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LOS ANGELES — Coming into Sunday as the NBA’s last winless team at 0-5, the Los Angeles Lakers finally broke through with a 121-110 win over the Denver Nuggets, giving first-year coach Darvin Ham the first victory on his résumé.
“Tonight we needed to prove something to ourselves,” Ham said afterward. “Not to the world. Not to the media. We had to prove it to ourselves and I felt great about how we responded.”
Ham’s postgame news conference was delayed to accommodate a wardrobe change. His players baptized Ham’s first win with a water bottle and ice bucket drenching.
“Very nice little bath,” said Anthony Davis, who returned from a one-game absence because of lower back tightness to put up 23 points and 15 rebounds. “There’s not more we can ask for from a coach. … We deserve it, he deserves it and it was good to get him his first win as a head coach.
“He made a speech and it was like, ‘All right Coach, we don’t care what you’re saying,’ and then we drowned him with water.”
The only thing about as wet as Ham was the Lakers’ 3-point shooting. L.A. connected on 8 of 16 from outside in the second half and was 13-for-30 for the game (43.3%) after having the worst 3-point shooting start to a season in league history through five games.
“I just think the ball had a little pop to it. Guys were penetrating, kicking, finding open shooters and guys didn’t hesitate,” Ham said. “I’ve been saying it since Day 1: Shots are going to fall. Our offense is going to catch up to our defense.”
LeBron James led L.A. with 26 points and 8 assists and Russell Westbrook had his second strong showing off the bench with 18 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists.
“To be a player of his caliber and asked to come off the bench, that’s truly a guy doing whatever the team asks to get a win,” Davis said of Westbrook. “Sacrifice his starting position for the betterment of the team. He’s flourished in that role. That’s all we can ask for. I told him, ‘Just keep what you’re doing, man. Everything…
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Source : espn
