NEW-LOOK LAKERS PULL OUT ROAD WIN OVER WARRIORS

Schroeder, toward the rim, Alley of Dades, he's slammed out. 93 all, let's go. This is FYI, I'm Sportsman, it's Lamont, and we are back with another podcast episode. We got a game, day reaction game of the night. This Sunday evening game of the night has to be the Golden State Warriors and the Los Angeles Lakers. The LeBron-less Los Angeles Lakers, they're showing off their new look, and we're here to see how this team looks. Obviously, everyone knows that the Lakers defeated the Warriors 109-103. We're gonna be doing a play-by-play reaction, kind of breaking down some of the things that we saw. Have the Lakers, with the trade that they made in trading Russell Westbrook, and then also in trading Patrick Beverly, with the new additions, have they addressed some of the issues that have plagued them throughout the season? And I believe, obviously, bad third quarters, extremely bad fourth quarters. You're talking about defensive inefficiency, multiple defensive breakdowns, and then also just scoring the basketball in the fourth quarter. It's just been one of their biggest issues. So, I mean, the main issue here is you can always turn the page, right? But if the main characters and the main issues are the same, the story can only change so much. So, that's the challenge that the Lakers faced today. The challenge began Saturday night in Golden State. Three new players debuted, and again, the plot remained the same. Now, obviously, LeBron James was sidelined, and this has been an issue. The Lakers have endured too much with LeBron James and Anthony Davis over the last two years, just being out, missing games, especially at a point in the season where every game matters most. So, we're gonna be, let's go ahead and just get to the drawing board. We're gonna get over to the drawing board. We're gonna be doing a play-by-play reaction to the highlights, and look, we're just gonna call it like it is. Even in a win, if they're still showing the same signs of sluggishness, and they just were able to outlast the Warriors because the Warriors had an off night, we just gotta call it like it is. But at the end of the day, I think a lot of people were calling for Russell Westbrook to be traded. You bring in a score in D-low. You also bring in some defensive pressure with regards to Vanderbilt. You bring in another score in Malik Beasley, and then you add size and shooting with Mo Bama. How does it pan out tonight versus the Warriors? Let's go ahead and get to the drawing board. All right, Warriors, Lakers. I'm gonna be looking for a lot of things. How does D-low look? Does he fit in? Can he defend? All right, Warriors in this game surprised me. Draymond Green, obviously always good defensively. He surprised me with his offense today. Golden State team that's missing Steph Curry, probably till after the all-star break. How do they also fare as well with their injuries? D-low with his first bucket as a Laker, getting to the basket. That's what they need. Jordan Poole, basically unstoppable tonight right out of the pick and roll right there, throwing it to Wiggins. Solid jump shot, man. So it looks like the Warriors on the attack right here. Just the usual Warrior attack with a lot of split actions going on. Klay Thompson knocks it down right there. And down 9-3 early in this game. The question is how do the Lakers fare against these Golden State Warrior flurries? You know they're gonna score and flourish. How do they sustain and not let the game get away from them? And you do that with defense. As you see, Troy Brown Jr. getting off to the races, getting the dunk in transition. Pick and roll action right here with A.D. D-low probing in the lane. And similar to Schroeder, that same style, being able to get into the lane and slow down and get buckets, make good decisions in traffic. When you add another guard, actually a guard who can shoot better, you add a little bit right there. Kaminga knocks down the three there. The Warriors with their own issues right there, trading Wiseman away. Peyton is still not available to play, obviously due to issues with that trade. So the Warrior depth tonight was affected a little bit. Klay Thompson knocks down the jumper right there. And Klay Thompson's been playing some great basketball this year, man. You gotta give him, gotta give him credit. Big time shot right there. Devin Chinzo attacks. Defense is the key, but they turn it over right there. And these are the types of plays right there when you have opportunities that could potentially cost you the game. Warriors 20, Lakers 17 right there. And I like the pick and roll action. I like what the Lakers are doing. They're still playing. With all of these pick and roll actions, they're still playing as if they're a team that's struggling to shoot the ball. And I think this is what you need to do so you don't fall in love with the three ball right here. Can you defend? Can you get a stop at the end of the shot clock? No, Ty Jerome with the bucket. A good two-way guy on that bench for the Warriors. I think he's gonna give them some valuable minutes late game. Draymond Green finishing at the rim right there. And then you got Wiggins at the top of the key right here, man. Just going away. And Jermichael Green, they finally get this man back from injury. I think he's gonna help as well, pushing on later in the year, especially once they get Steph Curry back. Lonnie Walker with the double crossover, knocks the J down. And now you can utilize Walker in his natural position as the seventh or eighth man coming off the bench. And it isn't as much pressure on him to come in and put up 20 and 30 a game. He can just do what he normally does. And I think that is one of the things that's gonna help make this Laker team a little bit better, as Wiggins knocks around the turnaround jumper right there. Malik Beasley knocks, misses the shot. Winning Gabriel, okay. I like the energy and effort right here. They're playing with a lot of effort, but I think the Laker problem, and I know they're on a plan of a very formidable offense as we see them knock down another three, is there's too much exchange in the baskets. And it's like, sometimes it seems like they're just trying to outscore teams and they're not really trying to get stops. Late in game, can they get stops? And I think that's gonna be one of the biggest keys. As you see D'Lo, AD going to another pick and roll, moving the ball around the perimeter. Rui Hachimur, an underrated pickup this year. A lot of people were really down in that trade, trading him for Kendrick Nunn, trading for him. I love the move, size, shooting, and defense as the Warriors knock down a shot right there. Rui Hachimur with the ISO right there. And you gotta take advantage of those mismatches right there, but patience is key. Schroeder, who had a big game today, we're gonna get to him later, knocks down the three. DiVincenzo gets into the lane. And Jordan Poole, man, like I said, the man of the night. He's one of those guys, man. One of those non-pattern players. He's just developing into one of the best scores in the NBA. Draymond Green off the split action. Klay Thompson knocks down another three. Man, this Laker team, I want y'all, spam up in the comments right now. What are y'all thoughts about what y'all saw throughout the night? Was it mostly positive? Were there negative? I know a lot of people were down on Anthony Davis for obviously his performance offensively tonight, but do you give him credit for other aspects of the game as Ty Jerome is able to get into the lane and get another layup, Warriors 53-51? The one thing that I like, game on the road versus Golden State, and the Lakers aren't allowing this game to get away from them. And this is where, especially in games where LeBron James is out, this is where I think they would allow games to get away from them. And as they would end the second or third quarter, teams could stretch a two-point lead to a 15-point lead. Hachimura, great pull-up jumper on the baseline right there, tying the game up at 55. Draymond Green running the offense right here. Can the Warriors get a good bucket out of this? Off the DHO, and then you get Jordan Poole. Man, this man can make any type of shot on the floor. I mean, y'all gotta tell me, do y'all see him evolving into being a superstar in this league as Draymond Green hits the reverse layup, getting into the lane? Like I said, he surprised me offensively today. Lakers getting out in transition, I think that is gonna be one of the keys to success for the season for the Lakers, being able to score in transition as this core tries to gel in the half court. All right, but they did a great job today, again, of fighting. Right now we're in the third quarter, about seven minutes to go, and calming down, buckets like that. D-Lo knocking down the tough jumper, getting shots to fall when they need them to fall. Timely buckets, Jordan Poole knocks down another three, but the Lakers with the two-point advantage right here. Five minutes into the third, Klay Thompson on the drive, gets into the lane, dumps it off to Jermichael Green, and Jermichael Green, a lot of activity down low today. Ty Jerome puts the Warriors back up two points right there, back and forth action going into the third, but we see the Lakers, they are not allowing the game to get away from them. 75-74, and we see Winyon Gabriel get into the lane for the dunk, and the Laker defense is starting to tighten up, and as this game progressed, they made it harder and harder for this Warrior team to score. And they're still, like I said, with these actions that we're seeing right here, they're still pounding the paint. Just because you add shooters doesn't mean you fall in love with the three. Great dump-down pass right there to Jermichael Green, 79-79. We're closing out the third quarter right there. Way to get to the rim and finish right there, and that's one of the things, when you look at a team winning basketball, just because you have good shooters, just because you add it doesn't mean you chuck up a lot of threes. It looks like they're sticking to that same style of play. A lot of pick and rolls, a lot of transition, trying to play fast, and a lot of guys attacking the rim. As we see Reeves right there, get to the rim. No call right there. They fight through it. They get the bucket with a no call, 87-81. They're up six. Lee cut the three right there off a tough shot. Jordan Poole with a deep three to tie the game. 10 minutes to go in the fourth. Can the Lakers hold, right? This is where we've seen the Lakers lose probably 10 to 15 games this year, at this junction in the fourth quarter. Tied with eight minutes to go. Can they hold the fourth? Jordan Poole coming off, shifty double screen by Looney, and he knocks down the jumper, putting the Warriors back up two, eight minutes to go. And like I said, this is where D'Lo will come in handy. D'Lo right there kicks it to AD. AD with the iso at the elbow, knocks down the tough shot. And again, AD was all over the refs tonight. He didn't get no calls, but then how do you have the fortitude to come back on both ends and still consistently play? Jordan Poole getting into the lane. They're going to have to do a better job of guarding that because there's going to be a lot of elite players getting into that mid post. They got to be able to shore that up. I think that's been one of their biggest weaknesses as Schroeder throws the lob to AD. 5-19 on the night, one of his few buckets, but he gets to go in the fourth. Six minutes to go, and D'Lo with a snake dribble, getting into the lane, cutting into that Golden State Warrior lead. Five minutes to go. D'Lo again with another snake dribble, getting to the lane, and one. These are the types of plays. These are the plays that they were missing from a Russell Westbrook. And then we go right there, D'Lo getting into the lane, making a defense commit, kicks it out to Rui Hachimur, trusting the guys on this team. We didn't see that level of trust when Russell Westbrook was there, and do that against the Golden State Warrior team. That's big. Devin Chinzo knocks down the three, 105-101, and then this is that portion of the game, y'all, where we've seen the Lakers give these games up. Five-point lead, less than a minute to go, and they'll allow teams to score. Schroeder right there with a big night. Schroeder, who had a big night, knocks down the layup right there. As the Warriors get out into transition right here, they give up the layup to Devin Chinzo, 17 seconds to go, but at the end of the day, they hold the fort. When you talk about good wins, road wins, something that you need, this is one of the wins, and I think this was one of the wins that the Lakers absolutely needed. I think this was a win that the Lakers absolutely needed. For their mentality, for their mental, we got rid of Russ, we brought in new guys. I think for their mental, I think they can think, we have a chance. This could potentially work. And there we have it right there, man. Golden State, Warriors, Los Angeles, Lakers. The Lakers take this one home. They move to 26-31 on the season. What a game, man. What a game by the Lakers. I mean, a game without LeBron James, where we've seen throughout LeBron James' tenure in LA, this Laker team has struggled mightily when he's missed games. They cannot win games so again. When you talk about building confidence, even in a game, being able to get this win on the road when AD struggled offensively, and we'll get to that, what does this mean for the Los Angeles Lakers as we progress throughout the rest of the season? Let's get to the Warriors. Klay Thompson with 15 points on the night. Jordan Poole, 29 points. Big game for him stepping in for Steph Curry, who's injured. Wiggins with 12. Draymond Green, 12 points. Tennessee, seven rebounds. Jermichael Green with 11 and five. Solid game from him. Ty Jerome off the bench with 10. But when we get to the Lakers, Schroeder with 26 points, man. Again, they used their guards to attack the weakness of that Warrior team. 26 points, Schroeder consistently got into the game, took the shots that were given to him, not really forced anything. They did a good job of not giving up the ball too much. Rui Hachimura, one of his best games as a Lakers, 16 and seven. D'Angelo Russell, he started off this game slow. He picked it up in the second half, 15, five, and six. Anthony Davis. Anthony Davis, offensively, five and 19 from the four. It's probably not the offensive performance that many fans wanted to see, but he also added 16 rebounds, and the man had three crucial, crucial blocks late game that really helped propel this team. Jarrett Vanderbilt, also a very solid game. 12 points, eight rebounds, four assists. Austin Reeves coming off the bench. And I think what these trades did, guys like Austin Reeves, guys like Troy Brown Jr., guys like Lonnie Walker, even a Malik Beasley and a Winyon Gabriel. When they come in the game, they don't feel like they have to perform up to the level of starters. I think that's one of the biggest things. They feel like they can come in the game and just be themselves, be the role guys that they naturally are in this league. And so I think one of the biggest problems with the Lakers, and this showed prior to the trade, when these guys came in the game, they felt like they had to play otherworldly and perfect basketball. And it didn't look like anybody was particularly comfortable. So Lonnie Walker, who's been great this year, solid game. A lot of people are going to look to the box score and say only four points, but I look to this Laker team, I say that they have a lot more depth. I say that they have a bit more balance. When you look at the size, how they were able to defend, a lot of people were getting on Anthony Davis. But when you look to Anthony Davis, a guy that's struggling, a guy that was struggling offensively, when you look to Anthony Davis, he did struggle offensively, five and 19 from the floor as we talk about. But he made his free throws, three or four from the line, 13 points. He got the double-double, 16. Huge rebounds, especially in that fourth quarter. And those three blocks, if y'all remember those two big blocks late in the fourth quarter that helped keep off that golden state warrior run. I mean, you guys, some people, sometimes we have to let up off these players just because they have a bad offensive night is not the end of the world. I see a ton of people saying, oh, this is the decline of 80. No, that was just a bad game. This guy's still an all-star player. He's still averaging over 20 a game. He still, he still piled on the boards and gave a hell of Dennis the menace. Dennis Schroeder, guy stepping up. When LeBron is out, and for example, when LeBron is off the floor, when he ultimately comes back, we're gonna need to see more performances like this from players like Dennis Schroeder. If this Laker team is looking to make a deep playoff push, demand 26 points, seven to 12 from the field, three or four from the three-point line, nine of 11 free throws. He did miss two crucial free throws late and then three assists. And then he's just carrying on, right? He had a great performance against Milwaukee. Obviously they were a bit shorthanded and a lot of the guys that you traded for weren't there yet. As you guys see, 10 to 17, one of four, four, four from the three-point line and 12 assists. Dennis Schroeder is starting. What do you guys think about the new look Los Angeles Lakers? Do you guys believe that this is a team that can contend? I think the first thing that the Lakers need to worry about is how can we go on a streak to get ourselves out of this hole? They've had a losing record all season. They have yet to be above 500 and sometimes they'll get close. And it seems like when they get those winning streaks and they get close, they all of a sudden go on another three or four game losing streak and just completely give back everything that they were able to make up. So again, this is gonna come down to how much intestinal fortitude that this team can have. Are they gonna be able to lock in with or without LeBron James? Are they gonna be able to lock in if AD has to sit a game? Will those new players, Vanderbilt, Rui Hachimur, Malik Beasley, Mo Bamba, will these players be able to step up when it matters most? Because I don't believe this Laker team can put everything on the shoulders of Anthony Davis and LeBron James and say, you guys just lead us. I think you have to spread the wealth a lot more. You have to rely on the others. D'Angelo Russell's gonna need to be big to finish out this season. Schroeder, who's had some big games, is gonna have to continue his good play. Defensively, you're gonna have to ask a ton of players like D'Angelo Russell and Malik Beasley. We know what they can do offensively, but you got to get these guys to buy in on the defensive side of the floor if you're talking playoffs, if you're talking winning streaks, if you're talking about getting above 500. So again, the only thing you can do at this point in time, give kudos to the guys that came out and played today. Darvin Ham did a great job with the rotations without LeBron James, finding ways to ease the transition for the new guys, allowing them to still be themselves as we saw from Vanderbilt, as we saw from Malik Beasley, as we saw from D'Angelo. And the Stars, AD, is making it easy. Obviously, 5-19 struggling, but he wasn't forcing it. He's still allowing the others to be themselves, and it ultimately played out in their favor. So you guys, let me know what you think about the Los Angeles Lakers. Let me know what you think about the Warriors, the Warriors who now moved to 500. They are kind of reeling themselves, and I know the Warriors are taking this we're not worried approach. They're taking this very lackadaisical approach to the season as if they're just gonna be able to coast into the playoffs. But with the Western Conference being so close, the Warriors, similar to the Lakers, are gonna have to find a way to reel off a streak of games to get some separation because what you don't wanna do, and this is the same situation for the Los Angeles Lakers. What you don't wanna do is you don't wanna find yourself in the play-in games where you could potentially be eliminated in one or two games. And that's where you don't wanna be, in teams that are much older, like the Warriors and the Lakers. They need all the rest they can get. I'm sure they want nothing to do with those play-in games, putting more wear and tear on their stars. How can both of these teams find a rhythm? I would love to see both of them in the playoffs. Nobody wants to see a playoff without a LeBron James and an Anthony Davis again. Nobody wants to see another playoff without Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green. These are some of the biggest stars of the game, but both teams are struggling right now. And the question is, how do they get healthy and how do they get out of these folks? But you guys, man, it's been a great game day reaction video and the NBA has completely flipped. Obviously, we got from Phoenix Suns basketball to cover. We have New York Knicks basketball to cover. Portland Trail Blazers look a little bit different. Luka, Dantic, and Kyrie Irving over in Dallas. More games for us to react to. We're gonna be covering more of these games. We're gonna get back to the scoreboards. We're gonna get back to the play-by-play reactions. We're gonna get back to the post-game reactions for the second half of the season after the All-Star break. So make sure you guys, if you haven't done so already, if you're new to the channel, if you're just finding this video, make sure you like, comment, subscribe, man. Support the channel, man, because we are gonna be coming with so much news, high-quality news. Man, it's gonna be tough to not tune in every time. Hey, but it's FYF Sports, man. It's been another great podcast episode. We will be back with more sports and news. But until then, it's FYF Sports. ♪ Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah ♪