Yet to log a victory away from Staples Center this year, the Los Angeles Lakers (1-2) could not have competed in more hostile territory than Oklahoma City on Sunday, where they were handily defeated by the Thunder, 113-96. With D’Angelo Russell and Julius Randle recording 20 points each, the duo demonstrated cause for hope in the young roster, with Randle coming just shy of a double-double with 9 boards and Russell adding 5 rebounds, 5 assists and draining four three-pointers. Though the first three games of the season may be a small sample rate, Randle appears to have taken a big step forward early in the Lakers’ 2016-17 campaign, shooting 68 percent from field goal range in an average of 30 minutes playing time. Nick Young recorded three triples himself on the way to a 16-point night, but the remainder of the club struggled from deep, shooting only 22 percent. The team travels to Atlanta on Wednesday before returning to California late in the week for a three-game home stand.
The Indiana Pacers (1-2) entered the season hopeful to emerge as one of the elite teams to challenge the Cleveland Cavaliers out of the East, but will have to do better on the road (especially against division rivals) if they hope to take that next step. The team visited Chicago on Saturday night, and we summarily trounced by the Bulls, 118-101. It wasn’t for a lack of trying from Paul George and Myles Turner, who each scored 20 points and shot 8 of 12 from the field, Paul adding 3 assists and Turner with 4 rebounds. Thaddeus Young had 10 points, 5 boards and 3 assists, while Joe Young and Glenn Robinson III both came off the bench for 11 points apiece. The team will need to improve both defensively (currently ranked second-worst in the league) and receive more contributions from their bench if they hope to fend off the Lakers, who are averaging a respectable 101.7 points per outing.
