Not much was known about Jake LaRavia when the Los Angeles Lakers signed him to a two-year contract in free agency this past summer. But as this season has progressed, he has become one of the more reliable role players on this team and someone who can contribute on both ends of the court.
LaRavia spent his first three NBA seasons with the Memphis Grizzlies and Sacramento Kings, two teams in smaller markets and without a huge spotlight on them. Now in a larger role with the Lakers, the premier franchise in the NBA, LaRavia is having to perform on a bigger stage and one of the biggest is coming up on Christmas Day.
The Lakers are a staple on Christmas and this season they will host the Houston Rockets in a massive showdown of two teams trying to establish themselves as contenders in the Western Conference. This will be LaRavia’s first-ever game on Christmas and the wing is excited about taking the court on this special day for the first time, as seen on Spectrum SportsNet:
“It’s my first Christmas Day game, so we gotta win… I think it’s gonna be really fun, I just remember growing up and watching Christmas Day games and how cool the environment was. So now, being able to play in a Christmas Day game with the Lakers, no less, I’m very excited for it.”
As LaRavia said, he grew up watching NBA basketball on Christmas Day and even recalled a couple of specific games he remembers vividly:
“It would be the Knicks-Celtics games and I think one of them was Bulls-Lakers. That was like Rose, Kobe and like Melo and Pierce. Great games.”
Back in 2011, Kobe Bryant led the Lakers against Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls on Christmas Day, which was also NBA Opening Night that year due to a lockout pushing the season back. Bryant scored 28 points, but Rose capped a late run with a jumper to give the Bulls an 88-87 win. Prior to that game, it was Carmelo Anthony scoring 37 points to lift the Knicks to an exciting two-point win over the Celtics.
There are so many different Christmas Day games that are well remembered and LaRavia hopes to make some good memories in his first appearance and, hopefully, come out with a win.
LeBron James discusses Lakers’ defensive and effort issues
If the Lakers are going to come out victorious against the Rockets on Christmas Day, their defense will have to be much better than it has been lately. LeBron James recently diagnosed the Lakers’ issues on that side of the court and their inconsistent effort.
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