Zhao Chen led the Lakers to defeat the Cavaliers with a high-spirited attitude and successfully won their 22nd consecutive victory this season, but they could not hide the troubles they encountered.
The Lakers' injuries have appeared again. Jokic sprained his foot during training and needs to rest for a while.
Well, now they have no center at all.
Scott decided to play a small lineup with five dead players. Grant was moved to the center position, and Zhao Chen was moved to the small forward position.
The Lakers' record is completely pinned on Zhao Chen.
After Zhao Chen's crazy 68 points in three quarters, the Lakers' ticket prices also increased by 25%, but it still could not prevent the subsequent home game from being sold out.
More and more people believe that Zhao Chen will score more than 80 points in the next game.
The Lakers' current lineup is more and more conducive to Zhao Chen's crazy data, and fans are looking forward to it.
It's just that Zhao Chen himself didn't seem very interested in 80 points.
The Lakers' opponent in Game 23 was the Grizzlies.
Although the Grizzlies were defeated by the Lakers last time they played against the Lakers, no one doubts their inside strength.
The inside line of the Black and White Bears is enough to do whatever they want with the current Lakers inside line.
Of course, Zhao Chen's presence gave teammates, coaches, media, and fans a sense of confidence in the Lakers. No one thought that the Lakers would lose the game easily.
Even though he is at an absolute disadvantage, Zhao Chen will overcome these difficulties.
The Lakers now have no orthodox inside man, but because of Zhao Chen, the Grizzlies still dare not let down their guard.
On this night against the Grizzlies, Zhao Chen is still the most stable scoring point for the Lakers. Zhao Chen's height and strength are advantages among guards. He will occasionally cover the inside on the defensive end.
In the first quarter, the Lakers and Grizzlies were tied.
In the second quarter, Zhao Chen began to be flanked by the Grizzlies. Zhao Chen frequently distributed the ball to find open teammates.
The Lakers' outside line was very reliable today. After receiving Zhao Chen's pass, they hit one after another, constantly helping Zhao Chen relieve the defensive pressure.
The Lakers' offense simply gave up interior support and interior singles.
Either make a three-pointer or cut inside to maximize the small ball style.
The Lakers didn't dare to stay in position with the Grizzlies. If they did, their inside line would be exploded.
"Zhao Chen's passing was combined with his personal offense. The craziness of the last game made me forget that this guy is still the triple-double king." Barkley said.
"It's a bit difficult for the Grizzlies to beat the Lakers in this game. Their advantage was not used and the Lakers controlled the rhythm." Smith said.
In the third quarter of the game, the Staples Arena started raining three-pointers under Zhao Chen's teamwork. The continuous hits from the outside made the Grizzlies' outside defense miserable.
In the last 5 minutes of the fourth quarter, after the Lakers took the lead by 8 points, Zhao Chen firmly controlled the advantage until the end.
The final score was 115 to 120.
Zhao Chen scored a triple-double of 28 points, 15 rebounds and 12 assists in this game.
Zhao Chen's score was not high, but he showed his dominance and scored at critical moments.
In this game, the rookie perimeter players played very well.
Clarkson hit 5 three-pointers, Dinwiddie hit 4 three-pointers, and Joe Harris hit 4 three-pointers.
In addition, Zhao Chen’s 4 three-pointers were added.
The four of them alone hit 19 three-pointers, completely penetrating the Grizzlies' back line.
Even if Randolph scored 33 points and 18 rebounds, he could not help the Grizzlies win.
This loss does not seem to be a loss on the tactical level, but a loss of basketball concepts.
The Grizzlies only averaged 95 points per game but scored 115 points against the Lakers. They still lost because the Lakers' offense was stronger than theirs.
The two sides didn't have much positional defensive duel at all in this game. Most of them just took the ball and swung it!
It's just that the Grizzlies are on the inside and the Lakers are on the outside.
If the three-pointers are accurate, the scoring efficiency on the outside will be higher than on the inside.
In terms of overall rebounds, the Lakers lost 20. The Lakers are a rare team that can lose 20 rebounds and still win.
Fans were a little disappointed that Zhao Chen did not score high points. Zhao Chen returned to his previous steady triple-double rhythm.
Of course, there are fans who don't care about statistics and just want to watch the Lakers win.
After winning against the Grizzlies, the Lakers won 23 consecutive games!
This surpassed the Rockets' 22-game winning streak. Unknowingly, the Lakers broke the Rockets' winning streak, ranking behind the Lakers' own winning streak and the Heat's winning streak.
Zhao Chen didn't pay much attention to the winning streak. He only knew that the next game would be increasingly difficult.
After defeating the Grizzlies, Zhao Chen led the Lakers to start a wave of four consecutive visits in the Eastern Conference.
The first challenge is to go to Toronto to challenge the Raptors.
The Lakers faced the Raptors at home in the last game, and it wasn't too difficult to win, but in this away game, the Lakers fell into a tough battle without an inside line.
Valanciunas continued to use his height advantage to attack the Lakers' inside line, and the Lakers' inside line was defeated.
Valanciunas is 2.13 meters tall and weighs 120 kilograms. He has a standard center style and height.
The Lakers failed to hit the perimeter or transition, and could only rely on some free throws and Zhao Chen's breakthrough to score.
On the Raptors' side, after they opened up the inside, they also opened up the outside. Lowry and DeRozan played aggressively at home. After the first half, the Lakers fell behind by 18 points on the road.
50 to 68.
The Lakers' offensive efficiency is a bit low, but their defense is really bad.
The Lakers haven't faced this kind of dilemma for a long time, and the situation has shifted to the Raptors playing at home.
But the Lakers of today are not the Lakers of the past.
The Lakers' spiritual temperament is completely different.
Kobe and Zhao Chen gave speeches in the locker room respectively, encouraging their teammates to overcome difficulties together.
The entire Lakers team did not complain about each other.
Everyone knows that the team has encountered difficulties and needs to maintain this spirit.
Zhao Chen and Kobe emphasized the issue of defensive strength. The Lakers do not lack offensive scoring methods, but only if they can defend well can they have hope of a comeback.
After the start of the third quarter, Zhao Chen let the Raptors home fans see the style of this season's scoring leader.
Zhao Chen once again took over the Lakers' offense.
Neither DeRozan nor Tyronn Luos could stop Zhao Chen's explosion.
Zhao Chen started firing from the three-point line continuously!
Step back!
Emergency stop three points!
Adjustment three-pointer after dribbling!
.....
Zhao Chen scored 21 points in the third quarter to help the Lakers stay alive.
The Lakers' defensive intensity has also increased. Rookie Jeremy Grant even had to be knocked to the ground time and time again in order to guard Valanciunas.
Falling to the ground again and again just to cause offensive fouls!
Led by Grant, the entire Lakers team moved faster.
The Raptors started to misfire at home!
In the fourth quarter of the game, Kobe started to get angry. Facing the Raptors, Kobe was always very confident!
Kobe hit consecutive low singles, adding to Zhao Chen's firepower.
With 4 minutes and 22 seconds left in the game, the score was tied by the Lakers.
The momentum of the Raptors home fans is getting smaller and smaller. They feel the terror of the Lakers!
The Lakers were so injured and so far behind, but they were still able to tie the score.
At the last moment, they have to have a decisive battle with the Lakers who have Zhao Chen and Kobe!
Are Lowry and DeRozan's key shots as reliable as these two?
The answer is unreliable!
crucial moment!
Every time Zhao Chen and Kobe handle the ball, they are extremely reasonable and will not mess around.
Lowry and DeRozan made frequent mistakes and their psychological quality was worrying!
Especially in the last 8 seconds, Lowry made a low-level dribbling error, which directly ruined the game!
In the end, the score was settled at 123-118.
The Lakers struggled to win their 24th consecutive victory!
