LOS ANGELES — He repeatedly punched the sky, like one of those inflatable tube men in a squall. Frustration that had been locked inside for more than three years escaped as uninhibited euphoria. Catharsis. Release. Tyson Chandler had left his mark on another Lakers victory, their third straight since his arrival. This time he swiped a fingertip on Trae Young’s floater at the buzzer to provide the game-sealing block in the Lakers’ 107-106 win over Atlanta.



There weren’t wins like this in the three-plus rebuilding seasons he spent in Phoenix, and often he did not have the opportunity to make the kind of impact he has for the Lakers since signing last week. His role as a veteran leader often meant being out of the rotation, despite his $50 million contract.



The Compton native has been liberated by the Lakers, who signed him to a minimum contract for the rest of the season after Phoenix bought out the final year of the four-year deal they gave him...