Without LeBron James and Rajon Rondo, all of the attention has been on the Los Angeles Lakers young core — especially Brandon Ingram.
Despite an inconsistent 2018-19 NBA season so far, Ingram found a balance between scoring and facilitating in the 121-114 win over the Sacramento Kings with a near triple-double.
While Ingram got away from this balance attack late in the 107-100 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, one major reason was the absence of Kyle Kuzma, who suffered a lower back contusion and didn’t play after halftime.
“The defense kind of collapsed.