What a difference a game and lineup change makes. With LeBron James back and a new starting group in effect, the Lakers cruised to victory beating the New Orleans Pelicans, 120-102, on the last game before the All-Star break.
Prior to the game, Darvin Ham mentioned there would be some “surprises” in the starting lineup which caused a stir on Lakers twitter about what tricks Ham had up his sleeve and whether they’d be effective.
Ham’s decision saw him go away from his small backcourt in favor for more spacing and defensive versatility with the inclusions of Malik Beasley and Jared Vanderbilt into the new starting five.