With Anthony Davis due to be out for at least next month, the Los Angeles Lakers will need their support squad to fill Davis’s gap at both ends of the track, which is easier said than done, even with how much Davis struggled to start the season.
And while Tuesday was just the first game in a nine-game test, they seemed quite capable of doing just that. Behind a nearly triple-double from LeBron James, the Lakers managed to beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 112-104 on Tuesday. They are now 22-7 in the season.
Kyle Kuzma started in Davis’ absence, as he did on several occasions in this and last season, but it wasn’t Kuzma who had the “second star” line of statistics on Tuesday – that honor belonged to Dennis Schröder. At 32:13 against the Timberwolves, Schröder scored 22 points in 8-14 field shots. He also had 4 steals and 3 assists.
In a perfect world, the Lakers would have a one-by-one replacement for Davis waiting on the bench, but that is almost never the case for players of Davis caliber. That is why it is so valuable to have players like Schröder and Montrezl Harrell, the latter of whom contributed 17 points off the bench.
The Timberwolves had a race at the end of the fourth period, but due to their age and the fact that some important players were missing, they were unable to complete the comeback. Anthony Edwards, the No. 1 choice in the 2020 NBA Draft, set a new career record with 28 points.
The Lakers will return home to Los Angeles, where they will face the Brooklyn Nets for the first time this season on Thursday. Get ready.
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