Marc Gasol caught the ball in the post, quickly faked and spun back and away from the defense, splashing home the high-arcing jumper in the paint early in the second half.
He was aggressive and engaged, the offense pumping like a freshly oiled engine.
And soon, if plans hold, he will be back on the bench, the Lakers’ No. 3 center behind Andre Drummond and Montrezl Harrell.
On Tuesday in the Lakers’ 110-101 win in Tampa, Fla., Gasol was sublime, providing enough flashes of the player he used to be to make up for the one he’s not physically able to be anymore. It’s the Lakers’ fourth win in the last six games Gasol has started since he recovered from COVID-19.
The victory snapped an 11-game losing streak against Toronto, with Gasol, a former Raptor, totaling 13 points, nine rebounds, five assists and four blocks. Talen Horton-Tucker led the Lakers with 17 points.
Aiding the great passing was plenty of hot shooting, especially early with the Lakers hitting nine 3s in the first quarter alone — as many or more as the Lakers have made in 21 games this season, including Sunday’s loss to the Clippers.
The Lakers finished with 18 triples, just one of four times they made that many in a game this season.
The Lakers have needed Gasol back in the starting lineup with Drummond dealing with a toe bruise and a lost toenail. The Lakers hope they’ll have Drummond against the Heat on Thursday in Miami.
And they needed him to play extended minutes with Harrell getting ejected early, holding two fingers in the air as he walked off the court to either show love to the Lakers fans in Florida or to tell everyone how many minutes he played.
Harrell got tossed as part of an altercation that started with Dennis Schroder fouling Toronto’s O.G. Anunoby on a layup attempt, Schroder grabbing Anunoby around the waist after the foul. Anunoby then grabbed Schroder from under the leg and tossed him to the ground, starting the shoving. Harrell ran into the scrum to start pushing in Schroder’s defense.
Anunoby and Harrell were both ejected.
The Lakers' hot shooting cooled off because the numbers are what the numbers are — the team is one of the NBA’ worst from three-point range. It’s why the Lakers signed free-agent guard Ben McLemore Tuesday after he cleared waivers.
Houston released the 28-year-old wing this past weekend, clearing the pathway for him to join a contender while the Rockets focus on developing other players. McLemore, a lottery pick in 2013, hit 40% of his 3-point shots as a rotation player for Houston last season.
This year, he’s struggled, making just 33.1% from 3 in inconsistent minutes. He did, however, recently go 7 for 14 from three in a loss to Minnesota.
