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By Aman Sharma
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Two games into his Lakers tenure, Walker Kessler has already won over the franchise’s biggest star.
Luka Doncic heaped praise on his 25-year-old center after the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Los Angeles Clippers 125-117 on Oct. 23 at Crypto.com Arena. The win moved Los Angeles to 2-0, and Doncic said Kessler’s start hadn’t surprised him.
Doncic explained his view after the game.
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“Unbelievable, honestly,” Doncic said. “We know what we’re getting, I’m not surprised by how he’s playing. He knows how to play this game, he played for a long time. I’m not surprised but the fact that he’s doing it, just proving a lot of people wrong is just unbelievable.”
Against the Clippers, Kessler piled up 22 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals and 6 blocks over 35 minutes while hitting 10 of 14 shots, a 71.4% clip.
Never before had Kessler reached 20 points in consecutive games across five years in the league. Through two games, he’s averaging 24.0 points, 8.5 rebounds and 4.0 blocks on 84.6% shooting.
Tied at the break, the Lakers won the third 39-26 to open a 103-90 lead, with Austin Reaves scoring 13 points on 6-of-7 shooting and Kessler adding 2 blocks.
Lakers coach JJ Redick pointed to his center’s work in that stretch.
“It just felt like Walker was everywhere, in that third and really was a huge spark for us getting us a win,” Redick said.
Reaves paired 28 points with 9 assists, and Doncic posted 23 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists. The trio’s 73 points fell four short of their 77 against the Golden State Warriors in the opener.
Ball security remains a problem. Los Angeles gave the ball away 21 times, 11 of them by Doncic, and Redick didn’t like how his team handled Clippers traps while nursing a lead in double figures.
“We know the turnovers is a problem,” Redick said. “We’ll continue to work at it, continue to get better at it.”
Eight blocks in two nights makes for a decent introduction. Kessler carries his first streak of 20-point games into the Lakers’ next outing, with Redick still chasing cleaner possessions.
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