The Lakers got a great win vs. the Blazers on Wednesday night, downing Portland 126-117 behind a milestone setting performance by LeBron James. But while James’ 44 point, 10 rebound, 9 assist night that vaulted him past Wilt Chamberlain on the NBA’s all-time scoring list headlined the win, the Lakers also lost a key rotation player when reserve guard Rajon Rondo broke his hand.
Lakers say Rajon Rondo broke third metacarpal in his right hand.
— Bill Oram (@billoram) November 15, 2018
Losing Rondo hurts. While we can talk honestly about how his effort level and penchant to over-help can compromise the defense or how his want to turn down shots in favor of hunting the assist + how his desire to hold the ball while barking out sets can sometimes stagnate the offense, the early season numbers actually show Rondo has been a part of some very well performing lineups.