A win in the first week of November usually should not feel as important as the Los Angeles Lakers grabbing a victory in their last game over the Portland Trailblazers was. Yet considering the contextual circumstances heading into the contest, there were enough genuine reasons to exhale following the win.
After an eventful news cycle surrounding Lakers president of basketball operations Magic Johnson’s confrontational meeting with head coach Luke Walton and facing off against the team who had previously bested them in 16-straight contests, Saturday’s victory was a much needed cleanse for the purple and gold.