The Los Angeles Lakers entered Thursday night's game against the Philadelphia 76ers looking to earn their second straight win after defeating the Brooklyn Nets Tuesday.
The game also marked Austin Reaves' second game after returning from a calf injury. Still coming off the bench to work his way back, Reaves dominated as a reserve, scoring a team-high 35 points to go along with six rebounds and two assists.
In the four-point victory, three-point shooting was ultimately the difference. Los Angeles shot 36% from deep, while Philadelphia converted just 21% of their attempts.
This was a point of emphasis for the Lakers at the trade deadline, as the team currently sits 21st in the league in that category, at 34.9%.
They helped address this need by trading for sharpshooter Luke Kennard from the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for backup point guard Gabe Vincent. Kennard currently leads the league in three-point percentage at 49.7%.
Following Thursday's game, head coach JJ Redick spoke on the acquisition of Kennard, saying: “He’s one of the best shooters in the NBA and I’m going to encourage him to shoot more.”
Redick also had nice things to say about Vincent, now his former player. "We all felt he was going to have a breakout year here (...) he's a good player and an even better person."
Although Los Angeles will lose a serviceable backup guard, given Kennard's skillset, Vincent seems expendable.
Additionally, Marcus Smart softens this blow, having played well as of late.
Furthermore, there are veteran point guards available on the buyout market for Los Angeles to pursue, one of which is former Laker Lonzo Ball.
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