LOS ANGELES — For the 30th time in 59 games, Lakers coach Darvin Ham looked at the court and saw five players who had never lined up together for the opening tip. Another combination of faces that this time included three new ones.
And from the looks of things, the Lakers might see this lineup again.
LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and newcomers D’Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley and Jarred Vanderbilt started the Lakers on their way to a 120-102 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena.
Russell, Beasley and Vanderbilt were all trade deadline acquisitions, and Ham was eager to see how the trio – all of whom had experience playing together before in Minnesota – connected on the court. So far, so good.
“Our new guys that have come in, particularly Beas, DLo and Vando, and putting those guys with Bron and A.D., it worked out,” Ham said. “I thought we had a well-balanced attack. Different guys had different moments. And we were great defensively. I expect it just to get better and better and better. But yeah, just to have that balance was the biggest reason (for the latest lineup).”
The infusion of the three new players gave the Lakers (27-32) a jolt of energy and basketball sense that hasn’t been seen much since early in the season and helped them win for just the second time in six games.
Beasley and Vanderbilt leaped for rebounds and extended themselves to block shots. A Vanderbilt block prevented the Pelicans (30-29) from scoring off a turnover on an inbounds pass. Russell seamlessly directed the offense while posting seven assists to go with his 21 points. The crowd roared in approval on his transition 3-pointer in the third quarter, obviously remembering the player who started his career in Los Angeles.
Whether it was the nagging foot soreness that caused him to miss the three games since he became the NBA’s all-time leading scorer or a willingness to let others take control, James was not as aggressive as he…
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