February ’24 Lakers Log: Lakers unveil Kobe’s statue and stand pat during trade deadline

Lakers unveil Kobe’s statue, stand pat during trade deadline, Week 16, 2023-24 NBA Season, 2/5-2/9/24

LAL 124 – CHA 118, W 27-25, 2/5/24: The Lakers survived a late rally from the Hornets in the fourth quarter, coming out with a 6-point win in Charlotte. AD put up another triple-double as his assist numbers have been climbing up of late. Davis scored 26, along with 15 boards, and an impressive, 11 assists. LeBron played 40 minutes again and scored 26. D’lo led the Lakers in the scoring department with 28. The Lakers ended up finishing the six-game road trip with a four-and-two record, and have now won three in a row. LA will get three days off before taking on the defending champion, the Denver Nuggets, on Thursday.

DEN 114 – LAL 106, L 27-26, 2/8/24: Today was a huge night in the world of sports. Basketball legend, Kobe Bryant, had his statue unveiled before the Lakers would take on the defending champion, Denver Nuggets, hours later. The Lakers also announced that they would don their classic, Black Mamba uniforms, for the first time since LA won the title in the bubble back in 2020. The Lakers came in super short-handed, as D’lo would be ruled out before tipoff. Also, Max Christie left the game in the 2nd after a nasty ankle injury. The Lakers trailed by as much as 15, but came back and tied the game. Jaxson Hayes got a huge chase-down block and Austin Reaves hit a huge three to tie the game at 100. But Denver went on an 8-0 run in the final minute of the game, taking the game from the Lakers. LA’s win streak ended at three games, and will have to play the second game of a back-to-back against the 6th seeded, New Orleans Pelicans, tomorrow.

NOP 120 – LAL 139, W 28-26, 2/9/24: The Lakers offense, led by D’Angelo Russell, exploded for 139 points, getting their 4th win in the last 5 games. D’lo went on some crazy stretches throughout the night and finished the night with 30 points. All 5 starters for LA scored at least 20. AD had 27, LeBron and Rui both had 21, and AD had 20. The Lakers also almost made history, scoring 87 points in the first half! The Lakers were just 2 points shy of the franchise record, 89 points, which was back in 1987. Also, Spencer Dinwiddie, who was just bought out by the Raptors, was seen talking to Rob Pelinka, the Lakers General Manager, during the game, and is currently being targeted by LA. The Lakers are playing some of their best basketball of the season and will look to continue this stretch against the Pistons.

Lakers add much needed ball handler in Spencer Dinwiddie from buyout market, 2/10/24

The Lakers didn’t make any moves during the trade deadline, but that didn’t necessarily mean they weren’t going to make a move. The Lakers decided to spend in the buyout market. LA has signed Spencer Dinwiddie to a contract for the remainder of the season. Dinwiddie was traded from Brooklyn to Toronto for former Laker, Dennis Schröder, before being waived promptly after, making him a free agent. Dinwiddie had a few other options but ultimately chose to sign with LA. He was also spotted talking to Lakers GM Rob Pelinka during the Lakers game last night against the Pelicans. Dinwiddie will provide the Lakers with a much needed ball handler, playing backup up for D’lo and LeBron when they are on the bench. Gabe Vincent was signed this off season to fill that role but has only appeared in 5 games this season due to a lingering knee injury, in which ultimately required surgery. On the season, Dinwiddie is currently averaging 12.6 points per game along with 6 assists per night in 48 games. Hopefully, Dinwiddie can help LA stay afloat while the rest of the team gets healthy.

Lakers finish on 3 game win streak at All-Star Break, Week 17, 2023-24 NBA Season, 2/13-2/14/24

DET 111 – LAL 125, W 29-26, 2/13/24: The Lakers took care of business against the worst team in the NBA, the Detroit Pistons, with a 14-point victory. LeBron led the way with 25 points. AD posted a double-double, scoring 20 and grabbing 14 boards. All 5 LA starters scored 15 or more. Reaves and Hachimura both scored 15 and D’lo scored 21. Spencer Dinwiddie made his Lakers debut and scored 6 points off the bench. LA is now 3 games over .500. The last time they reached that mark was on December 18th. The Lakers have quietly won seven of their last ten games. LA will have one more game tomorrow in Utah before the All-Star break.LAL 138 – UTA 122, W 30-26, 2/14/24: The Lakers were without LeBron for the second game of the back-to-back, but took care of business in Utah, ending up 4 games over .500 at the All-Star Break. AD and Rui led LA tonight. AD followed up a disappointing performance the last time LA played Utah, and dropped 39 points and 15 rebounds. Rui had the best game of his career, topping his previous career high of 30, with a 36-point game. D’lo scored 11, but had an impressive 16 assists. AD and Rui became the first Laker teammates since Kobe and Shaq back in 2003 to score 35+ points in the same game! The Lakers have now won eight of their last eleven games, and are looking to keep this momentum after the All-Star break.

Photo Credit: AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman