Lakers’ win streak reaches 9 video games because of Luke Kennard’s sport winner

ORLANDO, Fla. — Not all capturing slumps are created equal. And most don’t finish like this.

For Luke Kennard, it had been six video games for the reason that ball ripped by means of the nets the best way he’s grown accustomed to, the NBA’s finest 3-point shooter making solely three of his final 14 photographs from distance. The dry spell moved his 3-point proportion on the season all the best way right down to … 48.1 %.

Still, for a participant who was acquired by the Los Angeles Lakers on the commerce deadline for his 3-point capturing prowess, the misses, mixed with lighter minutes and fewer impactful play, prompted a gathering between Kennard and his coach, JJ Redick — somebody uniquely certified to assist a shooter by means of a mini-slump.

“I’m hard on myself. I like to chase perfection. Obviously, you’re never going to be perfect, but he just told me to stay with it. I’m here for a reason. I’ve been in the league for a while,” Kennard mentioned. “He told me stories about when he played, going through, like, a slump and how he got out of it. So it’s just good to connect with a guy like that, to have him as your coach. A guy that’s been through it, has played a very similar position to you. Just having a conversation with him to kind of just get out of my head a little bit. Just flush it. The last few games, not playing up to my standards, what I think I should be. And I want to help. I want to make an impact whenever I can.

“He just told me to be yourself and move on from all that. They need me to be aggressive when I’m out there. So I thought it was a really good conversation, and I’m glad we had it. Tonight was really good.”

“Really good” won’t do it justice.

On Saturday, Kennard hit the largest shot of his brief Lakers tenure, swishing a game-winning 3 simply earlier than the buzzer to beat the Magic 105-104 in Orlando. The shot capped a wild sequence that included score-tying misses from Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves within the final minute, a expensive Orlando turnover, a seemingly missed name on a LeBron James shot that might’ve led to overtime-forcing free throws, and a second likelihood with 2.6 seconds left for Kennard to elevate the Lakers to their ninth win in a row.

“We’ve had a number of things happen in the last couple of weeks. We’ve had a number of things happen on this road trip that has shown growth for our group,” Redick mentioned after the sport. “We did a good job of just playing through stuff, whether it was some cold shooting, some hot shooting for them, for a little stretch there, getting down, playing on the road. Again, the external circumstances of whatever tonight was, and not allowing that to get us off our game. … We just kept playing.”

Those exterior circumstances, within the Lakers’ eyes, had been the officiating. Despite capturing 29 free throws to Orlando’s 23, Marcus Smart and Dončić had been each known as for technical fouls. The Lakers misplaced a problem early within the sport when Wendell Carter Jr. bumped into Reaves in a violent collision, with Reaves charged for the foul. On a possible score-tying layup, Paolo Banchero appeared to make contact with James’ arms after hitting the ball (whereas James nonetheless had management of the basketball). Players up and down the roster had been sad with officiating choices all through the sport — the type of factor that’s brought on the Lakers to fold up to now.

But Saturday, regardless of their perceived disadvantages, the Lakers stored combating, determining methods to increase their longest successful streak for the reason that 2019-20 season.

“We’ve done it in different ways,” Reaves mentioned. “We’ve won ugly games where it wasn’t great offensively. Won it with our defense, and then we’ve dominated some games offensively. But just getting a rhythm, playing alongside one another, having fun and getting wins.”

Dončić led the Lakers with 33 factors, and Reaves had 26, with James scoring 12 to go along with six rebounds, 4 assists and three steals on the night time he set the NBA’s document for many regular-season video games performed.

But it was Kennard’s 13 factors off the bench that confirmed he’d damaged out of his minor funk. With the Lakers down two, assistant coach Greg St. Jean drew up an out-of-bounds play with James slicing to the basket as the first possibility. Kennard’s defender adopted James into the paint because the 3-point ace floated again behind the road, the place he made eye contact with Marcus Smart, the inbounder.

“As soon as I popped back, it felt like we were staring at each other,” Kennard mentioned. “And it was a perfect pass.”

Wide open, Kennard calmly swished the jumper with 0.6 seconds left.

“As soon as he caught it and then released it, yeah, everybody knew it was in,” Redick mentioned. “We all had that perfect angle.”

Orlando’s desperation shot on the buzzer fell properly brief, and Kennard was mobbed at midcourt.

“I didn’t really know what was going on, I was just screaming,” Kennard mentioned. “I remember somebody, I don’t know who it was, somebody picked me up. But it was really cool. It’s a cool moment. Haven’t had many like that in the NBA, I don’t think. I’ve had maybe a couple game winners or whatever, but it means a lot how excited everybody was. I felt that. And again, just to win a game like that is pretty special and just shows what we have in the locker room.”

For Kennard, whom the Lakers acquired for Gabe Vincent and a future second-round decide, the shot reaffirmed he’s with the fitting group of teammates on the proper time in his profession.

“It feels good. Just being part of a new team, obviously, you’re building new relationships, trying to find your role, what you do,” he mentioned. “But they brought me here for a reason, and that was to shoot. And it feels good.”