What lottery? Lakers on a roll
Lakers forward Larry Nance Jr. missed the first of two free throws, then made the second to give the Lakers a two-point lead with five seconds remaining against the Sacramento Kings. Corey Brewer stole the ensuing inbounds pass from Kings guard Buddy Hield, then made two free throws to give the Laker a fourpoint lead with 4.1 seconds left.
With that, the Lakers earned their 24th win of the season — 98-94 over the Kings at Staples Center — and their third win in a row.
“We’re getting team effort really from everybody right now,” Walton said. “Everybody’s kind of rising to the challenge as far as the way they’re playing, competing mainly on the defensive end. ... They’re having fun and competing. When we were playing well early in the year that’s what we were doing. Losing took that from us. We found it again in the last couple games.”
Some might call it a missed opportunity to improve their NBA draft lottery position. The Phoenix Suns won Friday, too, and had the Lakers (24-55) lost out, they would have ended the season tied with Phoenix for the second-worst record in the league. As things
stand now, the Lakers have the third-worst record in the league, and a 47% chance of keeping their first firstround pick, which is protected in the top three.
But all week, the Lakers insisted they were not concerned with lottery standings, and refused to make losing a priority.
“I know my guys around me we don’t believe in going out there and trying to lose games,” Julius Randle said. “The basketball gods come back, I believe in that, it’ll come back and haunt you. So you don’t do that. You gotta treat the game with respect.”
Randle led the Lakers with 25 points on 10-of-14 shooting. Skal Labissiere scored 19 for the Kings and was one of five Kings who scored in double figures. The Kings rested three healthy players: Kosta Koufos, Ty Lawson and Garrett Temple.
The other game affecting the Lakers’ lottery fate took place as the Lakers played. The Suns faced the Oklahoma City Thunder, and Russell Westbrook, who was in search of a record 42nd triple-double of the season.
The Lakers trailed, 45-44 at halftime. As they went into the break, the Suns were coming out of theirs. Phoenix led Oklahoma City by as many as 26 points in the first half, then saw their lead dwindle all the way to 11 in the third quarter. But by the time the Lakers returned to the court for the third quarter, the Suns had stretched their lead to a comfortable margin again.
Seconds after Brandon Ingram dunked over Georgios Papagiannis while getting fouled, Suns guard Devin Booker hit back-to-back threes to give the Suns a 25point lead.
As World Peace entered the game at Staples Center to start the fourth quarter, Westbrook checked out in Phoenix, two assists shy of a record 42nd triple double. Fans in Phoenix booed that they wouldn’t get to see history.
Thomas Robinson made one of two free throws at Staples Center at the same time as the Suns completed their 120-99 win over the Thunder.
Whereas no starter except Tyler Ennis played at all in the fourth quarter in the Lakers’ win in San Antonio, Walton finished Friday’s game with every starter except Ingram back on the court. Ingram was on a minutes restriction as he recovers from patellar tendinitis.
“I thought tonight was a really good opportunity for the starters,” Walton said. “Because it’s tough to sit on the bench and then come in in that six-minute mark.
“I thought the second unit could have closed out the game tonight, they were playing well enough to do it, but they did that in San Antonio. Tonight I wanted to give the starters that opportunity and that experience.”
The Suns’ win improved their record to 23-57, but they are still a game-and-ahalf worse than the Lakers.
Walton has repeated more than once that the lottery is still a game of chance and losing regular season games doesn’t guarantee anything. Winning doesn’t guarantee they’ll lose their pick, but it does guarantees positive feelings heading into the offseason.