ORLANDO, Fla. – Here are three takeaways from the Lakers’ 103-101 victory Thursday over the Clippers:
1. Anthony Davis didn’t need goggles after all.
The Lakers’ star didn’t seem to suffer any lingering effects after getting poked in the eye during a scrimmage last Saturday against Orlando.
He scored 34 points Thursday and was strong on offense, scoring just about every way imaginable against the Clippers.
He even hit back-to-back three-pointers late in the third quarter, continuing to evolve from behind the arc.
Not to be forgotten was his sharp 16 of 17 from the free-throw line, nothing new for a big man who shot 84.5% from the line this season before Thursday’s game.
2. There were a lot of questions about the Lakers’ backcourt after Avery Bradley decided not to rejoin the team because of personal family reasons.
Who would replace his defensive prowess? Who could hit timely three-pointers like he did against the Clippers right before the league shut down in March?
It didn’t help that backup guard Rajon Rondo broke his thumb soon after the Lakers arrived in Orlando. He’s out at least four more weeks.
But Alex Caruso and Dion Waiters answered some questions Thursday about the Lakers’ guard depth.
Caruso had a memorable fourth quarter, making a key layup after slipping past the Clippers’ defense and stepping in front of Landry Shamet’s pass for a big steal with a minute left.
Waiters, for his part, hadn’t played an official game since January but scored 11 points in a surprising amount of playing time — 21 minutes.
He had a spin move for a layup early in the game that set the tone for his night.
If Caruso and Waiters keep playing like they did Thursday, Bradley and Rondo won’t be missed as much as expected.
3. The Lakers didn’t just win a game. They won a chance to coast through the next two weeks of the so-called seeding games.
They now lead the Clippers by 6.5 games with only seven to play. In other words, the Lakers need to win only one more game to wrap up the top seed for the Western Conference playoffs.
Coach Frank Vogel has a nice balancing act ahead of him. He’ll want to get his key players enough playing time to stay game-ready but also want them to be well-rested going into the playoffs, which start in mid-August.
Of course, LeBron James was a big part of Thursday’s victory, rebounding his own miss and scoring with 12.8 seconds left after blowing past a handful of Clippers to get the ball back. His hustle play put the Lakers ahead for good, 103-101, and gave him 16 points on a night where he didn’t shoot that well (six for 19).
Mike Bresnahan is the Lakers analyst for Spectrum SportsNet.