FIRST TAKE | Stephen A. STUN D’Angelo Russell shine 44-Pts, Lakers beat Bucks 123-122 without LeBron

FIRST TAKE | Stephen A. STUN D’Angelo Russell shine 44-Pts, Lakers beat Bucks 123-122 without LeBron

Sports Center am rolling on on this Saturday morning no better way to start the day than in the NBA D loading as we’re out of the gates with the Bucks and the Lakers there’s no LeBron in this one Brian wior say it’s ankle tendonitis you see what Anthony Davis does when

Braun isn’t in the game Bobby poris getting that full Anthony Davis treatment you can say that poris was brow beaten full double it passes Larry in magic for the eighth most all time Yannis passing to Dame there’s a lot of contact three and the foul I got a

Four-point play bucks are up six here come the Lakers it’s DLo again D’Angelo How Does it Feel his ninth three of the night it ties a career high and then we got a floater in the bag as well what you got in that bag 44 points it’s his

Most as a Laker the Lakers go up one 5 seconds left inbounding now we need a defensive stop who’s going to get it Spencer Twitty Spencer D did it blocks D Lillard at the buzzer they look at it wow see if any more time had to come on

Very clearly very cleanly a block and that is how the Lakers hang on 123 to 122 what a game D’Angelo Russell went more than six years between 40p point games with the Lakers his other was back in March of 2017 it’s the second longest Gap with the same franchise in NBA

History second longest Gap with the same franchise in NBA history a pair of Hall of Famers on either side of that Braun did it with a Knicks Arizon did it with the Warriors and speaking of the Knicks it’s great to talk with our NBA analyst Scott Perry and Scott there’s no LeBron and

There’s no problem for the Lakers which storyline stands out more here D’Angelo Russell going for 44 or Spencer Den witty blocking Dame to seal this win yeah absolutely D’Angelo Russell 44o night is the storyline here tonight and here’s why look LeBron James is out with an ankle injury D’Angelo Russell takes

It upon himself to lead his team by scoring 44 points while handing out nine assists his focus and his Poise were excellent throughout the night and I thought his teammates really fed off his performance the entire evening then he gets into the lane at the end of the

Game to make that decisive floater which sets up that tremendous defensive play and block by Smith Mr Den witty look guys D’Angelo has been playing very consistent basketball since the beginning of February and if the Lakers want to improve their position in the Western Conference standings he’s going

To have to continue playing this level of basketball to to make sure that the Lakers are relevant going down the stretch all right Scott thank you Lakers play the t-wolves tomorrow on ESPN Scott back in a little Gary good morning happy Tuesday everyone welcome to first take Christine Williamson here for Molly you

Saw Stephen A you saw Shannon you saw JJ good morning everybody how are you guys good morning good morning how y’all doing what’s up man what up great morning that’s right great morning exactly exactly perfect perfect Hey Stephen you Stephen you like the teal Bion huh you like this I mean it’s all

Right I mean it looks good sh it looks good don’t do that it it looks good it look it look good now they need to switch the background just to touch because I think that you like blending in with the background and it’s not enabling your jacket to stand out a

Little bit more but it’s just me it looks like matches it looks it’s just me you know what I’m saying as a m you keep talking I’m going take the I’m going do the show without the jacket that don’t do that don’t do that don’t do that let’s roll let let’s get

To it in his first game since scoring his 40,000 career points LeBron James almost got a triple double before letting the bench play in the final six minutes of the game as the Lakers beat the conference leading Thunder 116 to 104 the team’s 10th victory in 14 games

Now the West playin standings are tight with only two and a half games separating the 10th Place Lakers and the sixth place Suns the Lakers playoff chances are up to 60% for ESPN analytics and a reminder that the six seed gets to avoid the play Inc completely ad how are

You feeling about this postseason we don’t really care what you know CVN we proven that last year it doesn’t matter um I think this goes like anyone you know you just got to get in and then you know play El a different so um you know we don’t look at it as you

Know we want to we rather have this match up than this match up you know for us it’s just about getting in and uh tackling each opponent there all right Steph I’m going to start with you on this one do you think the Lakers are a legit threat in the west no

Not at this particular moment in time and the reason why is because I was just in La Saturday uh JJ you saw me there you know what I’m saying you you were you were there you know doing a great job calling by the way congratulations you darb Mike bre all that other stuff

You look so happy you look so happy JJ I mean sh Shay he was he was there I was there and we saw the Lakers once again fall to the reigning defending NBA champion Devon nuggets can’t beat him lost eight straight how am I supposed to consider you a serious threat when the

Reigning defending NBA champions continuously abuses you at every turn I understand that the Lakers could beat almost anybody else I get that part and I guess because of that you can live them a contender per se a legitimate threat in the west I just don’t feel

That way I’m not sold on them right now and I could be wrong I understand that but I just don’t feel like I’m too sold on them right now even though I look at them last night and you beat Shay gildas Alexander who didn’t have the greatest

Game and the gold and the Oklahoma City Thunder I’m looking at them I know you what you’ve done against the Clippers this particular regular season but I’ve seen the deficits that you’ve come back from I’m I just look at the Lakers and I find myself saying and JJ and Shay I’m

Like yo they they can ball I get it they can’t beat the Denver Nuggets that’s their CP tonight and to me that’s the measuring stick for me I just look at them against Denver and to lose eight straight to the Denver Nuggets it’s just bothersome for me and if we’re talking

About a legitimate threat well a reigning defending NBA champions are in the west you got to go through them and you’ve shown no willingness or ability to beat them that’s where I’m at with it guys so let me ask you a question are there seven other teams like Denver

Nuggets now they beaten OKC Thunder who’s the number one seed going into last night before they lost to the Lakers now the Minnesota uh Timber Wood excuse me OKC Thunder was the number one seed now it’s the now it’s the timber wolv having won last night and OKC lost

They beaten OKC three times in four meetings they went on the road and beat the Boston Celtics in the Boston Garden minus LeBron James they beat Utah without LeBron James so now they beat the Clippers down 21 and they’re not a threat they still have two top 10

Players ad when ad is on and he was on last night doing what he does LeBron James goes without standing we don’t need to say anything about him how can you say that they can’t be obviously the Denver Nuggets is a different animal they seem to have have their number but

Are you telling me in a seven game series they can’t beat OKC that they can’t beat the Clippers that they can’t beat some of these did that makes him a threat Ste I just I I just told you I told you I was leaning on Denver I’m just so focused on

The fact that they’ lost eight straight to the reigning defending Champion makes me lose faith in them but I’m not making I’m not disputing anything that you’re saying about anybody else that’s why because of the way they played against OKC and we know what OKC represents they were the number one seed

Going into last night do I believe they can beat Minnesota in four in a series absolutely do I believe they can beat the Clippers absolutely with DLo playing with DLo playing like he’s played since the trade since all the stuff about the trade they absolutely and this starting

Lineup with Ru haimura they absolutely are a threat in the west yes I believe they are we know what Denver does to him and hey that’s a different animal ad is going to have to step his game up and probably give you 30 and 15 on a nightly

Basis but hell we saw him give you 40 and they still lost so Denver might be a different animal but I still believe they are a threat in the west because I believe in a series they can beat other every other team not named the Denver Nuggets

Look as of right now I don’t I don’t view the Lakers as a legit threat in the west but let me preface all of my points by saying one thing if you’re a top four team in the western conference right now there isn’t an easy first round matchup

Regardless of how seeds five through eight shake out all 10 teams right now in the Western Conference that are that are in the play playoff or playin hunt right now are legit basketball teams they are good basketball teams we’ve seen the turnaround from the Golden State Warriors since Draymond Green came

Back and they they inserted Jonathan kaminga in the starting lineup they went small the Lakers season as it pertains to them has turned around because of three-point shooting they are still not a good defensive team it starts with that for me they are not a good

Defensive team and if you look at their starting lineup you go through a first round series a potential second round series a potential Conference Finals who is their who is their wing stopper you say Jared vanot that’s great their season turned around because of three-point shooting so now you’re

Sacrificing your offense what has helped turn your season around if you’re playing Jared Vanderbilt big minutes you go down the stretch of that game against the Denver Nuggets this is what concerns me Austin Reeves D’Angelo Russell at the point of the attack I think those guys have competed they are just not great

Perimeter Defenders so now all of a sudden you go through again multiple Series in the Western Conference you’re asking LeBron James like he did in the fourth quarter against the Clippers last week to guard Kawhi Leonard for seven games that’s asking a lot of LeBron

James plus all the stuff he has to do offensively I’m not I’m not an overreaction person to one game and I I know they won the season series 3-1 against the Oklahoma City Thunder Oklahoma City had had a tough game Sunday night in Phoenix then they turn

Around and they’ve got to play the Lakers on a back-to-back they had the worst shooting first half of their entire season Y they are a legit threat I think Minnesota’s a legit threat I think the Clippers are a legit threat but we can sort of stop the entire

Conversation when we talk about them winning the Western Conference the Lakers winning the Western Conference because of what Stephen A said I do not think that was but that they can beat the Denver Nuggets but see why do you why do people make all these concessions oh it was a

Tough back to back it was a this or that you make concession for cont let you speak I I I know you always you do a great job of contextualizing but let me speak the problem the problem that I have with you and others is that you make

Concessions for every other team in the west not name the Lakers if the Lakers had lost on a back toback you would have said they’re all and tired well let me ask you this who are Phoenix Wing stoppers on the on the defensive end we saw LeBron hunt kawh Leonard we saw

LeBron James do what he did who’s going to guard LeBron James for the Clippers who’s going to guard LeBron James LeBron James LeBron James didn’t hunt Kawhi Leonard in that fourth quarter Clippers switched more than any put in the Daniel Ty on LeBron James in that fourth quarter he hit two transition

Threes they messed up they messed up the first fore E once an enemy always an enemy First Blood this is for crossing the [Applause] resistance hey over here you have defeated an enemy always prep for worst Once an enemy always an enemy give me all your team has an enemy has defeated an enemy has been defeated double kill SK trust is a luxury we can’t afford my last Al defate [Applause] foree E My deep blood lust is Tingling First Blood an ally has been defeated I have many ways to make you talk your tower has been destroyed [Applause] you have defeated an enemy ally enemy double kill you have been defeated and despair an ally has been defeated enemy Ultimate Enemy double kill [Applause] enemy shut down double

Kill our base is under attack kill enemy dominated enemy double kill enemy triple kill our base is under attack enemy I en Eny our base is under attack sh

FIRST TAKE | Stephen A. STUN D’Angelo Russell shine 44-Pts, Lakers beat Bucks 123-122 without LeBron