The Daily Laker

Welcome to the daily Laker, a Los Angeles Lakers fan podcast, today is Tuesday December 29th, 2020. This podcast is brought to you by brownlab media and brownlabmedia.com

The Lakers suffer their second loss in the season to the Portland Trail Blazers as their defense struggles late in the game. Although Lebron had one of his best games this season so far Anthony Davis had one of his worst. Last year the Lakers had one of the best 4th quarter defenses in the league and this is something they need to figure out soon to avoid losing more of these close games.

Stats for the game: Lebron James led the team with 29 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists. Anthony Davis had a slow day with 13 points and 10 rebounds and Dennis Schroder had 24 points 4 rebounds and 4 assists.

A storyline to pay attention to:

CBS sports released an article titled, "How the Blazers exploited Montrezl Harrell defensively and reminded the Lakers of their true identity" in which they highlight Harrell's weakness in defending the pick and roll. It was an especially costly move by coach Vogel to leave him in the game for 16 consecutive minutes on the court against two of the best perimeter players in Lillard and McCollum. Fatigue was visible throughout the fourth quarter as he consistently got caught in between players without space to make a defensive presence on the ball. Nevertheless, this is still only the 4th game of the season and the Lakers are still experimenting on which lineup is best suited for finishing games.

https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/how-the-blazers-exploited-montrezl-harrell-defensively-and-reminded-the-lakers-of-their-true-identity/

Next game is tomorrow night, against the San Antonio Spurs at 5:30pm pacific time.

Alright, that is it for this episode, It's time to ball out. The song throughout this episode was created by the sueño team and willy west. The daily Laker is brought to you by brownlabmedia.com

Welcome to the daily Laker, a Los Angeles Lakers fan podcast, today is Monday December 28th, 2020. This podcast is brought to you by brownlab media and brownlabmedia.com

The Lakers win easily over the Minnesota Timberwolves 127 to 91 led by Kyle Kuzma who replaced Anthony David in the starting lineup. The wolves were without Karl Anthony Townes.

Stats for the game: Lebron James did not need to play after the 3rd quarter for this game but still managed to put up good numbers, finishing with 18 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists. Kyle Kuzma led the team with 20 points. Marc Gasol finally came to life and got 12 points, 7 rebounds and 8 assists and Dennis Schroder had 11 points 4 rebounds and 4 assists.

Highlights of the game: Kuzma started on fire making the first 9 points of the Lakers on 3 3 point makes starting at the power forward position due to AD being out for game to a calf contusion. He continued with some flashy passes and great blocks. Since the game was a blowout all the bench players got some minutes. Lebron rolled his ankle near the end of the second quarter and still played in the 3rd quarter but he will likely miss tonight's back to back game to get some rest.

A storyline to pay attention to:

CBS sports released an article titled, "Marc Gasol's give-and-go passing is teaching Lakers benefits of movement, making champs even more dangerous" in which they highlight how Gasol is improving the Lakers half court offense, one that was not very good last season. Lebron and AD demand so much attention and defenders gravitate to them when they have the ball, this creates passing opportunities to open shooters. The give and go passing that Gasol has been showing the team is creating more movement without the ball and getting more players involved. How much better can this offense get?

https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/marc-gasols-give-and-go-passing-is-teaching-lakers-benefits-of-movement-making-champs-even-more-dangerous/

Next game is tonight, against the Portland Trail Blazers at 7pm pacific time.

Alright, that is it for this episode, It's time to ball out. The song throughout this episode was created by the sueño team and willy west. The daily Laker is brought to you by brownlabmedia.com

Welcome to the daily Laker, a Los Angeles Lakers fan podcast, today is Saturday December 26th, 2020. This podcast is brought to you by brownlab media and brownlabmedia.com

The Lakers got a big win yesterday on Christmas day against the Dallas Mavericks with the final score being 138 to 115. The Lakers were coming off a loss to the Clippers so they seemed to have a bit more juice for this game on National Television.

Stats for the game: Lebron James finished with 22 points, 7 rebounds and 10 assists, Anthony Davis had 28 points and 8 rebounds, Montrezl Harrell ended with 22 points and 7 rebounds, Dennis Schroder with 18 points and 6 assists.

Highlights of the game: The Lakers bench stepped up in this game led by Harrell, Kuzma and Morris. They also outrebounded the Mavericks 53 to 27 which led to 35 to 0 in second chance points. Also, Lebron is now second in most points scored on Christmas day games behind Kobe Bryant. Oh and yes Lebron air balled a free throw in this game.

A storyline to pay attention to:

Senior NBA Insider Adrian Wojnarowski reports that the Los Angeles Lakers have begun contract extension talks with Dennis Schroder. He initially declined an offer for an extension earlier this year after he was acquired through a trade from the Thunder. The strategy for Schroder is that after February 16th of next year he will be able to sign a contract for more years and money. Now the question is going to be if the Lakers are willing to spend that much on him but looking at his experience and skills he is one of the best point guards the Lakers have had in a long time.

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/30596881/sources-los-angeles-lakers-begin-contract-extension-talks-dennis-schroder

Next game is tomorrow, Sunday December 26th against the Minnesota Timberwolves at 7pm pacific time.

Alright, that is it for this episode, It's time to ball out. The song throughout this episode was created by the sueño team and willy west. The daily Laker is brought to you by brownlabmedia.com

Welcome to the daily Laker, a Los Angeles Lakers fan podcast, today is Thursday December 24th, 2020. This podcast is brought to you by brownlab media and brownlabmedia.com

In today's episode Sal Roses joins us to talk about the Lakers loss against the Clippers, Kyle Kuzma's new contract and our expectations for tomorrows games.

We have a new article on the brownlab media website titled "Queen B, MBA: A Hive in Writing" written by Zerin Scales. We get introduced to Brittany Sha’Vonne is a guru of creative writing. Check out brownlabmedia.com to read the full article.

Alright, that is it for this episode, I hope you enjoyed the conversation. It's time to ball out. The song throughout this episode was created by the sueño team and willy west. The daily Laker is brought to you by brownlabmedia.com

Welcome to the daily Laker, a Los Angeles Lakers fan podcast, today is Wednesday December 23rd, 2020. This podcast is brought to you by brownlab media and brownlabmedia.com

The Lakers were not able to overcome the scoring efficiency from Paul George during last night's game and lost 116 to 109.

Stats for the game: Lebron James led the team with 22 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists, Anthony Davis had 18 points and 7 rebounds, Montrezl Harrell had his first double double with the Lakers putting up 17 points and 10 rebounds and Dennis Schroder almost had a triple double with 14 points, 12 rebounds and 8 assists.

Highlights of the game: Although the Lakers lost their opener of the season, they were able to show that they have the ability to make comebacks in any games when they fall behind just like they did last season. Also, Harrell and Schroder continue to show why they were a great addition to the Lakers this offseason as they both had impressive statistical games.

A storyline to pay attention to:

We got an article from ESPN titled, “Los Angeles Lakers won't unveil NBA title banner without fans”. The Lakers have decided to hold off on showing the championship banner until fans are allowed back into the facility and Covid has subsided. The president of business operations for the Lakers, Tim Harris, said that he likes to look at the banner as an award for the fans as the rings are for players and the trophy for the owners. To be clear, the banner is already hanging but it is covered with a black cloak that reads "Stay tuned, Lakers family" in gold block letters.

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/30583287/los-angeles-lakers-unveil-title-banner-fans

Next game is on Christmas day, Friday December 25 against the Dallas Mavericks at 5pm pacific time.

Alright, that is it for this episode, It's time to ball out. The song throughout this episode was created by the sueño team and willy west. The daily Laker is brought to you by brownlabmedia.com

Welcome to the daily Laker, a Los Angeles Lakers fan podcast, today is Monday December 21st, 2020. This podcast is brought to you by brownlab media and brownlabmedia.com

The Lakers will begin the 2020-2021 NBA season tomorrow night, Tuesday December the 22nd against the Los Angeles Clippers at 7pm pacific time.

A storyline to pay attention to:

We got an article from ESPN titled, “Los Angeles Lakers, F Kyle Kuzma agree to 3-year, $40M extension”. Kuzma has taken a step back in minutes played per game since the arrival of Lebron, this has also brought down his statistical output. He still shows flashes of his offensive strengths from his ability to make shots form the perimeter but has not been consistent enough to be earn a sport in the starting line up. The Lakers are putting it in paper that they want Kuzma to be a part of this Lakers team that should be in the running for more titles while Lebron and AD lead the team. The contract will allow him to become an unrestricted free agent at the age of 28 which will allow him to be on the market for the highest bidder.

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/30567074/sources-los-angeles-lakers-f-kyle-kuzma-agree-3-year-40m-extension

Alright, that is it for this episode, It's time to ball out. The song throughout this episode was created by the sueño team and willy west. The daily Laker is brought to you by brownlabmedia.com

Welcome to the daily Laker, a Los Angeles Lakers fan podcast, today is Saturday December 19th, 2020. This podcast is brought to you by brownlab media and brownlabmedia.com

The Lakers won last nights game against the Phoenix Suns 114 to 113, finishing out the preseason undefeated.

Stats for the game: Anthony Davis led the game with 35 points, Lebron finished with 20 points and 8 rebounds, KCP had 15 points.

Highlights of the game: The Lakers started off slow in the first half but ramped it up in the 3rd quarter to make it a competitive game. Lebron and AD both played more minutes and they look ready for the start of the season. Now the question is how much load management will they require throughout the season, especially during back to back games.

A storyline to pay attention to:

We got an article from ESPN titled, “NBA GMs pick Los Angeles Lakers to defend championship in survey”. In this survey done annually by NBA.com, the Lakers were picked to defend their title with 81% of the vote, the Clippers came behind with 11%. AD and Lebron got 18% of the vote for winning the league MVP award behind Giannis at 32% and Luka at 21%. Lebron also won the GM's vote as the best player at the small forward position with 57%.

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/30546887/nba-gms-pick-los-angeles-lakers-defend-championship-survey

Next Laker game is Tuesday December the 22nd against the Los Angeles Clippers at 7pm pacific time.

Alright, that is it for this episode, It's time to ball out. The song throughout this episode was created by the sueño team and willy west. The daily Laker is brought to you by brownlabmedia.com

Welcome to the daily Laker, a Los Angeles Lakers fan podcast, today is Thursday December 17th, 2020. This podcast is brought to you by brownlab media and brownlabmedia.com

The Lakers scored 43 points in the 4th quarter of last nights game against the Phoenix Suns to get their 3rd victory of the preseason. 13 players played in the game including Lebron and AD.

Stats for the game: Talen Horton-Tucker finished the game with 18 points and 5 rebounds, Kyle Kuzma had 23 points, Anthony Davis had 10 points and Lebron James finished the game with 11 points.

Highlights of the game: Kuzma got the start for this game and he took advantage of the opportunity, he played 32 minutes and led the team in points by taking some good shots with no hesitation. THT continues to show his offensive toolbox by driving in and creating his own shots. Also, Quinn Cook looked really nice coming off the screen from the bigs and pulling up for shots around the perimeter.

A storyline to pay attention to:

We got an article from the Lakers outsiders titled, Caldwell-Pope after preseason debut: “My confidence is through the roof”. The Lakers paid KCP this offseason to stay with the team, earning a 3 year deal worth 40 million after a consistent showing during the regular season and stepping up in the playoffs and finals. Last season he managed to achieve new personal records from field goal and 3 point percentages. If he can continue with those number this year he will be very valuable to the Lakers as he will find himself open when Lebron or AD demand the double teams.

https://lakersoutsiders.com/2020/12/14/caldwell-pope-preseason-debut-confidence/

Next Laker game is tomorrow, Friday December 18th against the Phoenix Suns at 7:30pm pacific time.

Alright, that is it for this episode, It's time to ball out. The song throughout this episode was created by the sueño team and willy west. The daily Laker is brought to you by brownlabmedia.com

Welcome to the daily Laker, a Los Angeles Lakers fan podcast, today is Monday December 14th, 2020. This podcast is brought to you by brownlab media and brownlabmedia.com

Stats for the game: Talen Horton-Tucker finished the game with 33 points and 10 rebounds, Kyle Kuzma had 25 points, 6 rebounds, Montrezl Harrell had 19 points, 11 rebounds and Quinn Cook had 14 points and led the Lakers with 7 assists.

Highlights of the game: Marc Gasol spent a lot of time at the top of the key and used his court vision and smooth passing skills to get some nice assists to open teammates, this reminded me of the Pau Gasol years. Some of those passes from Marc were to THT who put on an offensive show with slashing layups, easy open dunks and step back shots, even finishing the game 4 for 5 from the 3 point land.

A storyline to pay attention to:

We got an article from the la times titled, The youngest Laker, Talen Horton-Tucker, is stealing the show so far in the preseason, in which the writer makes a case for more minutes for the young second year player. Many of the veterans in the team are shocked when they think about how confident he plays the game at only 20 years old. The Lakers come in to this season with a very deep team already but with Covid still being an obstacle that every team will face this year, the stronger the bench is the higher chances the teams will have at not missing numbers in the box score. Here is a quote from head coach Frank Vogel in regard to THT, “It’s going to make my job difficult for sure,” “We have a very deep team. No minutes are guaranteed.”

https://www.latimes.com/sports/lakers/story/2020-12-13/lakers-talen-horton-tucker-clippers-preseason

Next Laker game is Wednesday December 16th against the Phoenix Suns at 6pm pacific time.

Alright, that is it for this episode, I hope you enjoyed the conversation. It's time to ball out. The song throughout this episode was created by the sueño team and willy west. The daily Laker is brought to you by brownlabmedia.com

Welcome to the daily Laker, a Los Angeles Lakers fan podcast, today is Sunday December 13th, 2020. This podcast is brought to you by brownlab media and brownlabmedia.com

We got a Laker game tonight Sunday December 13th against the clippers at 5:30pm pacific time.

A storyline to pay attention to:

We got an article from cbs sports titled, NBA Top 100 player rankings, a team-by-team breakdown: Lakers, Clippers, Nets boast the most; Knicks have zero, this is their annual top player rankings and the Lakers are 1 of the 7 teams with at least 5 players in the top 100. Here is how they play out on the list, Lebron James is at number 1 in which they say he is still undeniably the best player in the league, followed by Anthony Davis at 5, Marc Gasol at 81 who they say will bring a versatility to the team with his court vision as well as a brick wall in defense. Montrezl Harrell comes in at 82 and Dennis Schroder at 83, who finished as the 2 best 6th man last season with Harrell winning the award and Schroder coming in second. If I was a betting man I think this shows the Lakers have more depth in the line up coming into this season which will greatly increase their chances of running it back to another championship. How do you guys feel about this rankings

https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/nba-top-100-player-rankings-a-team-by-team-breakdown-lakers-clippers-nets-boast-the-most-knicks-have-zero/

Alright, that is it for this episode, I hope you enjoyed the conversation. It's time to ball out. The song throughout this episode was created by the sueño team and willy west. The daily Laker is brought to you by brownlabmedia.com