LOS ANGELES -- A west coast fest went down Saturday evening in a primetime match up between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Golden State Warriors. The Lakers took this one winning 105-99. This matchup was played without both Lakers star point guard Luka Doncic, and Warriors star point guard Steph Curry. Both leaders were out due to injury.
This one got off to a slow start, but it was in the third quarter that L.A. broke away and gained a significant lead. After ending the first half with the Warriors up by a point 42-41, the second half momentum shift was clear as the Lakers ended the third quarter up 79-71. By the end of regulation six players on the Lakers roster ended the night in double digits. LeBron James, Rui Hachimura and Marcus Smart combined for 53 points to contribute to the Lakers now setting off a three game win streak.
The newest spark of energy that came from the Lakers side of the court was sharpshooter Luke Kennard. This past Thursday at 3:00pm eastern time, the NBA trade deadline hit. Ahead of the deadline the Lakers organization decided to acquire guard Luke kennard from the Atlanta hawks in exchange for guard Gabe Vincent, and a 2032 second-round pick, sources told ESPN's Shams Charania on Thursday.
Kennard was drafted 12th overall in 2017 to the Detroit Pistons. Before being drafted to the NBA he attended Duke University, something he has in common with his head coach JJ Redick. After Kennard's first showing as a Laker, in the post game press conference Reddick joked that he actually graduated and Kennard did not.
Kennard is shooting a career-best 49.7% from 3-point range this season. This addition is in hopes to give the Lakers an option for the wings. Ahead of this game the Lakers were ranked 21st in team 3-point percentages this season.
When Kennard stepped onto the floor for the first time as a Laker, he got a warm welcome from the crowd in Crypto.com Arena. He made his debut in purple and gold late in the first quarter, and as the game progressed he noticeably got more comfortable. Number ten finished with 10 points in 26 minutes, went 2-4 from 3, two rebounds, two assists, and one steal.
Following the victory, Kennard said, “I mean it’s huge,” referring to himself making key plays that helped them come up with the win. He continued saying, “to play in a place like this, I mean, the biggest stage in basketball, it's something special. And I think for me, the expectation of getting a win, that's the biggest thing at the end of the day.”
After the game, Lakers center Jaxson Hayes who finished the game with six points, four rebounds, one block and one assist spoke to his relationship with the newest Lakers addition. Hayes and Kennard both grew up in Ohio and watched each other play throughout their years playing AAU.
Luke helped spark a run against Golden State, and when Hayes was asked about what he’s seen from today and yesterday, Hayes couldn't help but mention the lengthy familiarity they have with one another.
“I’m from Ohio, Luke’s from Ohio, when I was in like seventh-eight grade I used to drive up to Franklin, Ohio and watch Luka play and watch him drop 50.” Hayes then went on to mention how he just bought a farm that is only about 20 minutes away from Kennards farm.
