The Los Angeles Lakers’ season has been a rollercoaster of inconsistent performances, punctuated by locker-room drama and marred by a string of injuries. But now they are back to looking like the team that ended the Knicks’ nine-game winning streak, they handed the Celtics only their third home loss of the year, and won the inaugural in-season tournament. On Wednesday, the Lakers won their third game in a row and their sixth in the past seven games, that too without their ace LeBron James.

The Lakers improved their season record to 30-26 with a 138-122 win over the Utah Jazz, powered by video game performances by Anthony Davis and Rui Hachimura. Notably, James stayed back in LA to rest his sore left ankle, with the Lakers playing the second leg of a back-to-back situation. After the game, Davis was asked if their current form is a reflection of what they can be going forward, to which the 12-year veteran replied, “[It’s] not what we can be, but it’s who we are. It’s game whatever but we gotta have our identity.”

He further elucidated the ‘identity’ the Lakers are trying to establish. “We’re starting to establish that we’re going to be a fast-paced team, a team that likes to get into the paint, get to the line. But also be tenacious on the defensive end. Creating that identity for what we have to be moving forward.”

Now that the regular season is entering its final stretch, AD emphasized that they still can’t be wondering about their identity as a team post-All-Star break. They need to keep this momentum that they have built over the past month and carry it into post-All-Star.

LeBron James-less Lakers cruise past the Utah Jazz

The Lakers started the season in abysmal form. They were minus-37.0 with James on the bench. This also led to questions about the Lakers’ dependence on the L-Train. However, their recent victory over the Jazz dispelled any such reservations. Anthony Davis put together another All-Star-caliber performance, notching 37 points, 15 rebounds, one assist, and one block.

Following close behind was Rui Hachimura, who had a career night with 36 points, going 13-for-19 from the field. With their explosive performance, the duo did what even Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol or James and Davis couldn’t—they became the first duo since Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal in 2003 to score 35+ points each in a single game.

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It was a top-to-bottom effort, with Austin Reaves contributing 22 points, 7 assists, and 3 steals. D’Angelo Russell continued his resurgence, dishing out a career-high 17 dimes to go with his 11 points and 9 rebounds.

Although the Lakers are still stuck in the ninth seed, their recent uptick in performance reignited discussions about their playoff contention. Do you think the Lakers can make a deep run into the post-season? Let us know in the comments!

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