Walker Kessler admitted Domantas Sabonis outplayed him before strong fourth quarter
Walker Kessler admitted he got the worse of Domantas Sabonis for three quarters. He then exploded in the fourth and finished with 15 points and eight rebounds in the Lakers' win over the Kings on Wednesday.
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Antes do quarto quarto de quarta-feira, Walker Kessler tinha apenas cinco pontos, três rebotes e dois roubos — bem abaixo da produção que vinha mostrando nesta temporada. Então ele explodiu com 10 pontos, cinco rebotes, quatro tocos e um roubo no período final, terminando com 15 pontos, oito rebotes, quatro tocos e um roubo.
Seu contraponto era o pivô do Sacramento Kings, Domantas Sabonis, um grandalhão duro que usa cotovelos e quadris nos defensores para ganhar espaço e distribui passes para pontos fáceis. Antes da reação de Kessler no quarto período, o lituano somava 16 pontos e 17 rebotes — seis deles no ataque — além de uma assistência e um roubo, e levava a melhor sobre ele.
“Ele é um jogador muito, muito talentoso. Um jogador realmente físico”, disse Kessler aos repórteres depois da vitória do Lakers por 116 a 103 na quarta-feira. “Com certeza levei um pouco de surra nos três primeiros quartos. Mas eu me apoiei nos meus companheiros e eles fizeram um bom trabalho me encorajando ... No fim do dia, é só tentar vencer, e as coisas começaram a rolar um pouco a meu favor.”
Provavelmente já passou do auge de All-NBA, Sabonis, de 30 anos, continua sendo um bom jogador e uma cobertura difícil. Que Kessler tenha sofrido por três quartos e ainda assim se mantido mentalmente na luta e ajudado a impulsionar a terceira vitória seguida do Lakers foi encorajador. O escaldante Luka Dončić, com seu quarto jogo consecutivo de 40 pontos, também não atrapalhou.
Kessler enfrenta outro corpo forte na sexta-feira, quando Donovan Clingan traz o líder do Oeste, Portland Trail Blazers, com 6-1, à cidade. É o segundo encontro do Lakers com Portland neste ano e o segundo jogo do grupo da NBA Cup. Depois de entregar uma grande vantagem contra o Golden State na sexta-feira passada, na estreia da NBA Cup, eles precisam vencer para manter vivas as esperanças de chegar às quartas de final. A bola sobe às 19h.
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