Doncic 38+7, the Lakers defeated Yuba in a thrilling manner! Reeves returned, four facts were revealed in the first battle

On November 11, the NBA regular season continued, and the Lakers challenged the Hornets away. Previously, the Lakers had a record of 7 wins and 3 losses, ranking fourth in the Western Conference, and the Hornets had a record of 3 wins and 6 losses, ranking 12th in the Eastern Conference. In the absence of James for a long time, the Lakers' record this season is very good, but there are also big ups and downs. For example, in the last game, they unexpectedly defeated the Hawks by 20 points, which made coach Redick a little confused. Before this game, Redick announced that James will be "delegated" to the Development League and will train with the South Bay Lakers this week. Later, the Lakers team reporter clarified: Since the Lakers are on a road trip, James needs to participate in 5V5 confrontation training before returning. Training in the Development League can speed up the comeback process.

And he will not immediately join the team after being transferred. Instead, he will train with the South Bay Lakers at a certain time this week. According to US media estimates, in the most optimistic scenario, James can make his comeback in the game against the Jazz on November 18. Reeves, who suffered a right groin strain before, was able to play in this game after missing three consecutive games. Although the Lakers have a good record this season, the team's overall efficiency is mediocre, ranking 15th in the league in points scored per game (117.8), and 16th in the league in points allowed per game (117.1). This is also related to the team's shortage of major generals, and there are a few players available on the bench. However, Redick returned to Doncic's most familiar lineup configuration in this game: Reeves + Smart + Rui Hachimura + Ayton.

Looking back at the game, Reeves dunked on Ayton at the beginning. Sexton and Bridges took turns to attack. Doncic also gave Ayton an alley-oop dunk. After that, Doncic scored 2+1 consecutively. The Lakers did not widen the point difference. Bridges started to rain three-pointers, cooperated with Sexton's singles, and kept the score tight all the way. Doncic continued to attack in the middle, and the two teams fell into a tug-of-war. In the second half, the Hornets continued to work hard. Bridges + Mann + Sexton scored three points. In the first quarter, the Hornets led the Lakers 40-36. Entering the second quarter, Reeves scored a three-pointer against the defense, and then Smart scored a three-pointer to overtake the Hornets. Sexton continuously assisted Karl Kobrenner to score points. The Hornets led the Lakers by up to 7 points. At the critical moment, Smart and Doncic scored two three-pointers to stop the bleeding.

The Hornets started to exert force again in the second half, but Smart played in isolation + Doncic directly threw a three-pointer against the defender + Reeves counterattacked for a layup. At the end of the half, the Lakers overtook the Hornets 65-63. Doncic scored 21 points in the half and Reeves 17 points! Entering the second half, Ayton hooked up one after another, Hachimura counterattacked for a layup, Doncic's signature fadeaway jumper sounded the team's offensive horn, and then Hachimura hit a three-pointer to stop the Hornets! The Hornets' offense stalled, and Hachimura + Doncic scored three more three-pointers. After that, Hachimura transformed into Durant and took himself to the free throw line to make an emergency jump shot. The Hornets made continuous mistakes + offensive fouls. At the end of the quarter, Doncic faced the two men's defense and hit another three-pointer. After three quarters, the Lakers were 96-78 Hornets.

Seeing the game losing suspense, I didn’t expect the Lakers to take the initiative to give them a chance. In the first half of the fourth quarter, Reeves hit the ball continuously and stayed away from home. Ayton violated the rules for 3 seconds, Smart caught the ball and stepped on the line and made various low-level mistakes. Sexton and Bridges led the team to catch up with only 10 points. At the critical moment, Rui Hachimura's mid-range shot + Doncic's fast break layup stabilized the rhythm. The Hornets chased two three-pointers in a row, Doncic continued to attack 2+1, Smart received a three-pointer + Ayton's alley-oop dunk to kill the suspense of the game. In the end, the Lakers defeated the Hornets 121-111 without any danger.

Lakers data, Doncic 38 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists, Reeves 24 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists, Ayton 14 points and 6 rebounds, Hachimura 21 points and 3 rebounds, Smart 13 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists and 7 steals, Laravia 6 points and 3 assists. According to Hornets data, Sexton had 13 points and 3 assists, Bridges had 34 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists, Knipel had 19 points, 10 rebounds and 9 assists, and Karl Kobrenner had 9 points and 4 rebounds.

Throughout the game, the Lakers struggled to win, which was a bit ugly. Four objective facts. First, after Reeves returned, he was still looking for form. His physical recovery may be in place, but his touch adjustment is not good, especially three-pointers. Don't shoot so many. Second, Laravia became the key target of the Hornets in this game. No one could guard him and he also suffered a lot of fouls. Third, Doncic's performance after losing weight was amazing. In this game, there was a famous scene where he suddenly used his hands to dunk hard. His acceleration and body balance seemed to say goodbye to his previous floor-flowing style. Fourth, Smart's position is irreplaceable. If Smart goes to play as a substitute when James comes back, the defensive quality of the Lakers' starting lineup is likely to decline. How to solve this problem?