The Lakers Were So Close
The scoreboard reads, 98–99.
The Lakers are up by one point.
The clock ticks down, 2:00, 1:59, 1:58.
Alex Caruso, a guard brought up from the D-League, dribbles the ball up the court.
In the Lakers matchup against the Jazz, veteran Brook Lopez and recent top ten draft picks Brandon Ingram and Julius Randle are on the court for the Lakers, and the skillful Rudy Gobert and Ricky Rubio are on the court for the Jazz.
The Lakers look to take the lead and win the game.
After a frustrating three-game loss at the start of pre-season, the Lakers finally picked up a win against the Kings Sunday night.
Despite the win, the Lakers received negative press on their 2016 number two draft pick Ingram prior to Tuesday’s Jazz matchup.
“LA Lakers Need to Downgrade Expectations for ‘Uptight’ Brandon Ingram“ read the Bleacher Report headline.
“[Ingram’s] been practicing so hard all summer long…I told him, ‘If you don’t average 20 points a game, I’m going to be disappointed’” quoted Lakers President of Basketball Operations Magic Johnson.
This warning comes after Johnson, who joined the franchise in the spring, worked tirelessly through the draft and off-season to mold the roster into a potential playoff-contending team.
This involved trading former 2015 first-round draft pick D’Angelo Russell to the Nets for Lopez and drafting basketball prodigy Lonzo Ball.
Now in the pre-season, the Lakers are one for four and it appears that Johnson is frustrated with the results, given the team’s potential.
The clock continues to wind down, 1:53, 1:52, 1:51.
Caruso rushes the paint. He throws to Ingram but the ball finds its way into the Jazz’s Joe Ingles’ hands.
1:28, 1:29, 1:30.
After several passes, the ball is now in the Jazz’s Donovan Mitchell’s hands. Mitchell pulls up for a jumper.
Swish.
Two points for the Jazz. They now lead by one, 100–99.
Plenty of time left for the Lakers to come back.
1:16, 1:15, 1:14.
The ball is now on the Jazz’s end. Ingram has the ball. Ingram steps back, then rushes the basket. Gobert swipes. He blocks Ingram’s layup.
The Jazz rush the ball to the opposite end of the court. Mitchell pulls up for a three-point shot. Nails it.
The Jazz widen the lead to four points, 103–99.
1:03, 1:02, 1:01.
Can the Lakers quickly make two three-point shots?
00:58, 00:57, 00:56.
Ingram has the ball again. He passes to Kyle Kuzma who tries for a three-pointer. Kuzma misses.
As the Lakers race back on defense, Josh Hart collides with Caruso sending Caruso to the ground. Caruso quickly rights himself. What a mess.
00:29, 00:28, 00:27.
Gobert throws up the ball. He misses.
00:24, 00:23, 00:22.
Caruso passes to an unaware Lopez who simultaneously fumbles the ball and fouls Rubio. Caruso’s hands fly to his temples. Lopez throws his arms back and shakes his head. This is not happening.
The score remains 103–99.
Rubio heads to the free throw line. He makes both his shots.
The Jazz now lead by six, 105–99.
The Lakers take a timeout.
Both teams return.
00:15, 00:14, 00:13
Hart tries for a jumpshot. No good.
The Jazz grab the ball and dribble it out.
Final score, 105–99.
Johnson will have to find another way to motivate his team.
Thanks for reading!
If you enjoyed this story, please click the 👏 button and share to help others find it! Feel free to leave a comment below.
Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for more Lakers Thought Catalog commentary.
Icon made by Smashicons from www.flaticon.com.
