The Los Angeles Lakers are back on track. After letting the Golden State Warriors steal a win at the Staples Center on Monday, the Lakers braked during the second half to seal a 113-106 win over the Milwaukee Bucks at the Fiserv Forum on Thursday.
The Lakers didn’t seem to be in sync coming out of the gate. In fact, for most of the game it looked like they were lucky to be leading, even if it was only for a few points. But it was not luck that gave them victory on Thursday; it was a pair of stellar performances by LeBron James and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.
Coming from a disappointing performance against the Warriors on Monday, James was fully on pace on Thursday, scoring 32 points from 12 out of 24 field shots and 6 out of 10 from behind the hoop. He completed his boxing score with 8 assists, 5 rebounds, a block and a steal while hitting the two daggers at the end of the fourth period to ward off the Bucks. His +13 plus-minus was the highest of the night.
James’ production was especially valuable when he was on the track with Wesley Matthews, Kyle Kuzma, Markieff Morris and Montrezl Harrell. Vogel resorted to this lineup several times this season and it wasn’t until tonight that they found relative success, and it was because James was on fire. That said, it is not the best schedule yet, and the Lakers would be better off if those five didn’t see the court together often.
Caldwell-Pope was also at the top on Thursday night, scoring 23 points, the best of the season, while firing an amazing 7 out of 10 shot from behind the arc. For the season, Caldwell-Pope is shooting 56.8% behind the hoop, which is only the second in the NBA for Seth Curry. He’s on fire and doesn’t look like he’s going to get cold anytime soon.
The Lakers tried to minimize the confrontation by entering it, but it is clear that both teams stood up for this one, and as a result, it was fun. The Lakers will try to start a new winning streak when they head south to face the Chicago Bulls on Saturday.
For more Lakers speak, subscribe to the Silver Screen and Roll podcast feed at iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher or Google Podcasts. You can follow this author on Twitter at @RadRivas.