Following a 136-94 loss to the Indiana Pacers and the 2018-19 NBA trade deadline, LeBron James, Rajon Rondo and the Los Angeles Lakers needed to respond, and they did.
After 10 days of Anthony Davis trade rumors, the Lakers defeated the Boston Celtics, 129-128, on Rondo’s game-winner despite trailing by 18 points in the first half.
For a young team that had never dealt with trade rumors, it was potentially a season-changing win for the Lakers. Naturally, it was one spearheaded by their two veteran leaders.
In his third game back from a groin strain, James finished with 28 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists. The triple-double was his fourth this season.
And highlighted by his game-winner, Rondo finished with 17 points, seven rebounds and 10 assists in his first return to Boston as a member of the Lakers.
With no distractions for the remainder of the season, Brandon Ingram and Kyle Kuzma also stepped up in different ways.
Ingram, who was only 4-of-14 shooting from the field, made his impact on the defensive end. He held Kyrie Irving to 24 points on 6-of-21 shooting from the field.
As for Kuzma who struggled leading up to the trade deadline, he finished with 25 points which included a three-pointer to give the Lakers a one-point lead with 19 seconds left.
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