LOS ANGELES — As Walker Kessler looked up and down at the score at the podium in the middle of his postgame speech after the Los Angeles Lakers’ 125-117 win over the crosstown Clippers, something caught his eye and stopped him mid-response.
“Oh man,” he said, “we’ve done a lot of flying, man. It’s crazy.”
Kessler has been everything the Lakers hoped for thus far, including anchoring a defense that had 13 steals Friday, including three of his own. It’s been two games and Kessler has already made his statistical mark on the storied Los Angeles franchise.
In his debut against the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday, he became the first Laker since Wilt Chamberlain to shoot 12 of 12 from the field in a game, making it the second-best shooting performance in franchise history. Two days later, he became the eighth Laker to record six blocks and three steals in a game, according to Stathead.
Of course, in his rim-protective nature, he deflected the opportunity to recognize himself among some of the best players to ever play for the Lakers…by paying them compliments.
“I mean, it’s definitely an honor,” Kessler said of that statistic. “It’s kind of crazy that there have been seven guys that have done it before. But I know there are absolute legends in the Lakers franchise – it’s definitely an honor.”
The supposedly unassuming Clippers scored 64 points in the first half, tying the Lakers and holding the lead for much of the game. There was potential for the game to completely slip out of LAL’s hands without Kessler’s defensive ability.
The Clippers were getting everything they wanted in non-Kessler minutes. Brook Lopez made eight of his first nine shots in the first half, feasting on heavyweight Kevon Looney and undersized Sandro Mamukelashvili.
But coming out of the locker room, things changed, thanks in part to Kessler.
“That third quarter, I don’t know what his stats were, it was just like Walker was everywhere in that third,” JJ Redick said after the game. “(He) was really a huge spark for us to get this win. … There were several times (in the game) where we felt like they had a layup and either he came in and blocked the shot or he created a modified shot.”
A pivotal moment in the third quarter came with 4:30 left and the Lakers leading 86-76, in the middle of a 9-0 run, where Clippers guard Darius Garland drove by Luka Dončić and got an assist from Quentin Grimes before passing it to Derrick Jones Jr. at the point to dunk. Jones Jr. rose above Dončić and Grimes, sure he had an easy bucket, only for his shot to be crushed by Kessler.
The Lakers got the rebound back and Austin Reaves scored three points above the break, adding to what was a great offensive night, totaling 28 points and nine assists on 10-of-13 shooting.
Kessler was just as dominant on the offensive end, his 22 points on 10-of-14 from the field — yes, he’s capable of missing shots — bringing his two-game season total to 48 points on 84.6 percent shooting. Between rolling dunks to the basket, rimming in transition or following up on a missed shot, the 25-year-old gets some of the easiest buckets of his life.
And yet, it’s his defense that gets the Lakers going in these games.
“He’s a fantastic basketball player,” Redick continued of Kessler, “And I think he’s going to continue to get better. That was one of the reasons we wanted him and he was so appealing to us, was because of his age and feeling like the fit with our two stars was really good.
“Someone who can continue to grow and just become a fantastic NBA player.”
Gn sports
