Getty Lakers center Dwight Howard.
The Los Angeles Lakers shot nearly 50% from beyond the arc in their 121-96 victory over the Utah Jazz on Wednesday, and helping the cause was big man Dwight Howard.
Howard nailed the seventh 3-pointer of his career against Utah, getting his Lakers teammates on their feet. Howard was 3-of-3 from the field in the game, collecting seven points, nine rebounds and three blocks in just 19 minutes of work. Howard’s only blemish on his line in the box score was that he was 0-4 from the free throw line.
“I told [Rajon Rondo] if I get another chance at a 3 imma make it tonight,” Howard told Mike Trudell Spectrum Sports. “I’m glad I had my feet set. I got to make my free throws though. I’ve been bricking lately. Got to keep continuing to focus, get bak to the line and knock them down.”
“I told Do if I get another chance at a 3 imma make it tonight”
@DwightHoward talks with @LakersReporter about his 7th made 3 of his career tonight. | #LakeShow
Howard is averaging seven points, seven rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game and has been a key locker room presence with his positive attitude. He’s shooting 50% on 3-pointers this season. He missed one against the Nuggets.
Frank Vogel on Dwight’s 3-Pointer: ‘We’ll Take it”
It’s safe to say Lakers first-year head coach Frank Vogel is not drawing up a lot of 3-pointers for Howard, but he enjoyed seeing the big man drain one from deep with his team up big.
“It’s like the scene from Major League where Willie Mays Hayes catches it over his shoulder and the manager says, ‘Great catch. Don’t ever do it again,'” Vogel said after the game. “One of those situations. We’ll take the three points for sure.”
Frank Vogel on Dwight’s three: “It’s like the scene from Major League where Willie Mays Hayes catches it over his shoulder and the manager says, ‘Great catch. Don’t ever do it again.’ One of those situations. We’ll take the three points for sure.”
Lakers Adopt Lamar Jackson’s ‘Nobody Cares, Work Harder’ Slogan
The win against the Jazz moved the Lakers to 19-3 and they are for the best record in the NBA with the Milwaukee Bucks.
Getting a large lead and having the starters on the bench in the fourth quarter was especially important considering the game was the second-half of a back-to-back for a team that has been dealing with the flu.
Human spark plug Alex Caruso revealed to Tania Ganguli of the Los Angeles Times that the team is rallying around the slogan Ravens quarterback and NFL MVP frontrunner Lamar Jackson has adopted: “Nobody cares, work harder.”
“That’s kind of the motto we talked about after our loss,” Caruso told Ganguli. “Nobody cares if we lose. If we lose, people get excited, people get up for that. We’ve gotten to that point after such a good start. For us it’s not worrying about that. We gotta go out there and do our job regardless. Sick, not sick. It’s going to be harder on certain nights. Obviously, first night of a back-to-back tough road trip, but that’s just kind of the character that we have as a team.”
The Lakers have a day off before playing Portland, who have won four out of their last five. It will also be a long overdue reunion on the court for James and his good friend Carmelo Anthony, who was recently signed by the Blazers.
“We’ve got a good team,” Vogel said. “We have high aspirations. We’re trying to keep a game-to-game, stay-in-the-moment focus throughout the year.”
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