player on any given night."
Austin Reeves even scored 17 points off the bench, grabbing 13 of them in the third quarter alone. The Lakers may finally have been given the break they were looking for, but there's a long way to go this season.
