LeBron James hails Lakers back-up big men after rout of Warriors
Thursday 14 November 2019 11:48, UK
No Anthony Davis for the first time this season, no problem for the Los Angeles Lakers.
LeBron James had 23 points and 12 assists in three quarters and Kyle Kuzma and JaVale McGee dominated the middle as the Lakers steamrolled the ailing Golden State Warriors 120-94 on Wednesday night.
Kuzma scored 22 points starting for Davis and McGee had 18 points and 17 rebounds.
"Our bigs were amazing," James said. "They controlled the interior both offensively and defensively."
"This was a big test for us, our first back-to-back of the season. It's very important for me to set the tone at both end of the floor and, with point guard duties, my responsibility to get other guys involved. It's all our responsibility to make sure we share the ball and turn down good shots to get great shots. We did that two nights in a row."
The Lakers improved their NBA-best record to 9-2 without Davis, who was held out because of a sore right shoulder.
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"If one of our stars goes down, we have to pick up for him," McGee said.
The Lakers had 31 assists in the second half of a back-to-back. Their 39 at Phoenix a night earlier was the franchise's most since April 14, 2009. They notched 31 against defending NBA champions the Toronto Raptors in a loss on Sunday night.
"We know we're very good when we're moving the ball," said James, adding that assists totalling in the high 20s to 30s "lets me know we're definitely paying attention."
James and his team-mates didn't waste any time breaking the game open. He won the opening tip and McGee scored off his alley-oop pass. James keyed a 12-0 run with six points in the first quarter when the Lakers shot 70 per cent and made five three-pointers. Their 38 points tied a season-high for points in a quarter.
Los Angeles extended their lead to 18 points in the second. The Warriors scored 11 in a row to get within seven, but the Lakers quickly restored their lead to double digits at half-time. James vicious one-handed dunk fired up the crowd. Their 67 points tied a season-high for points in a half.
Former Laker D'Angelo Russell scored 21 points for the Warriors, who lost their fifth in a row and fell to 2-10, worst in the West.
"We're playing hard, but we have defensive lapses and it adds up," Russell said. "We have to figure it out. We have guys that are capable, but we have to continue to learn."
Golden State is a shadow of the franchise that made five straight NBA Finals appearances. Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson are injured, and Kevin Durant departed in the offseason.
"We're getting a great effort but were not executing," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. "Right now, we're taking our licks and we must learn from our mistakes. Our young guys are learning by getting thrown into the fire."
Twice the Lakers led by 23 in the third, the second time on a three-pointer by Dwight Howard. He finished with 15 points and eight rebounds.
Los Angeles extended their lead to 27 in the fourth. McGee's one-handed reverse dunk highlighted a 14-5 opening run.
"We did a good job locking in on defense and put a lot of pressure on the paint," Kuzma said.
James sat out the final period, but he still assisted, pulling Davis and DeMarcus Cousins out of their seats to join the team during a timeout.
