Lakers’ Talen Horton-Tucker makes strong case to stay in starting lineup

MILWAUKEE — If each goes close for the Lakers and LeBron James tin play successful Boston connected Friday, Coach Frank Vogel volition person a pugnacious determination to make.

Or possibly helium won’t. Talen Horton-Tucker seems to beryllium making the determination for him.

The 20-year-old helping had different standout crippled for the Lakers successful their nonaccomplishment to the Milwaukee Bucks connected Wednesday, scoring a team-best 25 points and grabbing a team-high 12 rebounds. The mode he’s played successful 3 games since returning from thumb surgery, it seems progressively apt that he’ll stay successful the starting lineup.

There’s much successful the equation than conscionable stellar play, Vogel acknowledged, but it’s hard to disregard what he’s done truthful far.

“Sometimes scoring disconnected the seat is what you need,” helium said of Horton-Tucker. “But he’s playing arsenic bully arsenic anybody from a standpoint of some sides of the ball. What he’s fixed to america connected defence and what he’s fixed to america connected offense. So he’s been terrific successful his archetypal fewer games backmost and he’ll person a large role. He’s decidedly made a case.”

Horton-Tucker has made his offseason declaration look similar an astute determination for the Lakers, averaging 23.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.2 steals successful his 3 appearances. He’s besides shooting astatine a 40% clip from 3-point scope and has made each 12 of his free-throw attempts. On offense, he’s some an initiator and a spot-up shooter. On defense, he’s pesky and has a chemoreceptor for the ball.

He’s done it each with a achromatic wrapper connected his manus that hints astatine his thumb country past month, adjacent if his shooting hasn’t shown that he’s playing hurt. He couldn’t consciousness his close manus for respective days aft the procedure, helium said, but done manus therapy and training, he’s regained coagulated mechanics to run connected the court.

James inactive hasn’t been confirmed for Friday’s game, though Vogel said helium remained “optimistic” that the four-time league MVP could travel backmost pending affirmative updates from his workouts. James had an on-court league anterior to Wednesday’s game, but helium donned thoroughfare apparel to ticker from the seat afterward.

Even erstwhile James comes back, Horton-Tucker said helium doesn’t privation to alteration the attack that has made him palmy truthful far.

“I’m not doing thing otherwise than erstwhile helium would play, conscionable trying to beryllium assertive and usage my, similar I ever said, my younker and my strengths to assistance me,” helium said. “So I consciousness similar I’m trying to conscionable proceed to play the aforesaid way.”

VOGEL FRUSTRATED BY LACK OF FOUL CALLS

The Lakers person been successful the ears of officials for the past fewer games implicit foul calls. The NBA is apt to perceive a batch much from them successful the coming days aft All-Star large antheral Anthony Davis got nary attempts from the free-throw enactment connected Wednesday.

Vogel was upset for his star, who has seen his free-throw attempts driblet to 5.8 per crippled this year, compared to his 2019-20 people of 8.5. There are times erstwhile Davis could beryllium much aggressive, some helium and Vogel acknowledged, but determination was 1 peculiar play that got nether their skin: When Davis was contested by Giannis Antetokounmpo connected a third-quarter accelerated break. There was nary telephone erstwhile the Greek Freak’s genu drove into Davis’ close hip, and helium limped done the remainder of the frame, intelligibly uncomfortable.

“I deliberation Anthony Davis getting zero free-throw attempts is benignant of mind-boggling,” helium said. “And we’ll proceed to pass with the league connected that.”

As a team, the Lakers are middling successful free-throw effort rate, ranking 16th successful the league (0.223). But they’re adjacent the bottommost of the league successful opposing free-throw effort rate, ranking 29th wide (0.249). That disparity leaves an uphill conflict that the Lakers are perpetually battling.

Vogel besides noted that the Bucks changeable 12 escaped throws successful the 4th quarter, including a brace of Antetokounmpo and-1s that each but sealed the outcome. Vogel said the Lakers volition ear-mark clips to nonstop to the league, highlighting the 24-12 spread successful free-throw attempts.

Still, Davis said the Lakers request to tweak their approach, whether oregon not they commencement getting much whistles successful their favor.

“The happening we gotta set to: going successful and trying to decorativeness alternatively of trying to get the call,” helium said. “Obviously we’re not getting them.”