Laker Game Quick Recaps (Post-WrestleMania): Lost to Brooklyn, Won in OT vs. Sixers

If you guys follow my Instagram account, @mechg2994, the reason why these posts are here just now because I attended WrestleMania at Levi's Stadium this past weekend (I mean, I'm close to the stadium so better to cash in on a once in a lifetime opportunity). So I'm here now, playing catch up once again. Instead of posting separate posts on both games, why not I post them simultaneously? Makes it much easier for myself. Kill two birds with one stone.

03/29: @ BKN 99-107 [L]

Full article: http://www.nba.com/games/20150329/LALBKN/gameinfo.html

Highlights:

Jordan Hill was the Lakers' top performer, contributing big off the bench with a double-double of 22 points and 16 rebounds, but the Lakers came up short against the Nets in Brooklyn, losing 99-107. Jordan Clarkson added 18 points, Wesley Johnson added 17 points, and Wayne Ellington chipped in 13 points to round out the starters. Jabari Brown was a 2nd contributor off the bench, chipping in 11 points, but finished 4-14 shooting from the field.

03/30: @ Philadelphia 103-101 (OT) [W]

Full article: http://www.nba.com/games/20150330/LALPHI/gameinfo.html?ls=slt

Highlights:

In the battle of the NBA's worst, the Lakers stood tall again (as it should be or else it would've been embarrassing although that costs us a draft position). Jordan Clarkson continues his magical rookie year in a dark season for the Purple and Gold as he was the team's top performer with a double-double of 26 points and 11 assists and hitting a game winner as he lifted the Lakers past the Sixers 103-101 in OT. A great showing for the back court without Jeremy Lin as Wayne Ellington added 20 points and Jabari Brown came off the bench with a season high 22 points. Wesley Johnson also added a double-double of 12 points and 11 rebounds and Ryan Kelly chipped in 16 points to round out the starters.

Next Game: vs. New Orleans (04/01)

Lakers Fall to Raptors

Wow only two players in double figures. This is going to be a short post. Jeremy Lin was the Lakers' top performer with 18 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists, but the Lakers couldn't spoil the Raptors' Atlantic Division clinch as they fell in Toronto 83-94. Jordan Clarkson was the only player to join Lin in double figures with 14 points.

Final Score: @ Toronto 83-94 [L]

Full article: http://www.nba.com/games/20150327/LALTOR/gameinfo.html

Highlights:

Next Game: @ Brooklyn (03/29)

Lakers Rally in OT vs. T'Wolves

Wow, a win during back-to-back sets. All sarcasm aside, Jordan Clarkson continues to impress in his rookie year and willing the Lakers to a clutch OT win is another stepping stone. Clarkson finished as the Lakers' top performer with 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists, despite shooting 6-16 from the field and committing 6 turnovers to help the Lakers squeak one out against Minnesota 101-99, dueling against fellow rookie and top draftee Andrew Wiggins. Jeremy Lin added 19 points and Tarik Black and Wesley Johnson each scored 11 points to round out the starters. Ed Davis lead all scorers off the bench, recording a near double-double of 14 points and 9 rebounds.

Final Score: @ Minnesota 101-99 (OT) [W]
Full article: http://www.nba.com/games/20150325/LALMIN/gameinfo.html?ls=slt

Highlights:

Next Game: @ Toronto (03/27)

Lakers Fall to Thunder

As the NBA season draws to a close and teams fighting for playoff spots in the West, the Lakers tried to mar the incumbent 8th seeded Thunder's playoff position without Kevin Durant or Serge Ibaka, but to no avail. Jordan Clarkson continues to shine, bouncing back after being nonexistent vs. the Sixers Sunday night, scoring 30 points, 4 rebounds, and 7 assists, but the Lakers had no answer for Westbrook and the Thunder as the lost 117-127. Jeremy Lin added 19 points, 10 points shy of equaling his season high as a Laker last game, and Ryan Kelly added 16 points to round out the starters. Wayne Ellington lead all scorers off the bench with 15 points and Ed Davis came in second, chipping in 12 points.

Final Score: @ Oklahoma City 117-127 [L]

Full article: http://www.nba.com/games/20150324/LALOKC/gameinfo.html?ls=slt

Highlights:

Next Game: @ Minnesota (03/25)

Linsanity Erupts vs. Sixers

I could've sworn I had this posted up, then I re-checked and I didn't. Forgetfulness hurts people. Anyway, Jeremy Lin was the Lakers' top performer, scoring a season high 29 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists on 10-16 shooting off the bench, rekindling his Linsanity days to help the Lakers beat the 76ers 87-101. Luckily they did or they would've seriously been the worst team in the league. Jordan Hill added a near double-double of 12 points and 8 rebounds and three players each contributed 10 points. Wesley Johnson and Wayne Ellington added two of those 10 points each in the starting lineup and Jabari Brown added the last 10 points off the bench.

Final Score: vs. Philadelphia 87-101 [W]
Full article: http://www.nba.com/games/20150322/PHILAL/gameinfo.html

Highlights:

Next Game: @ Oklahoma City (Tonight 6:00 PM Pacific Time)

Steve Nash Announces Retirement

Steve Nash's tenure with the Lakers has ended. Today, the two-time NBA MVP and former All-Star announced his retirement today by writing an article on the Player's Tribune website. Nash was dealt to the Lakers in a sign-and-trade during the Lakers' 2012 blockbuster offseason that also included the trade for Dwight Howard. The Lakers gave up a two first round picks and two second round picks to acquire Nash after several illustrious seasons with the Phoenix Suns. However, Nash's tenure with the Lakers didn't come to fruition as multiple injuries derailed his time with the Purple and Gold.

I originally didn't want to write about this other than the fact that I just want to wish Steve Nash good luck in his future. However, due to the lack of Laker content on this blog as I've been cancelling numerous nationally televised Laker games to cover for this year, I feel this is little compensation. To be honest, I don't think you can ever consider that there was a Steve Nash era with the Lakers. When the Lakers first acquired him, Nash was already getting up there with age. I think his last season with the Suns is when he was officially approaching the end of his career. There were two reasons why Nash was dealt to the Lakers: 1) Nash wanted to go to a contender close to his family residing in Phoenix and going to the Lakers was his best chance to finish his career with a ring. 2) The Lakers front office retaliated from the vetoed Chris Paul trade (f*ck David Stern for that still) after the 2011 lockout and took the next best alternative the following offseason by acquiring Nash.

The 2012 offseason for us Laker fans, we thought that it was a coup. The Lakers acquired Nash, acquired Dwight, kept Pau Gasol, it looked like Mitch fooled both then Suns' GM, Steve Kerr and Magic GM, Rob Hennigan and was in position to win Executive of the Year. Mitch thought he outsmarted them both, but in the end both Steve Kerr and Rob Hennigan ultimately won that trade subliminally. The Lakers mortgaged their future a lot acquiring an aging Nash, who battled injuries all seasons long playing for the Lakers. We already know the story with Dwight. Focusing back on Nash though, the lesson we learned once again during Nash's tenure is that Father Time is undefeated. No matter how healthy you feel or how well conditioned you've been in the past or if there's something that you want to do you haven't done yet before you consider your career is all said and done, Father Time will find a way to ensure you walk away from the game you love. Nash tried denying that in order to get that elusive ring he's been chasing throughout his 18-year career in the NBA, but Father Time just simply said "I'm sorry, but time's up."

For us Laker fans, it's easy to bash Steve Nash because he ate up some of the salary cap just to be in a suit and tie and not contributing to the team. However, it doesn't change the fact that Steve Nash has placed himself as one of the NBA's all-time great point guards and is the most classy guy you'll ever meet (even though I've never personally met him). Nash gave us Laker fans more fits in his prime during his time with the Phoenix Suns than when he was sitting on the Laker bench injured at the twilight of his career. He, however, left one lasting memory with the Lakers despite not delivering a lot of memories donning the Purple and Gold and that was moving up into third place on the NBA all-time assists list during a regular season matchup against the Portland Trailblazers last season. He also paved the way for the future by taking rookie, Jordan Clarkson under his tutelage and it paying dividends big time with Clarkson putting up great numbers in the last few games. Unfortunate that Steve Nash's tenure didn't work out for the Lakers, but I wish him the best in all his future endeavors.

Links to the 2012 offseason posts from this blog:

http://trueraiderlaker.blogspot.com/2012/07/blockbuster-report-lakers-agree-to-sign.html

http://trueraiderlaker.blogspot.com/2012/08/dwight-howard-to-lakers.html

Loss #50

Only three Lakers scored in double figures and not even one scored more than 15 points (that's how generous I am). Tarik Black (I think this was his first start; I am not sure) was the Lakers' top performer with a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds, but the Lakers could not pull a victory, losing to the Jazz 80-73, tallying up their 50 losses in two consecutive seasons. Wesley Johnson added 12 points and Carlos Boozer came off the bench with 11 points.

Final Score: vs. Utah 80-73 [L]
Full article: http://www.nba.com/games/20150319/UTALAL/gameinfo.html

Highlights:

Next Game: vs. Philadelphia (03/22)

Raiders Add Trent Richardson For RB Depth

Cleveland traded him, Indianapolis cut him, Raiders claimed him. The Raiders bolster their depth at running back by adding Trent Richardson to the team. Details of his contract are undisclosed, but it is safe to assume he is on a prove-it deal that if he can rekindle putting up numbers the way he did his rookie season, he makes the team, if he flops during preseason, he gets cut.

Whoo boy. The Raiders have done this in the past before, giving under-performing football players a 2nd chance to be a star on their team and it has worked out (ex: Jim Plunkett). Obviously, things didn't work out for T-Rich in his tenure with Indianapolis Colts. They thought he could bolster that running game and relieve pressure off of Andrew Luck in the passing game and Richardson hasn't lived up to the expectations. In fact, he hasn't lived up to expectations since his rookie year as he almost rushed for 1,000 yards and adding 11 TDs and then those numbers have dipped. The reason why this got a separate post is because it was unexpected. I thought the Raiders were contempt of having Latavius Murray and Roy Helu, Jr. in that backfield and they could line up Reece there if they want to. With the addition of T-Rich, even though contract details feel like he's going to be there as a camp body, Raiders get somewhat of a bruiser at that position. However, if things don't work out, that's fine. This goes to show that they're not anointing Murray yet to play a full 16 game season as an every down back. Heck, if they choose to keep T-Rich, probably the Raiders pull a Baltimore Ravens and New England Patriots last season and run with whoever is a capable back by committee.

Contract details: 2 years, $3.9 million  < I guess it's safe to assume that he'll make the team although there are no guarantees once players push themselves to the limit to make the team, but with this deal, it looks like T-Rich is going to stick around.

Lakers Fall Shorts vs. Warriors

Talk about almost another trap game the Lakers were giving against the Western Conference-leading Warriors. Jordan Hill was the Lakers' top performer, recording a double-double of 15 points and 12 rebounds to add to 5 assists, but the Lakers couldn't upset the best team in the West and in the division right now as the fall to the Warriors 105-108, allowing them to clinch a playoff spot. Wesley Johnson added 15 points and Jordan Clarkson and Wayne Ellington both added 17 points to round out the starters. Jeremy Lin was the top scorer off the bench with 15 points, despite shooting 3-8 from the field and Carlos Boozer chipped in 10 points and 9 rebounds.

Final Score: @ Golden State 105-108 [L]
Full article: http://www.nba.com/games/20150316/LALGSW/gameinfo.html?ls=slt

Highlights:

Next Game: vs. Utah (03/19)

Too Many Bricks: Lakers Lose to Hawks

Ed Davis is the Lakers' top performer with 7 points, 13 rebounds, and 4 assists in the loss to the Atlanta Hawks 91-86. Am I seeing that right? Only three players scored in double figures Sunday night as Jordan Clarkson racked up 10 points and almost grabbed a near triple-double, grabbing 8 rebounds and dishing out 6 assists, but shooting 4-13 from the field. Carlos Boozer added 13 points off the bench as well as Ryan Kelly, tallying up the same point total as Boozer. Everybody else has not racked up double-figures due to poor shooting. (That escalated quickly).

Final Score: vs. Atlanta 91-86 [L]
Full article: http://www.nba.com/games/20150315/ATLLAL/gameinfo.html?ls=slt

Highlights:

Next Game: @ Golden State (Tonight 7:30 PM Pacific Time) <= No Q-by-Q, Halftime, or Full Recap posts

Darren McFadden Departs For Dallas

The Darren McFadden era in Oakland has finally come to an end. After staying for one more year last season, Darren McFadden has found a new home down in Texas. McFadden and the Dallas Cowboys have come to an agreement for a 2 year $5.85 million deal. With the departure of DeMarco Murray to Philly, the Cowboys had to fill in their running back void.

A part of us here within the Raider Nation is probably celebrating right now that he's finally left the team. It's understandable, considering he just couldn't stay healthy for a full 16 game season. Ironically, the year he finally stood healthy is last season, his last season with the Silver and Black, but he didn't contribute too much with the eventual emergence of Latavius Murray. He only had a 1000+ yard season under Hue Jackson and the next year with Hue as the head coach, he looked like he was on pace another great year till he got hit with a Linsfranc injury and the rest was history for McFadden's tenure. We may be glad that he's out considering the amount of times his injuries cost the Raiders promising seasons during his breakout years, but you can't deny his loyalty to the Raiders. He could've walked out last offseason when he was a free agent, could've taken Adrian Peterson-like money to play for another team, but he wanted to stay, take less money, and play with a chip on his shoulder to give something long overdue to the Raiders. It just wasn't meant to be.

Now with McFadden going to Dallas, those two years on the contract are definitely going to be pivotal. The Cowboys have a stout O-line, the paved a lot of holes for DeMarco Murray to run in. Basically, McFadden is going to get what he hasn't had in his 6-7 year tenure with the Raiders, a stout O-line that can open up big running lanes. The verdict is still out there whether McFadden failed to be the star running back the Raiders expected him to be because of an awful O-line he had to play with or is it because of the injuries that have derailed his growth into one of the league's premiere running back. Only the next season will tell and it will definitely give us a big picture on McFadden's NFL career. Can he benefit from the same O-line that made DeMarco Murray last season's leading rusher? Only next season will tell. But overall, I wish McFadden good luck on his new team and hopefully a change of scenery will rejuvenate his career.

Lakers Swept by Knicks in Regular Season Series

I guess TNT didn't want to broadcast this game anymore in their prime time double header considering how awful both teams are. With the Lakers losing twice to the Knicks, I guess it's safe to say that the Lakers are worse than the Knicks despite having a better record than them. Jordan Hill was the Lakers' top performer this game with a double-double of 19 points and 10 rebounds on 8-14 shooting, but that couldn't lift the Lakers to victory as the Knicks beat the Lakers 101-94. Tarik Black saw some playing time, recording a double-double of 10 points and 11 rebounds. The backcourt of Wayne Ellington and Jordan Clarkson failed to deliver an efficient game as Ellington scored 11 points on 4-13 shooting and Clarkson also scored 11 points, but on 4-12 shooting. Jeremy Lin was the top scorer off the bench with 14 points and Carlos Boozer added 11 points to round out the bench.

Final Score: vs. New York 101-94 [L]
Full Article: http://www.nba.com/games/20150312/NYKLAL/gameinfo.html?ls=slt

Highlights:

Next Game: vs. Atlanta (03/15)

Rodney Hudson to Raiders Official

Though both parties came into agreement the day before free agency, the official Raiders website has confirmed that Kansas City Chiefs center, Rodney Hudson, has signed his contract with the team. Referring back to the details, Hudson's contract is up to 5 years worth $44.5 million, making him the highest paid centers in the NFL. Hudson didn't become the full time starting center until after his 2nd year after recovering from injury and has remained on the field ever since.

Looking back at this, as mentioned, Hudson was ranked #3 overall in Pro Football Focus's best centers in the league rankings while Stefen Wisniewski couldn't crack at the top 10 at best. Like I said when this deal was disclosed, it provides a huge upgrade at that center position and bolsters that O-line. Evaluating Wiz's play at center, I gotta admit, it was mediocre at best, whether Carson Palmer, Terelle Pryor, Matt Flynn, Matt McGloin, or Derek Carr was under center. Bad communication, bad snaps, committed too many holding penalties when the running game had a good gain up the middle. With a O-line consisting of Penn, Jackson, Hudson, and Austin Howard, who's moving to his natural position at right tackle, that's a pretty decent O-line to give Carr protection and potentially open up big holes for the running game.

Raiders Add LB Curtis Lofton (NO) and DT Dan Williams (ARZ)

Now these are some of the free agency signings I was going to make separate posts about. The Raiders brought these two players in for a visit yesterday and then early morning today, both Curtis Lofton and Dan Williams agreed to sign with the Raiders. Lofton is going into his 7th season and he's racked up over 800 tackles in his stints with the Falcons and the Saints and he's signed to an 3 year $18 million deal. As for Williams, he's spent 5 years with the Cardinals, racking up over 100 tackles and the terms of his deal is undisclosed, but he's scheduled to make $6 million per year with $15 million guaranteed.

These may not be big time splashes that we were expecting from Reggie McKenzie, but they provide the Raiders with some depth and fill some holes on positions that needed to be address. With the Lofton signing, I thought with signing Malcolm Smith, he would be the Raiders' starting linebacker, but they were contempt on bringing in a much proven linebacker who can be that defensive play caller. Lofton racks up a lot of tackles and I mean a lot of tackles and he's a great. A perfect replacement for Roach. Obviously, Lofton is penciled in to be the "Mike" with Moore and Mack on the outside, but since Moore is on a timetable after receiving hip surgery, the Raiders could place Malcolm Smith on the weakside for the time being since he can play all three positions. The signing of Lofton overall provides depth at the linebacker spot the Raiders have been lacking last season with multiple injuries.

As for Dan Williams, during his draft year, he was like the top-tier defensive linemen next to Ndamukong Suh. He didn't make too much of an impact until last season and this guy is just a pure run stopper. Look at the Cowboys game last season, Williams had the best game in containing Dallas' run game and their star running back, DeMarco Murray. Now, one game doesn't tell the whole career of a player, but I can see him as a primary run stopper and it makes sense considering the Raiders were horrible stopping the run, especially since teams were running up the middle all game long. You pair him with Justin Ellis in the middle, that is a brick wall running back are running into. Now this signing also signals that the Raiders are officially out of the Terrance Knighton sweepstakes. It would've been nice to add Knighton, but he wanted a lucrative offer and his play is below that. I guess that's what you expect for a player who banked on the Broncos winning the Super Bowl last season. Nonetheless, Williams is a far cry from Knighton, but he's still a good player and has a lot of years on him to develop his full potential as a 1st round pick.

Lakers Top Pistons

In a game where both teams needed a win to snap their losing skid, the Lakers were the ones to come out on top. Ed Davis was the Lakers' top performer this game, scoring 13 points and 6 rebounds on 6-8 shooting to help the Lakers beat the Pistons 85-93. Jeremy Lin was the only Laker off the bench to join Davis in double figures with 12 points. Though Lin just chipped in one field goal, he got most of his points from the charity stripe. All Laker starters were in double figures this game as Wesley Johnson added 13 points, Tarik Black added 10 points and 8 rebounds, Wayne Ellington racked up 11 points, and Jordan Clarkson chipped in 10 points and 8 assists. Jordan Hill was the leading scorer of the starting five with 16 points.

Final Score: vs. Detroit 85-93 [W]
Full article: http://www.nba.com/games/20150310/DETLAL/gameinfo.html?ls=slt

Highlights:

Next Game: vs. New York (03/12) <= Q-by-Q, Halftime, and Full Recap Posts (Cancelled, not nationally televised)

Raiders 2015 Free Agency Outlook

The day before the New Year of the NFL Season. You know what that means. The NFL offseason is finally taking place! But that's tomorrow though. So good afternoon Raider Nation, welcome to the annual Raiders Free Agency Outlook as told by my personal insight, using a little research too. So let's get right into it.

Well you can take the plans of signing Ndamukong Suh and Randall Cobb and burn them. Even though free agency hasn't started yet, the past weekend was the time for the unrestricted FAs and their agents to negotiate with teams on a deal to stay with their designated team or leave for another team. Suh and Cobb were definitely top targets for the Raiders and it would've provided much help for Khalil Mack and Derek Carr. Unfortunately, Cobb agreed to re-sign with the Packers to a 4 year $40 million deal, the Raiders would've offered him much more than that, but clearly Cobb wanted to be Green Bay. As for Suh, he agreed to sign with the Miami Dolphins to a 6 year $114 million deal, making him the highest paid player at his position. Not signing Suh, I could understand that the Raiders still have to many holes to fill on this roster and though signing Suh would've been a big help to the D-line, it's just not worth it where it will cost Reggie to address the team with depth at all positions. The Randall Cobb deal was the probably that hurts more considering that he was the best receiver in the free agency class aside from Jeremy Maclin, who agreed to sign with the division rival Chiefs. However, that leaves the option to draft either Kevin White or Amari Cooper in the first round open.

Luckily today, it was reported that the Raiders have agreed to deal with Chiefs center, Rodney Hudson. According to the contract details, Hudson's deal is going to be worth $44.5 million for 5 years. A good upgrade at the position as Hudson was ranked the 3rd best center in the league according to Pro Football Focus (PFF). This signing also indicates that Stefen Wisniewski could be on his way out of Oakland. The deal's not official until tomorrow, but at least the Raiders managed to get one of their top 5 free agent priorities along with Knighton, Julius Thomas/Maclin, Cobb, and Suh.

So where do the Raiders stand right now in free agency? They have $60 million in the salary cap again plus the contractions of Tyvon Branch, Maurice Jones-Drew, and LaMarr Woodley, that puts the Raiders at like $69-70 million and they have to overpay some free agents to be on the cap floor according to the NFL collective bargaining agreement. Agreeing to sign the 3rd best center in the league for a huge amount of money is a start. I'd like the Raiders to keep addressing both the offensive line and defensive line. They're not always bright pick ups, but everything is won in the trenches. With Hudson out of the way, the next priorities for the Raiders are Terrance Knighton and Mike Iupati. Signing Iupati would solidify that O-line for a couple of years and with Knighton, imagine Pot Roast and Jelly in the middle, nobody should be running up the middle and stopping the run has been a problem for the Raiders. Pass rush is important too, but I look for the Raiders to address that in the draft if they choose not to use that 4th pick on either White or Cooper. Other notable free agents to note, Jermaine Gresham has been on the Raiders' radar. Considering that Julius Thomas could be on his way to Jacksonville, Gresham wouldn't be that bad, also Jordan Cameron is another option. Mychal Rivera is decent, but the Raiders need a tight end who can block and catch at the same time. The David Ausberry experiment was a failure and Carr needs that security blanket, especially since under Bill Musgrave, they'll be incorporating some of the Chip Kelly no-huddle offense.

This Reggie Mckenzie's redux with a lot of money to spend in the offseason again. Last year, he took an over the hill veteran approach to provide leadership in that locker room. Tuck, Penn, James Jones, they were worthy of staying. Antonio Smith, he played decent down the stretch at the DT position, but he's better off at his natural position at defensive end and being a backup. Everybody else like Tarell Brown, Rogers, MJD, Schaub, Woodley, they had no business being on the team. Hopefully with a mix of veteran and young players to add in the free agency, this long rebuilding process speeds up and adds on to the core that's being built, this time under the guise of proven head coach Jack Del Rio. Be sure to check out the blog tomorrow for signings because it will be updated constantly. I'll have a different approach in analyzing the FA period as I will have separate posts on the big signings whether it's signing a notable free agent or signing an FA to a huge contract. It's going to be an exciting time tomorrow Raider Nation. I'll see you guys then.

Lakers Fall to Mavs

And nobody on the Lakers recorded a double-double or a triple-double this game. Carlos Boozer almost did as he was the team's top performer with 17 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 assists off the bench, but the Lakers had no answer for Monta Ellis' 31 point performance as the Mavs beat the Lakers 100-93. Wesley Johnson added 15 points on 6-9 shooting, Wayne Ellington had 13 points, and Jordan Clarkson chipped in 15 points to round out the starters. Ed Davis was the only player to join Boozer in double figures off the bench with 10 points and 8 rebounds.

Final Score: vs. Dallas 100-93 [L]
Full article: http://www.nba.com/games/20150308/DALLAL/gameinfo.html?ls=slt

Highlights:

Next Game: vs. Detroit (03/10)

Jordan Clarkson Has His Way, Still Can't Will Lakers to W vs. Grizzlies

Jordan Clarkson has provided light at the end of the tunnel for us Laker fans into the future. After a not-so-good game against the Heat Wednesday night, Clarkson turned in his best game against a gritty Grizzlies team. The Fil-Am rookie was the top performer with 25 points, 4 rebounds, and 6 assists, but it was in a losing effort against the top-tier Grizzlies as the Lakers fell 90-97 in Memphis. Wayne Ellington was the only player to join Clarkson in double figures in the starting lineup with 14 points (they've been playing decent in that back court). Wesley Johnson was the leading scorer off the bench with 14 points, Jordan Hill added 13 points, and Ed Davis added 10 points to round out the bench.

Final Score: @ Memphis 90-97 [L]
Full article: http://www.nba.com/games/20150306/LALMEM/gameinfo.html?ls=slt

Highlights:

Next Game: vs. Dallas (03/08) <= No Q-by-Q, Halftime Post, or Full Recap

Lakers Fall to Heat Wednesday Night

*Playing catch up*

Ed Davis lead the way as he was the Lakers' top performer, recording a double-double of 14 points and 12 rebounds off the bench, but Hassan Whiteside was a man among boys against the combined efforts of the Lakers' front court as his 18 points and 25 rebounds performance helped the Heat pull away from the Lakers 94-100 Wednesday night. Carlos Boozer added 13 points, Wayne Ellington added 14 points, and Jordan Clarkson chipped in 10 points to round out the starters. Jeremy Lin contributed 12 points and 9 assists off the bench, Jordan Hill also had a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds, and Wesley Johnson added 12 points to round out the bench.

Final Score: @ Miami 94-100 [L]
Full article: http://www.nba.com/games/20150304/LALMIA/gameinfo.html

Highlights:

Lakers Come Up Short vs. Hornets

Jeremy Lin is having sorts of bad luck to will the Lakers to victory, despite putting together two solid performances. Lin was the Lakers' top performer again off the bench with 23 points, 6 rebounds, and 8 assists, but the Lakers would go on to lose by one point, falling to the Hornets 103-104. Jordan Clarkson continues to shine in the starting lineup racking up 19 points and Carlos Boozer added a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds to round out the starters. Both Wesley Johnson and Jordan Hill contributed off the bench, with both scoring 10 points.

Final Score: @ Charlotte 103-104 [L]
Full article: http://www.nba.com/games/20150303/LALCHA/gameinfo.html?ls=slt

Highlights:

Next Game: @ Miami (Tonight 5:00 PM Pacific Time) <= NO Q-by-Q, Halftime, and Full Recap Posts

Lakers' Streak Snapped by Thunder

Next Q-by-Q, Halftime, and Full Recap Post: March 12 vs. New York Knicks <= for sure I'll have that game covered. I apologize for of giving a lot of leeway, but I'm 100% sure that posts for televised Laker games will resume on that day.

It didn't take too long before the Lakers came back down to earth to their current state. Jeremy Lin was the Lakers' top performer with 20 points, 6 rebounds, and 8 assists, but they couldn't cash in on opportunity as they fell to the Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant-less Thunder, 101-108. The back court of Wayne Ellington and Jordan Clarkson both tallied up 12 points and Ryan Kelly added 11 points to round out the starters. Jordan Hill added a double-double of 14 points and 12 rebounds (11 of them came from the defensive side of the ball) off the bench and Ed Davis added 10 points on a perfect 5-5 shooting.

Final Score: vs. Oklahoma City 101-108 [L]
Full article: http://www.nba.com/games/20150301/OKCLAL/gameinfo.html?ls=slt

Highlights:

Next Game: @ Charlotte (03/03)