Lakers Hold Off Pistons, Go Above .500 Since Opener

Yes the Lakers have been like a box of chocolates this season so far. You never know what you're gonna get from any of the players. In all three of their road games, the Lakers had 3 different top performers for each game. Against the Wizards, it was Jordan Farmar, against the Nets, it was Nick Young. Tonight against the Pistons, it was Wesley Johnson who was the Lakers' third top performer. Johnson recorded a season high 27 points including 5 rebounds, and 6 assists to help the Lakers pull away from the Pistons 106-102. Shawne Williams, dormant all season, had a breakout game he needed, tallying 20 points off the bench on 7-13 shooting and grabbing 9 rebounds; I read that the reason why he played so many minutes was because Jordan Hill left the game early with a sprained ankle and hope Hill's fine, but Williams played a heck of a game and stepped up in the right game. Pau Gasol added 13 points and 12 rebounds, Jodie Meeks added 10 points, and off the bench, Jordan Farmar chipped in 13 points and Nick Young added 12 points, although Swaggy P had an off night, just 3-12 shooting from the field.

Final Score: @ Detroit 106-102 [W]
Full recap: http://www.nba.com/lakers/gameday/131129_gameday_pistons

Highlights

Next Game: vs. Portland (12/01)

Raiders Fall Short vs. Cowboys After 2nd Half Collapse

Alright so welcome in to the full recap of the Raiders' Thanksgiving game against the Cowboys where the Raiders couldn't overcome a 2nd half meltdown to pull off a victory.

First and foremost let me say Happy Thanksgiving to everyone a part of the Raider Nation. Couldn't be anymore thankful for being part of the most loyal fans of the world. Hopefully you guys enjoy some turkey, cranberry, mash potatoes and gravy, whatever you guys are eating right now and sit back while reading this post. I'm going to make this quick because I'm off to my cousin's house in about 30 mins to celebrate Thanksgiving with them.

Let's start off with the positives: Matt McGloin, Rashad Jennings, and Andre Holmes. You can blame the blatant INT on McGloin, but throwing it to a receiver like Jacoby Ford who absolutely has no confidence in himself anymore, it's usually going be a dumb play. Other than that McGloin finished his Thanksgiving debut completing 18 of his 30 passes for 244 yards, 1 INT. Rashad Jennings played his best game in short yardage situations, 17 carries for 35 yards, 2 TDs, played decent to get points on two of my fantasy teams. And Andre Holmes 7 receptions for 136 yards. Holmes I think this season is our only receiver to go over 100 yards in one game, I could be wrong, but he had his breakout game against his former team, but it wasn't enough.

For the negatives, 2nd half defense and penalties. Too much soft zone and prevent playcalling especially in that 2nd half. The 2 minute drill in the 2nd quarter pretty much spelled doom for the rest of the game for our defense, considering they would give up 14 more later. Couldn't get to Romo and couldn't stop Dallas' zone running game. It was pathetic to see. Penalties, we finished with 10 costing us 71 negative yards. No discipline and as a Raider fan, it was not a pretty sight to see this team collapse like it did in the 2nd half.

Short recap. The Raiders are just a few pieces away from competing. These last four games are just for pride and hopefully finish at .500. Other than that, Happy Thanksgiving again, I'll leave you guys with your families now enjoying your dinner and fun time. I'll see you back tomorrow for the quick recap of the Lakers' game against the Pistons.

Week 13: THANKSGIVING SPECIAL RAIDERS @ Dallas Cowboys Q-by-Q Reaction

4th Quarter:

Score: OAK 24 DAL 31

The word that reappears on the Raider dictionary after this game. Stay tuned for the full recap.

3rd Quarter:

Score: OAK 21 DAL 21

Absolutely pathetic play calling in the 2nd half on both sides on the ball. 3rd down defense is starting to haunt us again. I don't know why Tarver keeps calling these soft zone and 3 man rush plays on every single 3rd down, just inexcusable to watch this kind of performance in the 3rd quarter.

2nd Quarter:

Score: OAK 21 DAL 14

Power football for both teams. 2 rushing TDs by Rashad Jennings and 2 rushing TDs by DeMarco Murray in this half. I like how we controlled most of this quarter and kept Romo off the field for the majority of the quarter. However, I thought the defense was too vanilla on the final minutes when the Cowboys drove quickly to put them within 7 and I didn't like that. Onto the halftime report.

1st Quarter:

Score: OAK 7 DAL 7

Points off turnovers have been the main topic of the game so far. Off the opening kickoff returns, Terrance Williams fumbles, recovered by Greg Jenkins, happy for the rookie that he earned a roster spot again. Good awareness to return it for a TD. The fumble by McGloin, inexcusable to let the Cowboys back in. On a miscellaneous note, welcome back Veldheer.

RAIDERS @ Cowboys Halftime Post

Score: OAK 21 DAL 14

Happy Thanksgiving everyone and welcome in to the halftime report of the Thanksgiving showdown between the Raiders and the Cowboys where the Raiders currently lead the Cowboys by a touchdown.

Overall I think the Raiders have done a great job this game. They put last week's game against the Titans behind them obviously and taking it to the Cowboys.

Let's start off with the positives: Matt McGloin, great bounce back game so far for him aside from the bobbled snap late in the 1st quarter. McGloin passed for 147 yards and completed 11 of 15 passes. McGloin has a chance to tack on more passing yards because he only threw for 197 yards, and he could quickly eclipse that, if he continues to play the same way he has in the first half. Another positive, Rashad Jennings and Andre Holmes. Jennings is just playing out of his mind in short yardage situations. 14 carries on 30 yards and converting 2 1-yard rushing TDs. Excellent power football displayed by Jennings. Andre Holmes, this could be the breakout game he needed and he's stepping up this game: targeted 5 times caught 4 receptions for 56 yards. He's bounced around the league, but he possesses that size and strength to be a big, strong receiver like a poor man's Megatron/Dez/Anquan Boldin.

The negatives, the penalties is a big negative. 4 penalties on 30 yards in contrast to 0 penalties called on the Cowboys and Pat Sims and Andre Gurode have been big time guilty parties on those penalties. That's all that has to be addressed, the worst way to give a game a way is through penalties, giving the offense new life and a new set of downs, especially against Tony Romo and the Cowboys.

It's a fast start for the Raiders in the 1st half and they just have to play a complete game in the 2nd half. No more conservative play calling, that doesn't necessarily mean run up the score and stat pad, but the Raiders have to find a way to close out a game, go for the knockout blow after a fast start like this. Let's see what happens in the 2nd half.

Lakers Back Up to .500 with Win Over Nets

The Lakers cap off their back-to-back stand with a win over the reeling Brooklyn Nets. Nick Young was the Lakers' top performer, picking off where he left off last night, scoring 26 points off the bench and shooting 50% from the field to help the Lakers pull away from the Nets 99-94. Jordan Farmar also picked up where he left off last night, not a great game like he had against the Wizards, but still played an efficient game with 15 points on 5-9 shooting. Pau Gasol added 21 points and 8 rebounds and Jodie Meeks added 11 points. These players did not score well, but they performed well on other ends: Jordan Hill had 2 points, but grabbed 12 rebounds, Steve Blake had 9 points, but dished out 10 assists, and Shawne Williams, off the bench chipped in 4 points, but grabbed 10 boards.

Final Score: @ Brooklyn 99-94 [W]
Full recap: http://www.nba.com/lakers/gameday/131127_gameday_nets

Highlights:

*Jason Kidd spilling his drink on purpose during the game to give the Nets an extra timeout. Ha!*

Hope you guys have a great Thanksgiving and I'll see you back tomorrow afternoon for the Raiders' game against the Dallas Cowboys.

My 2013-14 Fantasy Basketball Team(s)

(10/31) Team 1 (head to head): 1st Place or Bust

PG: Deron Williams (BKN)
SG: Kobe Bryant (LAL)
G: Victor Oladipo (ORL)
SF: J.R. Smith (NY)
PF: David Lee (GS)
C: Marc Gasol (MEM)
C: Tyson Chandler (NY)
Util(G): Brandon Knight (MIL)
Util(F/C): Anderson Varejao (CLE)

Bench:

C: DeAndre Jordan (LAC)
G: Tony Allen (MEM)
G: Patrick Beverley (HOU)

(11/27) Team 2 (head to head): Scoring Machine

PG: Russell Westbrook (OKC)
SG: Paul George (IND)
G: Kobe Bryant (LAL)
SF: Andre Iguodala (GS)
PF: Serge Ibaka (OKC)
F: Greg Monroe (DET)
C: Zach Randolph (MEM)
C: Spencer Hawes (PHI)
Util(G/F): Paul Pierce (BKN)
Util(G/F): Kyle Korver (ATL)

Bench:

G: Jarrett Jack (CLE)
C: DeAndre Jordan (LAC)
G: Kirk Hinrich (CHI)

Impromptu Full Recap: Wizards Rally to Beat Lakers

Final Score: LAL 111 WAS 116 [L]

Alright so welcome in to the full recap and the first for an NBA Tuesday fan night game. The Lakers and Wizards traded blows in the 2nd half, but in the end it was the Wizards who edged out the Lakers in Washington lead by the trio of John Wall, Nene, and Martell Webster.

Yes this loss hurts, but not the most hurtful loss of the season. The Lakers had a chance to go beyond .500 and extend their win streak, but they just couldn't hold their own and props to the Wizards, they played better, they wanted it more and John Wall has been an absolute beast so far this season.

Let's start with the positives, Jordan Farmar, quite arguably his best game as a Laker and it's quite surprising. Farmar was the Lakers' top performer with 22 points on 9-11 shooting, 2 rebounds, and 8 assists off the bench. The only knock I have about Farmar is that he fails to follow up the next game after a brilliant performance like this. If you guys remember his first tenure as a Laker when he had games like this, one game he erupts both as a scorer and facilitator and then the next game he just falls out flat. Other than that, I thought Jordy played an incredible game, not taking anything away from that. Another positive, another bench guy and the homecoming, Nick Young. I know he made that errant shot to tie the game, but I'll explain later on why that was a stupid play drawn up by Mike D. I thought Young played efficiently scoring 16 points off the bench and shooting 50% on the field while he was getting booed in front of the Wizards crowd.

The rest of the players that were in double figures: Pau Gasol, 17 points, 6 rebounds, 8 assists, I thought Gasol played well, aside from that blown layup to pretty much wrap up the game and the 5 turnovers he committed. I'll explain his defensive struggles later in the negative section. Other double figure players: Steve Blake 15 points, Jodie Meeks 10 points, Wesley Johnson 11 points, and Jordan Hill with 10 points and 8 rebounds. Jordan Hill had an off game tonight he wasn't hustling and grabbing too many rebounds and he's another part of the negative that I will explain after this section.

So the negatives of this game: the interior defense and the turnovers. Since Dwight's departure, the interior defense has a big void within this Laker team, which the lack of a true rim protector. I mean Nene and Marcin Gortat played both Gasol and Hill tough in the paint. Both Nene and Gortat combined for 45 points and 10 rebounds. I mean you can credit some of those to John Wall because he was slashing in the paint and setting both those big men up for good looks. I know I haven't seen all of the game, but NBA TV did quick highlights of the game just recently and most of those points came from Wall's penetration off pick n roll. The turnovers another negative. The Lakers committed 16 turnovers in contrast to the Wizard's 10. Turnovers hurt because the Laker transition D is never good (understatement) and that has been the knack for the Lakers for a long time. One miscellaneous negative: Shawne Williams. It's obvious Williams was brought in to be that stretch 4 under D'Antoni's system, but 2 points on 1-7 shooting, 0-4 from 3 pt land. So far this season, he's been averaging 4.2 ppg, 3.0 rpg, and 0.8 apg and he's under the bust category in the free agency signings for the Lakers.

Okay now to talk about that one play that Mike D'Antoni set up for a potential tie. Out of all plays, he set up a play to kick it out to Nick Young for the go-ahead game tying 3. Are you kidding me? Let's go back to this sequence. John Wall misses the first free throw, makes the second one, Lakers call a timeout, there's still like 24 seconds left in the 4th quarter, literally plenty of time to go for a quick two and play the foul game. I mean you can share some of the blame towards Nick Young for taking that low percentage 3, but there was still plenty of time to either get Gasol open in the paint for a quick give and dunk or either have Farmar or Young slash in the lane for a quick score. Overall, bad shot by Young, bad play design by D'Antoni.

Like I said, this game hurts, but it's a game the Lakers just gotta forget about. They're playing on back to back nights and so they got Brooklyn tomorrow and the Nets just won a close one tonight also against the Raptors. Both teams like to get going to push for a playoff spot later in the season. And also let's see if guys like Farmar and Young can play follow up especially on a back to back night. Anyway, there won't be an impromptu full recap because the Nets game is not televised, so there will be a quick recap with highlights instead. So stay tuned. It's gonna be a busy week for me because I have to quick recap the Lakers' games against Brooklyn and Detroit and the Raiders' Thanksgiving matchup with the Dallas Cowboys. It's a November to remember because adding this post, the two recaps, and the Q-by-Q, halftime and full recap post, I will be reaching 30 posts in one month and that is a blog high. So congrats to me. I'll see you guys tomorrow.

Lakers Grab 3rd Straight Win vs. Kings, Back at .500

The Lakers are slowly taking baby steps to get back to winning formula and it continued tonight vs. the Kings. Pau Gasol was the Lakers' top performer with 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 1 assist to help propel the Lakers for their 3rd straight win this season against the Kings 86-100. Xavier Henry contributed big time off the bench after a series of cold games, erupting for 21 points on 7-11 shooting. Mr. All-Out Hustle, Jordan Hill, did his thing as usual getting after the ball, scoring 10 points and 13 rebounds. Jodie Meeks chipped in 14 points, bouncing back from a horrid shooting performance against the Warriors Friday night, and Steve Blake, didn't shoot well, but facilitated well again, finishing with 9 points and 12 assists.

Final Score: vs. Sacramento 86-100 [W]
Full recap: http://www.nba.com/games/20131124/SACLAL/gameinfo.html

Highlights

Next Game: @ Washington (11/26)

*The game against the Washington Wizards is indeed going to be televised on NBA TV starting at 4:00 pm, but I have a class that doesn't end until 4:40 and the commute back home is erratic. So I won't do a Q-by-Q, Half Time Post, but I will do an impromptu full recap.*

Fitzpatrick Burns Raiders Again, This Time as a Titan

Alright welcome in to the full recap of the Raiders' game against the Titans where the Raiders lose a heart breaker against the Tennessee Titans and it costed the Raiders to be in that 6th, final spot in the tight AFC Wild Card race.

So yeah, this one hurts. I mean nothing you can say about it, the Titans on the penultimate offensive drive of the game looked poised and Fitzpatrick is really good in the clutch. Remember, he broke our hearts in Buffalo two years ago and now he's a Titan coming in to the black hole and burns the Raiders again.

Let's start off with the positives: Rod Streater, Rashad Jennings, and Marcel Reece. In the absence of the two Tennessee Volunteers alumni, Denarius Moore and Mychal Rivera, Streater transformed into the #1 go to guy for McGloin. Streater was targeted 10 times, finished with 6 receptions on 87 yards. It's the one thing I like about Streater is that he always makes eye contact with the quarterback I mean first with Pryor, then Flynn, then Pryor again, and now McGloin. He can be erratic at times, but he can make the big risk play, he made a diving catch prior to the the Reece TD and went out with a hip injury. The loss of Streater and Rivera hurt this game, especially with Denarius Moore out. It's no secret Rashad Jennings plays his A game every week. Jennings this game rushed for 75 yards on 16 carries and 49 yards on 3 receptions. Marcel Reece, finally a breakout game for him. It's about time. Reece had 14 rushing on 5 carries, but did most of his damage in the receiving game: 4 receptions on 44 yards and receiving TD. Olson finally opened up the playbook to utilize Reece, even though using him in the wildcat early this game was frustrating to see. There's a reason he's called the "Matchup Nightmare", he can run, catch, and block and there has gotta be some bookmarked plays in Olson's playbook where Reece can be utilized the most.

The negatives, oh how the fortunes have changed since the halftime post. Sebastian Janikowski and the defense. A lot of you can blame it on Marquette King on his holds if you want, but Sebass missing a 32 yarder and a 48 yarder (same distance he hit in the 2nd quarter), just unbelievably unacceptable and those came back to haunt us. The defense, could not get off the field and can't pressure Fitzpatrick all game long. The 3rd down defense was just pathetic all game and some of those cost us the game. Basically we made Fitz look like Michael Vick, RGIII out there because we couldn't knock him down or sack him after that 1 gang sack by Houston, Roach, and Burnett. However, the defense did hold some red zone opportunities from the Titans to field goals, but the last sequences with the game on the line after the McGloin-Reece connection to give us the lead was absolutely disgraceful to watch.

This season is slowly turning from a tank for the #1 pick to a shoulda, woulda, coulda kind of season, similar to the 2010 and '11 seasons. A lot of missed opportunities and we'll be looking back thinking "damn, if only the Raiders won that game." Yeah it's frustrating. The Raiders got a short week this week because they'll be traveling to Dallas for a Thanksgiving showdown against the Cowboys. I'll see you guys on Thursday for a special Thanksgiving Q-by-Q, Halftime, and full recap. Stay put for tonight however because I'll be quick recapping the Lakers' game against the Kings. Until then, I'll see you guys later.

Week 12: Scranton Bowl? RAIDERS vs. Tennessee Titans Q-by-Q Reaction

Full article on where I got the headline for this game: http://www.mercurynews.com/raiders/ci_24587720/oakland-raiders-and-tennessee-titans-play-scranton-bowl

4th Quarter:

Score: TEN 23 OAK 19

Ryan Fitzpatrick burns us again in the clutch. Those two straight missed field goals by Sebass, came back to haunt us. This sucks. Stay tune for the full recap.

3rd Quarter:

Score: TEN 13 OAK 12

Tennessee's clinging onto a one point lead and this defensive drive at the start of the 4th quarter is a crucial one. All these missed opportunities getting in the red zone is starting to bite us. Sebass missed his last two before hitting the one field goal to put us within one and this defensive drive is very crucial.

2nd Quarter:

Score: TEN 6 OAK 9

A game of field goals and a tough, gritty defensive battle. Old school football. Onto the halftime report.

1st Quarter:

Score: TEN 3 OAK 3

Talk about an un-entertaining 1st quarter. The offense is off to a rough start, but the defense is holding its ground against the Titans. Titans did use some up-tempo playcalling, but again it's that bend but don't break philosophy for the Raiders' D. We called a wild cat play twice for Reece to get going and those didn't work and that's the only thing I don't like about this 1st Quarter, waste of downs. Titans are in our territory, let's see if our defense holds up.

RAIDERS vs. Titans halftime post

Score: TEN 6 OAK 9

Alright welcome in to the halftime report of the game between the Raiders and the Titans where the Raiders lead by a field goal at the end of the 1st half. I gotta feeling that this post is gonna be short because there are not a lot of highlights.

First off let's go with the positives: Sebastian Janikowski, aside from his missed field goal at the end of the 2nd quarter, it's just another day in the office. For over a decade, Sebass has been our scoring machine and it's no surprise that after a failed red zone opportunity, the Raiders can always rely on Sebass to put points on the board with that powerful polish leg and credit to Marquette King for his holds, a lot of improvement from his side.

Another positive, you guessed it the defense. Even though they gave up big yardages for the Titans due to a lack of pressure on Ryan Fitzpatrick, but they're hanging around not letting the Titans score into the end zone no matter how deep the Titans drive into their territory and it's a plus on why we're leading this game so far.

Onto the negatives, the offense outside of Rashad Jennings. Jennings did have a cold game for the majority of the half, but he managed to get going rushing 55 yards on 10 carries and giving us positive yardage. But so far, the offense has been atrocious. Matt McGloin had like 4 deflected passes and the fluky INT from one of those deflections. It's nothing that can be addressed because McGloin's short height, but it's an adjustment that needs to be addressed in the 2nd half. McGloin threw to six different receivers with Jennings as the top tier receiver. Mychal Rivera took a hard hit while he was battling for the deep ball from McGloin and hopefully he's ok, it's unfortunate to see a player injured on the field, especially if it's a rookie. But aside from Jennings, Jamize Olawale and Rod Streater stepped up, but the rest of the offense has to get going.

The 1st half was a defensive battle, let's see if the 2nd half turns into shootout. Entertaining game if you love gritty, grueling football games, not entertaining if you guys love high powered offensive shootouts.

Lakers Get on a Win Streak vs. Warriors

Alright, I said if I made it time for the start of the second half after my programming lab yesterday, I will do an impromptu full recap like I did when the Lakers battled the Spurs in their third game of the season. It turned out, I made it only to see the fourth quarter and I said if it's the fourth quarter already by the time  I got home, I'll just do a quick recap. Apparently after the game, I had a heavy amount of fatigue and went to straight to bed last night after the Lakers beat the Warriors, which is why I'm doing this quick recap now for today.

Pau Gasol and Nick Young lit up Friday night to help propel the Lakers for its first winning streak of the season. Gasol was the Lakers' top performer, recording a double-double with 24 points, 10 rebounds, and adding assists while Nick Young came off the bench efficiently scoring 21 points to help beat the injury-riddled Warriors at Staples 95-102. Jordan Hill added 10 points and 9 rebounds, hustling like usual and the point guards Steve Blake and Jordan Farmar both added 14 points.

Final Score: vs. Golden State 95-102 [W]
Full recap: http://www.nba.com/games/20131122/GSWLAL/gameinfo.html

Highlights:

Next Game: vs. Sacramento (11/24)

I'll see you guys for tomorrow's Q-by-Q, Half Time, and Full recap for the Raiders' home game against the Tennessee Titans.

Lakers Crush Pistons Behind Another Stellar Performance by Jordan Hill

The Lakers get back on the winning track Sunday night behind another spectacular performance by Jordan Hill. Mr. All-Out Hustle and Finish himself, scored a career high 24 points and a career high 17 rebounds to put the team on his back for a rout against the Pistons 99-114. Wesley Johnson got back to playing efficiently, chipping in 13 points on 6-8 shooting. Pau Gasol added a near triple-double with 12 points, 9 rebounds, and 7 assists and Jodie Meeks and Nick Young scored 19 points on 6-11 shooting from Meeks and 7-13 shooting off the bench from Young. Steve Blake, poor shooting, but facilitated well for the Lakers as he finished with 9 points and 16 assists.

Final Score: vs. Detroit 99-114 [W]
Full recap: http://www.nba.com/games/20131117/DETLAL/gameinfo.html

Highlights:

Next Game: vs. Golden State (11/22) <== Finally I got the scheduling right for the Warriors' game. Remember if I come home early from programming lab before the 2nd half, there will be an impromptu full recap, if not, then it'll be a quick like usual.

McGloin, Jennings, Defense Shines as Raiders Top Texans

Alright so welcome in to the full recap of the Week 11 between the Oakland Raiders and the Houston Texans and the Raiders snap their 2 game losing streak and give Dennis Allen his first road win of the season.

Talk about a sequel to the 2011 game. If a film critic were to critique this game as a movie, he/she would admit that the suspense and the drama was still good since the ending was on a 4th down play, but it didn't capture the emotion as the original because it's the day after Al Davis' passing and the Raiders had 10 men on the field.

Three positives this game: Matt McGloin, Rashad Jennings, and the defense overall. Matt McGloin, his first NFL start, completed 18 of 32 of his passes for 197 yards and 3 TDs, two of them off turnovers. Even though his completion percentage lo. oks deceiving, McGloin was making beautiful passes. I'll admit, I'm one of those guys who thought Pryor gave us the best chance to win, even though we have a banged up O-line and threw Flynn under the bus with no pocket presence, but McGloin never had I seen a pocket passer be that poised with the patchwork O-line we have. Like I said in the Q-by-Q reaction, give McGloin a healthy O-line and he could probably do wonders with all the time he has. I know it's just one game, but since preseason, McGloin was on my watch list all season because he dominated in the passing game of the preseason. Another positive Rashad Jennings. I am glad I picked him up on the waiver wire of my fantasy team this game, giving me like 20.40 points. Jennings had 22 carries for 122 yards, including that 80 yard TD run off the wildcat. 22 touches, it is a lot of work load for a running back, but Jennings managed to still bring his A game regardless of how many touches he get without a viable backup since McFadden's hurt.

Like I said, the defense had one bad game all season long. In the 1st Quarter, they managed to force 2 turnovers, one off a fumble, and one of an INT. Again, it's that "bend, but don't break" mentality. I mean the defense bend all game long, although I hated that 3rd down play where they gave Keenum a free play to throw a bomb to Garrett Graham. But they didn't break, especially in that 4th Quarter, we couldn't generate any offense, we held the Texans to two field goals and that game winning 4th down goal line stand. We still need a stud pass rusher, no doubt, but the defense plays hard every game this season.

So onto the negatives. Not a lot of negatives on the player side, but probably just the injuries. I know injuries is life and part of the game, but how long is this injury bug gonna last? I mean the injuries to the O-line are just ridiculous. Brisiel, Gurode, and Watson were among that casualties. We are just desperate right now in need of an O-line because the injuries are just plain ridiculous. 3 linemen down in one game, just unbelievable.

Overall, I'll take the win. I am even surprised that we're still in the hunt for a playoff spot considering the Jets just lost to the Bills. I know it's by a long shot that we'll make the playoffs, but if this team believes, so will we. Other than that, the Raiders have the Titans at home. I don't know if the game is gonna sell out considering we're in a deep hole record-wise, but we still have a shot. Hopefully the Titans game sells out because I love doing this. Giving you guys Q-by-Q reactions, half time posts, and the full recap. It's a daunting task, but whatever way to give you guys my perspective on the game. I'll see you guys next Sunday, but stay tuned for my quick recap tonight when the Lakers take on the Pistons.

Week 11: RAIDERS @ Houston Texans Q-by-Q Reaction

4th Quarter:

Score: OAK 28 HOU 23

Two years ago, Al Davis was the 11th man on the field during the Raiders' game winning defensive stand, two years later, he was the 12th man. Man the finish of this game was deja vu all over again to that faithful game, the day after Al Davis' passing and Mark Davis was in the owner's box watching and the game was decided by 5 points and it all ended with a goal line stand by the Raiders D. Stay tuned for the full recap.

3rd Quarter:

Score: OAK 28 HOU 17

Epic bounce back quarter by the Raiders. I said, last week, give Pryor a bulwark O-line and one or two playmakers and he can probably thrive, but McGloin, bad O-line at all, imagine him with a healthy O-line. That's scary to think about. But the beautiful highlight this quarter, Rashad Jennings' 80 yard TD run off the wildcat formation. Just fundamentally sound execution on the offense and hopefully they keep it up as the 4th Quarter begins.

2nd Quarter:

Score: OAK 14 HOU 17

Frustrating second quarter to watch. McGloin made some good throws and the receivers aren't there to catch them. That is the growing pains of lacking a #1 go-to-playmaker. I didn't like how some of the defense gave up on certain 3rd down plays especially when Case Keenum, looked like Houston was gonna sack him, but Keenum stayed upright and hit a wide open TD pass to Garrett Graham. Onto the halftime report.

1st Quarter:

Score: OAK 14 HOU 0

Two points off turnovers. The best start for our defense of the season. Matt McGloin, I've seen his preseason game and there was a reason he beat out Tyler Wilson. He made good decisions, accurate throws and cashed in on our turnovers which is why we're up 14-0.

RAIDERS @ Texans Halftime Post

Alright so welcome into the halftime report of the Raiders @ Texans, where the Texans come back and scored 17 unanswered points after the Raiders jumped to a 14-0 lead.

For the most part, the first half told a tale of two quarters. The first quarter, where the Raiders were riding high, cashing in on every opportunity whenever the defense makes a turnover, and the second quarter, where the Texans quit turning the ball over and drive deep down field.

Alright some of the positives: Matt McGloin. I'm telling you guys, during the preseason I was wowed by how the undrafted QB out of Penn State played and he was really outplaying Matt Flynn, Tyler Wilson, and Terrelle Pryor in terms of the passing game. I know most of his TDs were off turnovers, but McGloin's got a nice zip to his pass and he knew when to throw the ball away, although he did take a sack. But other than that, McGloin has made the correct decision when throwing the ball and he has more a field vision, the skill sets that Pryor lacks in the passing game. If only the receivers can catch those nice throws.

Overall in a limbo, the defense, I kinda have mixed feelings. The first quarter, they generated two turnovers and sacked Keenum to put the Texans out of field goal range. I thought "hey this is the best start the defense ever got." And then the 2nd quarter happened, giving up on that 3rd down play to make Keenum heave one to Graham. After that, the busted special teams coverage to leave Keyshawn Martin off to the races to tie it up. It was mixed feelings for me for the defense.

Onto the negatives, the running game and the receivers. The running game has gotta get it going, even without Pryor and the Texans' D has really exploited that weakness. The receivers, whenever McGloin is deep into his own territory, there are certain times where McGloin has a chance to move the plays with his good passes, but the receivers can't get any awareness. Yeah sure Moore and Streater had the nice 2 TDs, but other than that, the receivers have been non-existent and that's where we need a #1 guy.

I know I'm a little delayed because the 3rd Quarter just started right now. We just gotta find a way to drive down field and score more often and it's not happening. Also, stop the penalties. The penalties were just ugly, particularly on both sides. We'll see how the second half pans out.

Lakers Fall Short vs. Grizzlies

Before I do tonight's quick recap of the Lakers vs. Grizzlies game, I would like to take the time to apologize about a game scheduling error. If you guys looked at my quick recap of Wednesday's game against the Nuggets, I put the next game the Lakers was against the Warriors at home. Apparently, that was wrong and I was too little too late to recognize it. The Lakers' home game against the Warriors is next Friday on ESPN and the Lakers faced the Grizzlies today at home. Again I apologize to my fellow Laker Nation who follow my blog inside and out for the mix up.

The struggle couldn't get any more real for the Lakers playing without Steve Nash and Kobe Bryant. Jodie Meeks was the Lakers' top performer scoring 25 points off of 10-16 shooting, but the Lakers couldn't find an answer against Zach Randolph. Z-Bo chipped in a double-double with 28 points and 11 rebounds to help Memphis edge the Lakers 89-86 at Staples. Pau Gasol, had an off-night, scoring wise, finishing with 10 points and 13 rebounds and credit to his DPOY brother, Marc Gasol shutting him down. Jordan Hill added 12 points and Nick Young came off the bench with 14 points.

Final Score: vs. Memphis 89-86 [L]
Full recap: http://www.nba.com/games/20131115/MEMLAL/gameinfo.html

Highlights:

Next Game: vs. Detroit (11/17)

Lakers Still Couldn't Get Winning Streak Going vs. Nuggets

The Lakers head over to Denver looking to get on a winning streak Wednesday night, but we're stopped short. Jordan Hill, once again stepped it up as the Lakers' top performer with 18 points and 15 rebounds, but the Nuggets countered with Timofey Mozgov off the bench. Mozgov's 23 points and 9 rebounds and helped propelled the Nuggets past the Lakers 99-111. Pau Gasol, finally had the game he needed to bounce back from several off games scoring 25 points and 12 rebounds. Steve Blake added 15 points and 11 assists, again filling in more Steve Nash, Wesley Johnson added 11 points, and Nick Young came off the bench with 11 points, but had a poor shooting night.

Final Score: @ Denver 99-111 [L]
Full recap: http://www.nba.com/games/20131113/LALDEN/gameinfo.html

Highlights:

Next Game: vs. Golden State (11/15)

Announcement: If I ever get home early from my programming lab tomorrow in time for the game or while the game is still on, there will be an impromptu full recap for the Lakers' game against the Warriors since it's on ESPN. If I miss the whole game or if I get home just to see that the 4th Quarter is on, the game will be done on a quick recap format like this game against the Nuggets as scheduled.

Lakers Blow Out Pelicans Behind Hill's Career Night

Ugh, I gotta stop doing this, especially when the Lakers play a back to back game in about 15 mins. I've been very busy guys and I can't do anything about it.

The Lakers got back on their winning track Tuesday night. Jordan Hill, making his first start of the season lead the Lakers with a season high 21 points and 11 rebounds to help power the Lakers over the Pelicans 95-116. Pau Gasol added 14 points and Nick Young came off the bench with 17 points. Both Jodie Meeks and Xavier Henry contributed off the bench with 15 points. The Lakers hope to get on a winning streak as they face the Nuggets in the Denver in about 15 mins.

Final Score: vs. New Orleans 95-116 [W]
Full recap: http://www.nba.com/games/20131112/NOPLAL/gameinfo.html

Highlights:

Next Game: @ Denver (Tonight 6:00 PM Pacific)

Lakers 22 Win Streak vs. T-Wolves at Staples Ends in Embarrassing Fashion

For those of you who are asking about this recap being 2 days late, I sincerely apologize because after the full recap for the Raiders @ Giants game, I had friends come over and they didn't leave until like 8:30 at night, secondly I had a research paper, I am desperate to start and so far, I'm already 4 out of 6 pages completed. So I apologize for not getting this on time, but what's the point? It's a quick recap anyway. Nah I'm joking.

Only 3 players were in double figures in the Lakers' embarrassing loss to T-Wolves on Sunday Night. Steve Blake was one of them as he lead the Lakers with 19 points, 3 rebounds, and 8 assists, but the Lakers clearly had no answer against the T-Wolves' onslaught. The Timberwolves scored 47 points on the Lakers in the first quarter and all starters were in double figures. Kevin Love's double-double, Ricky Rubio's triple-double, and Kevin Martin's efficient scoring were enough to beat down the demoralized Lakers 113-90. Jodie Meeks came off the bench with 16 points on 6-10 shooting (I gotta say, I'm surprised that Meeks is becoming more efficient consistently every game, hopefully he doesn't regress), and Pau Gasol had a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds, but all around still had a dismal game. And miscellaneous news, Steve Nash is injured again and Steve Blake will start in his place tonight when the Lakers take on the Pelicans for the second time this season today.

Final Score: vs. Minnesota 113-90 [L]
Full recap: http://www.nba.com/games/20131110/MINLAL/gameinfo.html

Highlights:

Next Game: vs. New Orleans (Tonight 7:30 PM Pacific time)

Blown Opportunities, Penalties Cost Raiders vs. Giants

Alright so welcome in to the full recap for the Raiders game against the Giants where the Raiders fell short of gaining their first East Coast win in a long time.

This game hurt us the most this season and we'll be looking at certain plays. We are a touchdown away from making this game tied and we settled in for a field goal.

The positives, defense and special teams. This was the perfect bounce back game for our defense after taking a massive blitzkrieg by the Eagles. Our defense generated two turnovers one to put us in good field position to settle in a field goal and that pick 6 by Tracy Porter to put us up 17-14 during the half. The special teams also a big factor of keeping us alive, good awareness by Andre Holmes and the good punt block by Kaelin Burnett. The defense allowed 7 points minus the turnovers and it was just what the doctor ordered for a bounce back after the major debacle last week.

Onto the negatives, blown red zone opportunities. If there was a time we'll be looking at missed opportunities, we'll be looking at this game as a whole. Rashad Jennings is the only guy on offense that did work rushing 88 yards on 20 carries, but his almost walk-in TD came back to haunt us and credit to Antrel Rolle for that TD saving tackle. The Giants defense are also known for bending at times, but they refuse to break. Terrelle Pryor, even my faith in him is starting to deteriorate (a little). Pryor completed only 44% of his passes for 122 yards, but threw a costly pick and fumbled in the clutch. I'm still holding out hope that Pryor can thrive in the future if he had 1 or 2 true playmakers and a bulwark O-line, but he's already 9 games into the season as a starting QB and it's unfortunate that he taking baby steps back. On the O-line, Khalif Barnes has to go. I'm tired of him costing us good drives.

Like I said this game hurts. I don't know how long the training staff is going to keep Jared Veldheer out because we need him badly since Barnes couldn't get the job done covering the blind side and what more when we travel to Houston against another daunting pass rusher in J.J. Watt. We need all the help we can get if we're going to run the table for a wild card spot, which in my opinion is highly unlikely, but this team believes and whatever this team believes in, we the Raider Nation will be there to support them and believe in them too.

Week 10: The Daunting East Coast RAIDERS @ NY Giants Q-by-Q Reaction

4th Quarter:

Score: OAK 20 NYG 24

That almost walk-in TD by Jennings hurt us the most. The offense had only one job that game, it would've made this a tied ball game. So far, this is the game that hurts us the most of the season and we'll be looking at certain plays that happened this game. Stay tuned for the full recap.

3rd Quarter:

Score: OAK 20 NYG 21

Blown opportunity yet again to get into the red zone to start the 3rd Quarter. We'll be looking at that again and again the whole game. Just a bad turnover by Pryor, that's like 8 turnovers in 4 games already? That set up the Andre Brown TD to put the Giants up by one. Just blown opportunities overall and they're killing us late.

2nd Quarter:

Score: OAK 17 NYG 14

Tracy Porter is such a Manning killer. Did it to Peyton twice and now Eli. The defense had one bad game last week, but they're keeping us alive because the offense can't score unfortunately. To the halftime report.

1st Quarter:

Score: OAK 10 NYG 7

Both defenses are doing good, but both offenses have sucked to start the game. We had the kickoff fumble at the start good awareness by Andre Holmes, but the Giants come right back with block punt to Marquette King. The fumble from Peyton Hillis is the reason why we have the edge by 3.

RAIDERS @ NY Giants Half Time Post

Score: OAK 17 NYG 14

Alright so welcome in to the halftime post between the Raiders and the New York Football Giants where the defense has pretty much held their own generating 3 turnovers and 2 were cashed in on a TD and 1 for a field goal.

Overall that was an ugly half. But definitely the positive so far is the defense. Last week the Eagles took a massive dump on them and a lot of people were calling for their heads and started writing them off. It doesn't change the fact that we still need a star pass rush, but like the beginning says 3 turnovers and 2 were cashed in for touchdowns. The obvious muff kickoff, good awareness by Holmes to take it within the Giants' 5 yard line setting up a Pryor 1 yard TD QB sneak and the last defensive play at the half, Tracy Porter's pick 6. Porter does love playing against the Mannings and he's capable of making those kinds of plays, after all he made that Super Bowl XLIV INT against Peyton to help the Saints' clinch their first title. But so far, I'm happy to see that the defense is bouncing back in some way, although they allowed 1 Giant offensive TD.

The negative, well it's pretty obvious that the offense is a negative. Aside from Rashad Jennings, who always brings his A game every game and the TD off the turnover, the offense couldn't drive deep into Giants territory nor get into the red zone. Not to mention, the offense has committed the majority of the penalties. Khalif Barnes, I'm tired of him already. All I can say is we need Veldheer back. Watson is making his first start, one false start, but he's managing to hold his own. All I can say is, this offensive line needs to quit collapsing and Pryor's gotta know when to make better decisions.

Well the third quarter is underway and it's a good thing we kicked. We just gotta hang in there and not let the Giants hang around.

Lakers' Consistency Woes Continue With Loss vs. Pelicans

The back-to-back schedule continues to be an ailment for the Lakers as they traveled to the Big Easy in New Orleans only to run into a young and fresh Pelicans team. Chris Kaman, of all people, was the Lakers' top performer with 16 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists, but neither the big men consisting of Kaman, Pau Gasol, or Jordan Hill could contain Anthony Davis' breakout game. Davis scored 32 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to help power the Pelicans over the Lakers 85-96. Gasol again was held to single digit points, but again dominated the rebound category grabbing 11 rebounds and so was Hill, who grabbed 13 rebounds, but was held to 4 points. Steve Nash, again rested on back to back nights leaving Steve Blake to play point. Last night's heroic trio consisting of Blake, Jodie Meeks, and Wesley Johnson went cold this game as Blake contributed 13 points and 8 assists, but shot 4-11 and committed 5 turnovers; Meeks finished with 11 points on 4-10 shooting, and Johnson couldn't find his shot only tallying 3 points on 1-5 shooting.

Final Score: @ New Orleans 85-96 [L]
Full recap: http://www.nba.com/games/20131108/LALNOP/gameinfo.html

Highlights:

Next Game: vs. Minnesota (11/10)

Dwight Howard's Missed Free Throws, Steve Blake's Cold Blooded 3 Lifts Lakers Past Rockets

Alright so welcome in to the full recap of tonight's game between the Lakers and the Houston Rockets headlined as Dwight Howard's first game against the Lakers since spurning LA for Houston. The Lakers drew first blood in their first head to head matchup with Dwight. To rehearse an old saying, it's better to win ugly than to lose pretty. And the Lakers did just that. They just got back from getting their ass kicked against the Mavs and they bounced back, it wasn't pretty, but the end result is what matters, which is getting the W.

So let's start out with the positives. The game ball is split among 3 players: Steve Blake, Wesley Johnson, and Jodie Meeks. Blake of course had that hot start in the 1st quarter, 3-3 from beyond the arc and finished 4-6 from the 3 point line, nailing that game winning 3 finishing with 14 points. Wesley Johnson, hustled on every play this game. Johnson hit that buzzer beating 3 to end the 1st Quarter, a crucial rebound and tip in the 4th, and hustling for the ball on the penultimate play to prevent a heartbreaking turnover and he finished with 16 points off the bench. Jodie Meeks, crucial 3s when we needed it the most especially that big one in the 4th to put us within two before the last Hack-a-Dwight foul (although it was under two minutes, but the Rockets inbounded the ball to him) and Meeks finished with 18 points. Those three players were basically the highlight of the game and they stepped it up today. The Lakers were collapsing under pressure on the brink of undergoing another meltdown but Blake, Meeks, and Johnson stayed calm and collected and their heroic performance tonight was the reason why the Lakers won the game in the last seconds.

It's pretty tough to highlight a negative this game, other than the fact that Gasol had a piss poor performance tonight. Pau just chipped in 2 points on 1-10 shooting from the field, credit to the interior of the Rockets' D with Asik and Howard, they shut down his low post play and daring him to take shots, although the majority of Gasol's jump shots were good looks considering most of them came from Steve Nash dribbling off the middle. Gasol had his worse offensive display, but he grabbed 12 rebounds and some of those were critical to keep the Lakers' hopes alive to eek out a victory. Gasol was awful offensively, but he managed to hold his own on the defensive side limiting Asik and Howard to just 21 points in the paint. One crucial negative though or make that two consistency and turnovers. In the 1st half, the Lakers were shooting lights out on 3 but in the 2nd half, they couldn't make some until late in both quarters of the 2nd half and it was frustrating to watch that because it is critical to close out the game. Same with the Raiders, they start fast, jump into an early lead and then all of a sudden the offense shuts down leaving the defense to win it. Keep in mind this Laker team outside of Gasol, Kobe, Nash, Blake, and Kaman is relatively young and majority of them spent their careers as 1st round draft busts. When you start fast, you gotta keep the foot on the gas, brake when you start losing control and regain some of that composure because that's the fundamental of closing a game out.

Overall like the old saying says, it's better to win ugly than to lose pretty. I mean the Lakers played beautiful basketball in the 1st half and in the 2nd they started to lose control, but they stayed poised and that's why they got the victory. I'm not gonna be a homer and literally flipping the bird to Dwight because after all Dwight was only with the Lakers for one season it's not like he's a Laker legend because he was just for rent. However, it's a way to provide closure and move on.

Anyway, this will be my last Laker post for National TV games until like December 13, when the Lakers take on OKC (It's a Friday game, but I'm already done with Finals by that time). Barring any NBA TV games, I will provide quick recaps from stat sheets and available highlights for localized TV games beginning tomorrow when the Lakers hit the road again to the Big Easy to take on the Pelicans. I'll be back on Sunday to post for the Raiders' game against the New York Giants.

11/07: RETRIBUTION AGAINST DWIGHT LAKERS @ Houston Rockets Q-by-Q Reaction

4th Quarter:

Score: LAL 99 HOU 98

The Black Mamba out in the clutch? No problem. The Blake Mamba has arrived! Oh man, it was another 2nd half meltdown, but man did that last Hack-a-Dwight strategy worked. He missed both free throws to seal it, we almost turned the ball over. Fortunately Lakers had a final timeout to set up one more play, busted defensive assignments from the Rockets to leave Steve Blake wide open for the game winning 3. Stay tuned for the full recap.

3rd Quarter:

Score: LAL 81 HOU 77

Just as I expected, we're letting Houston hang around. A pretty bad 3rd Quarter for the Lakers, even though we stayed calm under pressure to keep the lead. Wesley Johnson and Jodie Meeks made big buckets when we needed it the most and that is why we're still clinging to a four point lead. Gasol's got to get it going, he has been shooting poorly and Nash has been giving him good looks and he just can't convert. It is expected, the Rockets would come back storming in the 2nd half, but we just gotta stay calm and play at our pace as the 4th Quarter commences.

2nd Quarter:

Score: LAL 64 HOU 50

It's raining threes, hallelujah it's raining threes (and Dwight Howard's bricks on the free throws). Unbelievable shooting displays, although the turnovers helped the Rockets get back in the game as well as the fouls, but liking how we're staying poised regardless if Houston's making a run. Onto the halftime report.

1st Quarter:

Score: LAL 36 HOU 19

It's great to be back. From what I saw in the first quarter, great start, just what the doctor ordered. If the Lakers want to hang around with an explosive offensive team like the Rockets they have to start fast. Steve Blake obviously the catalyst scoring from the same position 3 times beyond the arc and the team followed along. Good defense to start the game, hot start on offense to start the game, if Gasol can get going and we keep this up, the sky's the limit for the Laker team to make Dwight Howard's first game against the team since leaving LA start on a sour note.

LAKERS @ Rockets Half Time Post

Score: LAL 64 HOU 50

Alright so welcome in to the half time post between the Lakers and the Houston Rockets where the Lakers jump to a big lead shooting lights out in the first half.

First off, I am just absolutely shocked and in awe the way this game started out. I was expecting the Rockets to jump to an early lead with the kind of explosive offense the Rockets have, but wow talk about reversal of fortune (so far).

Some of the positives, obviously the big positive so far, the three point shooting. Lights out, my goodness. The Lakers shot 11-14 from beyond the arc obviously started with Steve Blake shooting 3 straight threes, Wesley Johnson's buzzer beating three, and just all around great ball movement from the Lakers, which is why the team is leading. Again, I will see this all season if we can manage to hit the 3 ball consistently especially running in this D'Antoni system, then we have a chance to surprise anyone. Here's a list this game on who shot the three ball so far: Steve Blake, Steve Nash, Wesley Johnson, Jodie Meeks, and Jordan Farmar. 5 different players making it rain from beyond the arc.

The negatives, just the turnovers and the fouls that we gotta keep in check. Luckily we played the hack-a-Dwight game for a little while, but other than that we have to know when to put on the brakes. Yeah sure it's understandable Houston likes to run and D'Antoni has done a good job letting our young and athletic bench run with them, but committing 12 turnovers as opposed to the Rockets' 7, you can't let the Rockets back in and the Lakers have to keep up the momentum on their side and it starts by limiting the turnovers and committing fouls (unless it's Dwight Howard they're targeting to foul).

Well I am even shock that I have nothing else to say during this halftime post. The Lakers just got to keep the foot on the gas, but put on the brake at their own risk. The Rockets' pairing of Omer Asik and Howard is obviously hurting them, but when they go small, it's run, run, run. So they gotta generate more turnovers (they generated 7 turnovers from the Rockets) and keep the momentum on their side because first half performances usually never translate well going into the 2nd half.

Lakers Fall to Mavs in Tuesday Night Shootout

Alright, so welcome in to the, um, actually this is more like a hybrid recap considering I didn't come home on time to watch the whole game. First off, I didn't know this was the game to air on NBA TV until this afternoon, so I took the time (while I was on my break in between classes) to make last minute construction for this game's Q-by-Q, halftime post, and full recap. Unfortunately, my ride home was an hour late and it was already traffic by the time my ride came. So for those who were expecting a Q-by-Q and a halftime post, I apologize that you guys got ripped off expecting a Q-by-Q and halftime reaction from me. It's a rarity that my ride doesn't make it on time because it would usually come early. So in turn, this is a hybrid recap because it's like a full recap, but since I didn't see the game, it'll be like a quick one so I'm reading off the stat sheet while this format looks like that of the full recap.

Nick Young was the Lakers' leading performer off the bench scoring a season high 21 points on 8-12 shooting, but the Lakers couldn't overcome Dallas' high powered offense this game lead by not Dirk Nowitzki, but Monta Ellis. Ellis had 30 points, 3 rebounds, and 9 assists to power the Mavs past the Lakers in 19 point margin of victory. Pau Gasol had his quiet night of the season just chipping in 10 points, but still hauled in 8 rebounds and dished out 4 assists. Jordan Farmar and Jodie Meeks each scored 11 points while Farmar dished out 7 assists and Chris Kaman finished with 10 points and 7 rebounds off the bench.

Full recap: http://www.nba.com/games/20131105/LALDAL/gameinfo.html

Highlights:

Next Game: @ Houston (11/07)

All I can say is, sucks that we're back down at .500 especially since we have Houston on the road on Thursday. Dwight Howard is looking to exact revenge (if you can call it that) while we're going to seek justice. Should be a fun showdown Thursday.

Again, I apologize for no Q-by-Q, halftime post, or a real full recap. I'll see you guys on Thursday when the Lakers take on the Rockets in Houston on TNT. For Laker Nation, who are also affiliated with the Raider Nation, I'll see you guys on Sunday when the Raiders travel to the daunting East Coast to take on the New York Football Giants.

Lakers Hang On For W vs. Hawks

Pau Gasol was the Lakers' top performer with 16 points and 13 rebounds, all of those rebounds came on the defensive side of the ball as the Lakers held on for dear life avoiding a disastrous 2nd half meltdown against the Hawks 103-105 to climb back to .500. Better shooting nights from Xavier Henry, Steve Nash, and Nick Young. Henry started at the small forward position over Young and finished with 18 points on 5-11 shooting and had his best free throw night for the season being 6-8 from the charity stripe. Nash broke open this game for the first time scoring 13 points and dishing 6 assists on 5-13 shooting. Off the bench, Nick Young had his efficient game as a Laker this season scoring 13 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists on 5-9 shooting and Chris Kaman was the second leading scorer off the bench with 10 points and grabbing 5 rebounds.

Final Score: vs. Atlanta 103-105 [W]
Full recap: http://www.nba.com/games/20131103/ATLLAL/gameinfo.html

Highlights

Next Game: @ Dallas (11/05)

Eagles' High Octane Up Tempo Offense Blitzkriegs Raiders

Alright so welcome in to the full recap of the today's game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Oakland Raiders where the Eagles blow out the Raiders 49-20. First off I apologize that this full recap came in later than expected, I was having internet problems the last few hours and it didn't come back on until 6:45 pm, but luckily this weeks episode of The Walking Dead kept me occupied while I was waiting for my internet to power back on.

Overall, this game was depressing to watch from the beginning, the worst game of the season so far. This game pretty much brought us back to ultimate reality that we are still a few pieces, an O-line, and a pass rusher away from becoming a playoff contending team. The Philadelphia Eagles' high octane offense hurt our defense from the get go and our offense couldn't find any way to score in the end zone.

Where to start off, there are just absolutely no positives coming from this game. I think Rashad Jennings was the only player to come out and play and you guys could make a case for Rod Streater as well.  Jennings rushed for 102 yards on 15 carries and 1 TD and Jennings' TD put us within 11 before the Eagles started to make a run for it. Streater had 5 receptions on 98 yards and had that 66 yard gain, which he should've taken it for a TD if he could've broken that one tackle.

This game had a whole bunch of negatives. One big negative, the defense. Honestly, this is a top 10 defense in the league? The Eagles' up tempo offense just thrashed this Raiders D from beginning to end. We couldn't find ways to hit or get pressure on Nick Foles and we made him look like a top 10 QB today when he tied the record for 7 passing TDs. Reality check, this defense is a pass rusher away from being a good defense. In the secondary, D.J. Hayden and Brandian Ross played their worst football. Hayden was getting burned, I believed he got burned 3 times twice by Riley Cooper and once by DeSean Jackson and Ross was taking poor tackling angles and obviously the loss of Tyvon Branch is beginning to hit us on that Strong Safety position.

There were a lot of depressing news coming in from our sideline. I didn't see most of the 4th Quarter, but from what I heard Terrelle Pryor was struck with a knee injury which is why Matt McGloin took over for most of the 4th Quarter. Pryor got injured and hope he is ok, but let's face it, Pryor has not been himself since the San Diego game. 7 turnovers in three games, you can still say the offensive line can't protect him, but there are times where Pryor is thinking about the home run play and not making the right decision. He was not comfortable at all in the pocket today as he was sacked 3 times. Another negative news, Darren McFadden, the reason why he was out after the 1st Quarter was that he tweaked his hamstring again. Honestly, after hearing about that, I think that it is time to cut ties with him because he couldn't stay healthy, if he's not available next week against the Giants, he can kiss his stay in Oakland goodbye.

In conclusion, the game sucked, reality came crashing down on us today. Odds don't look favorable heading into Metlife against the Giants, even though the Giants have played their worst football this season. They're coming the bye, we're heading towards the East Coast and the East Coast has always been a bad omen to us. I'll be back on next week to do the Q-by-Q, halftime post, and full recap when the Raiders take on the Giants. For Raider Nation, who are also part of the Laker Nation, stick around for my quick recap on the Lakers-Hawks game that is ongoing right now. Again I don't have League Pass, but I'll still post a recap with the full article and hopefully highlights if they're available.

Week 9: RAIDERS vs. Philadelphia Eagles Q-by-Q Reaction

4th Quarter:

Score: PHI 49 OAK 20

Stay tuned for the full recap.

3rd Quarter:

Score: PHI 49 OAK 13

Because this Q-by-Q reaction deserves an early start. Really pathetic game.

2nd Quarter:

Score: PHI 28 OAK 13

4 TDs in one half from the Eagles. The Eagles up tempo offense has torched us the whole half and we don't have a true pass rusher to knock down Nick Foles in a hurry. I don't know what's going with Darren McFadden, Sebastian Janikowski just made a 53 yard field goal. Going back to McFadden, reports say he's not injured, but don't know why Dennis Allen is not playing him to full snaps. The 2nd Quarter just ended, so we're taking this to the halftime report.

1st Quarter:

Score: PHI 7 OAK 3

The high octane offense of the Eagles is pretty much exposing our defense without a true pass rusher. The Eagles are driving in our territory again hoping to get more in the 2nd. Like what most said, this is a true test for our defense with this seven seconds or less like up tempo offense the Eagles are running under Chip Kelly. We've already given up our first 20+ yards on the ground and that is alarming as the 2nd roles on now.

RAIDERS vs. Eagles Half Time Post

Alright welcome in to the halftime post between the Raiders and the Philadelphia Eagles where the Eagles are up big thanks to the high octane, up tempo offense 28-13.

Some of the positives, there's not a lot of positives here considering how the game is going. I gotta say the receiving corp is probably the only positive so far. Rod Streater 4-4, on 80 yards had that big gain to set up a Sebastian Janikowski field goal, he's putting the team on his back in terms of play making when Terrelle Pryor was moving around getting uncomfortable as the pocket is collapsing. You can throw in Denarius Moore as a positive making a big time catch when again Pryor was in trouble deep into his own end zone and that always ends up as a devastating broken play.

I know Rashad Jennings scored a running TD in the 2nd quarter, but our running game is up in the air right now. Darren McFadden has been shut out for the rest of the half, I don't know why. Again, reports say he's not injured, but there's gotta be an explanation why McFadden is not getting as much snaps as he is expected to have.

Onto the negatives so far, for the first time ever in a long time, the defense. Dating back to week 1 against the Colts, who's gonna generate that true pass rush? The Eagles' high octane offense is putting that "top 10" defense back down to Earth. Nick Foles 4 TDs in the half, Riley Cooper 2 receiving TDs on 122 yards. We gotta find a way to get to Foles and he is mobile too, which is another problem. The defense has got to wake up and Jason Tarver and DA has gotta find a way to fire this defense up because they played an uninspired first half of football out there.

The Eagles get the ball, it is likely they'll run the high octane offense again. I mean we're doing a good job containing Shady and DeSean Jackson, but the Eagles had the right players to step up in Bryce Brown and Riley Cooper. Like I said, the defense has got to make plays and if they're making our defense tired, the offense has got to find a way to get the Eagles' defense tired as well.

Impromptu Full Recap: Spurs 4th Quarter Defense Stifles Lakers

Final Score: SA 91 LAL 85 [L]

Alright, welcome in to an impromptu full recap between the Lakers and the Spurs where the Spurs mustered enough offense at stops to hand the Lakers' their 2nd straight loss in the young 2013-14 season. Luckily for me, I was able to catch the whole 2nd half because I finished my programming exercises early during my lab and drove home as quickly as I can to catch enough time to maybe do an impromptu, but not formal full recap. Also I was able to be home on time to catch the halftime report and maybe I'll use some of what ESPN's analysts say as I do this recap. So this is all gonna be from improv, but luckily I caught the 2nd half.

Let's start out with positives: it's always gonna be a given that Pau Gasol is gonna be a positive, unless he really has an off night. Gasol was basically the only starter in double figures scoring 20 points and 11 rebounds, he had a decent shooting night 8-17 from the field, able to manage to hit one from the beyond 3 point line. It's no secret that we have to feed him the ball inside the low post, but most of his shots this game were from the perimeter and it's an exception, but really where he thrives is in the low post area, give him the ball down there his field goal percentage would be much better than tonight. Jodie Meeks off the bench is another positive, 14 points and 6 rebounds, mostly his game is being a spot up shooter and that's why he's so one-dimensional, but this game he was actually attacking the basket and drawing defenses and making that extra pass. It's good to see that Meeks has a motive of driving to the hoop, scoring when open, and making that extra pass rather than just living and dying behind the three. Wesley Johnson was another positive, had one of his better shooting nights, scoring 12 points on 5-11 shooting.

Onto the negatives, I guess you can say just the overall shot selection. Since I'm reading from the Yahoo Sports stat sheet, the Lakers shot 30-82 from the field and 8-27 from beyond the arc. Really just a pathetic shooting night for the Lakers, especially against an underrated defensive team like the San Antonio Spurs. It's also pretty interesting that the players we brought in were designed to thrive in Mike D'Antoni's run and gun, 7 seconds or less offense, but we just couldn't buy a bucket from the outside and basically just shot ourselves out of the game. Like I said, I understand that some players have off nights, but this game was just totally unacceptable considering this team shot 36% from the field as a whole.

Overall, piss poor shooting game tonight for the Lakers and they gotta rekindle that competitive heart that they had against the Clippers on opening night. Next game is against Atlanta and in my opinion, it should be a pretty favorable game for the Lakers. Again no Q-by-Q, halftime posts, or full recaps for League Pass games. I'll see you guys on November 7 for the Lakers' first game against the Rockets since Dwight Howard left LA for Houston. Again, for Laker Nation who are also part of the Raider Nation, I'll see you guys on Sunday when the Raiders take on the Philadelphia Eagles.