WASHINGTON, D.C. — It’s not unusual to stay in the hospital for a week after giving birth. But Ellen Schröder was home in Los Angeles on Sunday night, Face-Timing with her husband while watching over their three children.
“Back to work” might just be a Schröder family motto.
Dennis Schröder was grinning Sunday night in the visiting locker room, beaming with pride after the birth of his third child, a son (who is not yet named). Schröder had been a big part of Anthony Davis’ 55-point night, dishing out four of his eight assists to the big man, but family comes first.
“To have my third child is a blessing,” he said. “It’s the best thing in life. To experience that again, my third time with my wife and my family, was great.”
He’s had three children born in season: His first born in an All-Star break, his second born during the NBA bubble.
His wife gave birth on Thursday, the day before the Lakers’ win in Milwaukee. He had hoped to be available but said his flights to the Midwest were delayed. Instead, he watched the Lakers beat the Bucks in primetime from his house.
When Schröder finally got to D.C. at 10:30 p.m. on Saturday, he was listed as available for the game by Sunday morning. Coach Darvin Ham put him in the starting lineup alongside Patrick Beverley, saying he appreciated the German’s commitment to defense and that he would “throw him into the deep end of the pool.”
Ham also stuck with him in the fourth quarter, playing him from the 9:41 mark on.
“We had some slippage out there in the third quarter that kinda bled into the fourth quarter,” Ham said of his closing lineup. “But we had to right the ship. But Dennis has been great, picking up full court, turning the guard, turning the ball-handler. Being really scrappy.”
The two have a connection that goes back to their days in Atlanta, where Schröder was drafted and Ham was an assistant. Schröder said it felt good to know his coach had his back and would hold onto his role when he had to miss the game for the birth of his child.
“Coach Darvin and me, like I’ve said, that’s like family. I mean, we’ve been talking all summer about it,” he said. “He’s like, ‘Don’t worry about it. Just come back whenever.’ And, I mean, to have a coach like that, we’ve been dreaming about this since 2013-14. I mean, now to be able to compete for him and everybody together, it’s a blessing for me as well. And that we’re getting wins now, it’s great.”
James tweaks ankle, but says he’s ready for Cleveland return
Every time LeBron James takes a big tumble, it’s reason for concern. One of those moments happened in the fourth quarter Sunday, when he got tied up with former teammate Kyle Kuzma and came up grimacing.
James was questionable even an hour before Sunday’s game against the Wizards with left ankle soreness, which he suffered in the fourth quarter against Milwaukee. But James affirmed after that he’ll play in the Lakers’ next game.
“Little bit,” he said when asked if he tweaked his ankle. “I’ll be ready on Tuesday.”
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That tilt, of course, is against Cleveland, his hometown franchise, the team that drafted him, and the organization he won a title with in 2016. James isn’t one to miss visits there, especially when they’re 15-9 and one of the top teams in the East.
“It’s always good to go back,” he said. “We have a lot of history. It’s very close to my hometown and a lot of my friends and family will be at the game. It’s always good to be able to still play in front of them. They’ve seen me from the first time I ever picked up a basketball to now. It’s special in its own right.”