Lakers Dwight Howard on Staying Ready for Playing Time After Big Win vs. Kings
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After a big win over the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday night, the Lakers are now officially on a three-game win streak. With help from some important players off the bench, L.A. was able to secure another win of 122-to-114, but it was a close one towards the end.
Dwight Howard, who has made it clear he does not mind playing off the bench, got to take the court for about 22 minutes. Within that time, Howard scored 14 points, had 14 rebounds, and three assists. That is one of the best games Howard has had so far throughout the regular season.
After the Kings vs. Lakers matchup, Howard spoke with Spectrum SportsNet about how he is continuing to stay prepared for any chance he gets to play.
"When my number is called, I try to give it everything I got," said Howard.
"It's very tough, from game to game, not knowing if you're going to play, not knowing if you're going to get the minutes. It's very hard, playing in the league for a while, you want to get out there and play. It's just all about sacrifice."
Dwight Howard does not shy away from playing time. As a veteran, he knows what he needs to do for the team but still has an urge to get out on the court. Tonight Howard got another chance and showed everyone what he is made of. The NBA All-Star continued after the game to talk about what kind of attitude he has on the bench.
"For me, it's just staying ready, staying positive, and staying in the right mindset, which is very tough for anyone to sit on the bench and not be able to play. Tonight, I got an opportunity and I said to myself, 'If I get in, we'll make everybody feel me tonight,' and I just try to do the best I could."
The Lakers have a lot of veteran players that are able to put their pride aside to do what is best for L.A. to win. This is a big advantage because although each player knows their worth and their athletic ability, they also know what moving around the lineup can do. L.A. has found exactly what they need, with LeBron James at center and keeping the lineup as similar as possible for the time being.
Now the Lakers put their minds towards the next game as they go up against the Atlanta Hawks on Friday night at Crypto.com Arena.
