The LA Lakers snapped their three-game losing streak as they defeated Utah Jazz by 101-95 on Monday night. The team was down on confidence after they suffered an ignominious 37-point margin defeat against Denver Nuggets but the side bounced back stronger.
James top-scored for the Lakers as he scored 25 points while Stanley Johnson, who came off the bench, added 15 points. In fact, Johnson added 10 of his 15 points in the last quarter as the Lakers scored 29 points while Jazz could only add 17 points in the final 12 minutes.
“I’m just trying to put everyone in a position to be successful and reading the game while the game was going on and I knew the way we could be successful offensively,” James said. “The guys responded well to what I saw and Stanley had a big-time game.”
On the other hand, Johnson was delighted with his performance and added that he wanted to bring energy to the court.
“It feels good doing what I came here to do,” Johnson said. “I came here to bring energy and affect the game in different ways. Today was the day I was able to do it within the scheme and get deflections and be active. It resulted in positive plays. It feels good. We all put a lot into this. It’s not just wake up and do it.”
In fact, LeBron James had apologized to the team’s fans after such a big defeat against the Nuggets but he said that the guys responded well when they were under the cosh. James had taken the blame for that loss on his shoulders as a leader of the team.
“Our effort and energy weren’t where it needed to be in the Denver game, the second half of Memphis game, and the other game,” James said. “We weren’t playing to our capabilities. As the leader of this team, I was taking the onus of that and letting Laker Nation know.”
LA Lakers will look to build on this win and will aim to keep coming up with a collective effort. The Lakers will next face Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night.
