The Los Angeles Lakers came to town and left with a 110-93 victory over our basketball team. It was one of those nights where the score feels like a set of instructions for a piece of furniture you will never finish building. We are currently missing a lot of people, including Jakob Poeltl and RJ Barrett.
Coach Darko mentioned that Immanuel Quickley and Jamison Battle were available to play, which was a nice change of pace. Usually, the injury report reads like the guest list for a party that was cancelled because of a plumbing emergency. Quickley is back, though some people on the internet seem to think he needs to start learning Tennessee rap lyrics for reasons that are not entirely clear to me.
The Thin Red Line
The rotation at the forward and center positions is getting predictably thin. CMB had to leave the game early with a left thumb sprain. It is hard to play basketball when your thumb does not want to participate.
Thumbs are important for gripping things, like the ball or the hope that we might string together three stops in a row. Now we are looking at a roster that is mostly guards and thoughts and prayers. I once saw a guy at a Shoppers Drug Mart who looked like he could give us six fouls and a solid screen, but I think he was just trying to buy milk.
Everything in Moderation
We lost by seventeen points. That is a lot of points, but also not the worst thing that has happened this week. The weather is gray, the air is cold, and the Lakers are gone.
We keep playing these games because that is what the schedule says we have to do. One day, the injured players will return and the ball will go through the hoop more often than it doesn't. Until then, we just watch the clock run down and wonder if Jamison Battle ever thinks about changing his last name to something more peaceful, like Jamison Correspondence.
Observations From the Basement
- Immanuel Quickley played, which is better than him not playing.
- RJ Barrett was out, which is worse than him being in.
- The thumb is a complicated joint.
- The Lakers are still the Lakers, unfortunately.