Lakers Close Out 2017 With Tough Double Overtime Loss to Rockets

*Stats courtesy of NBA.com and Yahoo Sports*

Julius Randle was the Lakers' top performer, pouring in 29 points and 15 rebounds to go with 6 assists and 1 block, but the hard fought effort fell just short as the Rockets pulled away 142-148 in a double overtime victory.  Josh Hart lead all Lakers in scoring with 26 points, Kyle Kuzma added 23 points, Tyler Ennis notched a double-double with 20 points and 11 dimes, and Brandon Ingram chipped in 12 points.

Final Score: @ Houston 142-148 (2OT) [L]
Full article: http://www.nba.com/games/20171231/LALHOU#/recap

Next Game: @ Minnesota (01/01)

Highlights: *Courtesy of MLG Highlights*

First and foremost, happy New Year Laker Nation as 2017 winds down and 2018 is on the clock. This game overall was good way to end 2017. The Lakers almost notched another one in Houston, but the Rockets rallied to come back and win. I was really impressed with the effort from Josh Hart this game. I've said this time after time, Hart is like the forgotten 1st round pick out of the 2017 draft class headlined by Ball and Kuzma. Of course with KCP's jail time, he fills very well. This game, he went off. Like Ball and Kuzma, Hart showed tendencies in being aggressive to the cup. That was on display in this game and I liked his hustle and activity in trying to will the Lakers to victory. He and Kuzma carried the Lakers' 3 point shooting this game. Kuzma was good to start, but as the game went on in OT, he started to fizzle out, missing a couple of contested shots, especially in the 2nd overtime. Ennis stepped up as a scorer and playmaker. This was like a prove-it game for him considering Houston made he and Brewer a trade piece when they accepted the Lakers' trade for Lou Williams and he balled out. Pretty much as noted in the stats sheet, the starting five carried the team. Randle still proved he's a double-double machine as a starter. Ingram had a solid game. He came through  with some clutch free throws to send this game to a 2nd overtime. Good effort, but the Rockets still have too many weapons on their roster. Chris Paul took over the game when Houston needed him the most, especially when they took a hit on James Harden's hamstring injury when the game went beyond regulation.

Raiders End Disappointing 2017 Season with Loss to Chargers; Jack Del Rio Fired; Return of Chucky?

Welcome in to the full recap of the Raiders' 2017 season finale at the Los Angeles Chargers where the Raiders end the season in what was a microcosm of the whole season. They lose to the Chargers 10-30 and finish the season at 6-10.

As I'm preparing this post, I received the headline on Bleacher Report that the Raiders have fired Jack Del Rio immediately at the conclusion of this game. You guys have heard the rumors that they are planning to bring Chucky back. And they're essentially giving the farm to get Jon Gruden: $10 million per year and a stake of the Raiders ownership. Here's what's wrong with this picture: after Del Rio lead the Raiders to a 12-4 season last year, Mark Davis decided to prematurely give him a 5-year contract extension. What good is that if you're gonna fire him after a down year? When they hired him during the 2015 season, they should've just let Del Rio play out before handing him any extensions. Granted, Del Rio may have changed the culture, but it looks like he hasn't learned anything from his tenure in Jacksonville. No understanding of X's and O's, bad clock management, and bad personnel decisions. I think letting go of Bill Musgrave for Todd Downing when the offense was top 5-10 last year and keeping Ken Norton Jr. for 2 1/2 years when the defense was on the bottom of the barrel sealed his fate here this season. And quickly, he has lost the team with all distractions and rumors of the team being divisive in the locker room. To me, I thought we should've kept him if he proves himself with a proven OC. He already had a proven DC in place with John Pagano, but that doesn't look like that's gonna happen. With Gruden possibly coming back for a 2nd tenure, the biggest issue will be whether or not Chucky will adjust to the modern football game considering he's been out of coaching for almost 10 years. Remember back in 2006, the Raiders brought back Art Shell for a 2nd tenure and his schemes were completely outdated to the modern game at that time. But regardless, the return of Chucky could provide a spark for Raider Nation, although some are still bitter about Super Bowl XXXVII. Time heals all wounds I guess.

Now onto this game, there's not much to say here. Philip Rivers and the Chargers pretty much picked this defense apart. Outside of Derek Carr throwing the 87 yard TD pass to Amari Cooper and Marshawn Lynch reaching 10,000 career rushing yards, the offense has not done anything. Derek Carr turned the ball over a couple of times here. The game was just pretty bad overall and this final game of the season added insult to injury from Super Bowl aspiration to utter disappointment this season.

(+)

Marshawn Lynch, 19 carries, 101 rushing yards, 2 receptions, 18 yards. As mentioned, Lynch broke 10,000 career rushing yards during this game. I personally didn't know he was that close to closing in on that milestone, but he did it anyway. The biggest weakness on the Chargers defense has been their rush defense and Lynch was able to break out big runs against them. Obviously, they couldn't rely on him too much because they were already down big this game. Anyway, that was the only silver lining, the 10,000 career rushing yards. Congrats Beast Mode.

Amari Cooper, 3 receptions, 115 yards, 1 TD. If and when Chucky's comeback is official, it's going to be interesting to see how he utilizes Amari Cooper next season. Because Todd Downing didn't have any clue how to get him involve. As a Coop advocate, this was a very disappointing season for him. But, he still has deep threat ability, sharp route running, and yards-after-catch. He just needs to limit the drops. Look no further than when he grabbed the 87 yard deep ball from Carr for the Raiders' only TD this game. He's still a big play receiver. He caught a couple of balls for 10+ yards to add to his total receiving yardage. Clearly, there's still some lightning in the AC/DC connection.

(-)

Defense. It was fun while it lasted with the defense playing lights out in these last few weeks since John Pagano took over. This was eventually the biggest test for the revamped defense because Philip Rivers and the Chargers knew his defensive scheme. As a result, over 400 yards given up through the air and through the ground. They only managed to get one sack on Rivers throughout the whole game. The secondary broke down when Karl Joseph went down. A lot of miscommunication on their end which lead to wide open TDs for the Chargers: one to Tyrell Williams that went 56 yards and the other to the speedster Travis Benjamin for 62 yards.

MVP

Amari Cooper, 3 receptions, 115 yards, 1 TD

He had the only TD of the game. He received a lot of scrutiny this season in what was a very disappointing season. But, the deep threat and route running ability is still there. Whoever's offensive coordinator whether it's Gruden or another OC he'll bring in when it's official, they'll find a way to utilize Coop better and challenge him to limit his drops.

Conclusion

Thank goodness this trainwreck of a season is over. The Raiders have made their decision in firing Del Rio. They wasted no time on the coaching decision, now they have to make some tough decisions on player personnel. There's a lot of rumors swirling around on who they would keep and who they would let go. One of the big ones is Michael Crabtree with the rumors that the Raiders might let him go to free up some cap space. Most of the 2014 draft class outside of Carr and Jackson will be free agents. And of course, you got the impeding extension of Khalil Mack and clearly the Raiders are thinking about that. It goes to show, there's still a long ways to go before this team could be discussed as one of the NFL's elite. Chucky's impending return will not fix the Raiders overnight. Outside of that, happy New Year Raider Nation and thank you for following my coverage of the 2017 season. As usual, "A Season in Review" post will follow to reflect on this 2017 season. I'll see you guys next season.

Week 17: RAIDERS @ Chargers 2nd Half Open Thread and Discussion

This is the 2nd half open thread and discussion of the Raiders-Chargers matchup to conclude the 2017 NFL Season. As usual, leave a comment below and share your thoughts on the game.

Q4

OAK 10 LAC 30

Finally, this game is over. So many lowlights in this game served as a microcosm of the 2017 season. With a lot of rumors swirling around this team, there's a lot of decisions to consider in this offseason. Stay tuned for the full recap.

Q3

OAK 10 LAC 30


Just take shots to the end zone at this point. What do the Raiders got to lose? This quarter was pretty much dominated by the Chargers since the start. After the field goal, the Raiders offense got things going, but they couldn't convert on the 4th and 2 play by tossing the ball to Lynch and see if he can get the edge and run for the first down. I was scratching my head on the play call. That should've been a power run play if Todd Downing knew what power run plays are. One more quarter to end this disappointing season.

Week 17: Finishing Strong - RAIDERS @ LA Chargers 1st Half Open Thread and Discussion

Happy New Years Eve Raider Nation! This year didn't go the way we expected, but it's all about finishing the year strong at this point. This is the 1st half open thread and discussion of the Raiders-Chargers Week 17 matchup to close out the 2017 season. Leave a comment below and share your thoughts on the game.

Q2

OAK 10 LAC 20

Wild finish in the 2nd quarter as both offenses started to generate some points. Raiders offense got going with Derek Carr's 87-yard bomb to Amari Cooper for the game-tying TD. My only gripe is they've waited until the end of the season to go deep, especially on 3rd down. Where was that all season? Even though Carr did throw some deep balls to Holton in the Denver game and Miami game. Still what happened to just letting it rip and take shots on the field? On that play, it was 3rd and 23 and we thought it was going to be another check down. But Carr stayed patient in the pocket and saw Coop streaking in the open field to have that TD play happen. I'll admit, the playbook is opening up this game, but we're still seeing predictable screens and run plays and penalties negating some big plays. Seth Roberts has been a relatively good blocking receiver, but he's costed the team twice with some illegal blocking penalties. On the defensive side, Philip Rivers and the Chargers offense were gonna be a pretty daunting test for the defense under Pagano and it has been as advertised as the Chargers dropped 3 TDs this game. They really have to slow that unit down, especially they need to find ways to contain Gordon and Benjamin because that is their lightning rods on offense outside of Keenan Allen and Antonio Gates if they get going. On offense, nothing to lose here, so keep taking shots down field but at the same time, Carr's gotta be smart. That last play that ended up in an INT was not great at all with Coop handling double coverage. The 2nd half will open up shortly.

Q1

OAK 0 LAC 0

We go scoreless in the first quarter. Both offenses struggled to get going. Better execution from the Raiders on the 2nd drive. They got Crabtree and Cook involved in the passing game (where was that the whole season) and Marshawn Lynch exploiting the weak rush defense of the Chargers. But as usual, it was marred by a holding penalty and they had to settle for predictable screens. The biggest thing this defense needs to do is contain Melvin Gordon and watch where Travis Benjamin is lined up. That's where the Chargers offense gets going.

Lakers Soundly Beaten by Clippers

*Stats courtesy of NBA.com and Yahoo Sports*

Jordan Clarkson lead all Lakers in scoring with 20 points off the bench to go with 5 rebounds and 8 assists, but the Lakers couldn't stop a Clippers team rejuvenated by Blake Griffin's return, losing 121-106. Larry Nance Jr. added 16 points on the 2nd unit. Julius Randle and Brandon Ingram were co-leaders in the starting unit as both scored 18 points. Randle added 7 boards. KCP added 14 points and 7 rebounds and Kyle Kuzma had a mini bounceback game with 13 points and 5 rebounds.

Final Score: vs. LA Clippers 121-106
Full article: http://www.nba.com/games/20171229/LACLAL#/recap

Next Game: @ Houston (12/31)

Highlights: *Courtesy of Rapid Highlights*

Not much to comment about this game. The Clippers handled the Lakers in a wire-to-wire victory with Blake Griffin returning to the lineup. They started out hot in the 1st quarter with Austin Rivers and Milos Teodosic draining a couple of 3-pointers. Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan did their thing inside the paint. Lou Williams was getting to the free throw line as usual. Montrezl Harrell stepped up for them big time. Meanwhile, the Lakers could not get their offense to go. As mentioned in the stat sheets, Clarkson, Kuzma, Nance, Randle, and Ingram tried to help the team muster some offense. In the 3rd quarter, the Lakers saw little life. The Clippers tried to be cute with their offense and the Lakers capitalized on turnovers and turning defense into offense in those stints. But, the Clippers were just too much  for the Lakers this game and the Lakers are almost incapable of playing from behind when they dig themselves a big deficit.

Woes Doom Lakers in Loss to Grizzlies

*Stats courtesy of NBA.com and Yahoo Sports*

Brandon Ingram returned to the lineup and lead the Lakers in scoring with 23 points, but the Lakers could not overcome their overall off night, losing to the Grizzlies 109-99. Jordan Clarkson followed with 22 points and KCP added 16 points to round out the starters. Larry Nance Jr. lead the 2nd unit with a near double-double of 12 points and 9 rebounds.

Final Score: vs. Memphis 109-99 [L]
Full article: http://www.nba.com/games/20171227/MEMLAL#/recap

Next Game: vs. LA Clippers (12/29)

Highlights: *Courtesy of Rapid Highlights*

Lakers are now 0-3 in their current home stand. With the final score, the Grizzlies should've won by a bigger margin. Not a lot of things went right for the Lakers for the Lakers on both ends of the floor. The tight, defensive activity was non-existent minus a portion of the third quarter where the Lakers made a run to tie the game up at 76 before the 4th quarter. Memphis was getting all kinds of looks they wanted. They didn't even need Marc Gasol to go off this game. Tyreke Evans, Deyonta Davis, and Jarell Martin picked up the slack. The biggest headline this game was Kyle Kuzma's mega off-game. Kuz finished with 9 points and 8 rebounds, but was 4-24 from the field. Looking at his shot, it looked really flat if some of them are hitting on the front iron of the rim. I talked about this when the Lakers won in Philly since he had an off game there as well, Kuzma will have his off-nights. All rookies have their bumps on the road. It wasn't Kuzma's poor shooting, the Lakers overall did not shoot the ball well at 37% from the field. With poor shooting and poor defense, the Lakers should've lost big time, but they only lost by 10. Offensive rebounding kept this from being a complete blowout. The disparity was 22 offensive boards to Memphis' 5. That was a lot of 2nd chance points opportunities for the Lakers to patch up the woeful shooting this game.

Lakers Losing Streak vs. Blazers Continued Saturday Night

*Stats courtesy of NBA.com*

Kyle Kuzma lead the Lakers in scoring with 18 points to go with 7 rebounds, but the Lakers couldn't snap the losing streak against Portland on Saturday night before Christmas, losing 95-92. Josh Hart filled in for Brandon Ingram, chipping in 11 points. KCP added a near double-double with 11 points and 9 rebounds and Lonzo Ball nearly had a triple-double with 10 points, 8 rebounds, and 11 assists. Jordan Clarkson lead the second unit with 18 points and Julius Randle closely followed with 16 points and 9 rebounds.

Final Score: vs. Portland 95-92 [L]
Full article: http://www.nba.com/games/20171223/PORLAL#/recap

Highlights: *Courtesy of Rapid Highlights*

The silver lining about this back-to-back set with the Warriors on the road and the Blazers at home is that the Lakers competed their tails off. In the past, they'd lose in hard-fought game and then the next day, they'd get blown out. That wasn't the case here. The Lakers came back to rally, but they came up short in another heartbreaking loss to the Blazers. Lonzo Ball did not follow up from his great shooting performance against the Warriors, but he came up big with the game-tying three and a key defensive play in the final minute of the 4th quarter. Jordan Clarkson bounced back after being non-existent in the Houston and Golden State games. Josh Hart was solid, putting up the same point total from yesterday's game vs. the Timberwolves. Hart showed off his fearless attitude in these last two games including this. The play that hurt here is that the Lakers tried to hit a dagger three as Ball kicked it to Kuzma up 91-92. You could make the argument that Zach Collins, who blocked the shot, probably hit Kuzma on the hand and that's an obvious foul. Looking at it again, Collins got a finger on the ball before he hit Kuzma's hand. Not to mention, referees rarely call a foul in the final seconds of the 4th quarter. The close loss isn't all on that play though. The Blazers were missing Damian Lillard, but C.J. McCollum continued to put up good numbers. The two players who stepped up the most for Portland were Shabazz Napier and Maurice Harkless. Both had 21 points and 22 points respectively. Napier filled in well for Lillard's absence in the back court with McCollum and Harkless ignited the bench for the Blazers with this outing.

Christmas Doubleheader Recap: Raiders, Lakers Get Lumps of Coal From Eagles, Timberwolves

Welcome in to the full recap of a Christmas double-header in the Raiders' Week 16 game at the Philadelphia Eagles and the Lakers' matchup vs. the Minnesota Timberwolves. Both teams were sent packing with an "L" tonight as the Raiders fall to the Eagles in a tightly contested game 10-19 and the Lakers dropping a game to the T'Wolves 121-104.

Not the Christmas gifts we were hoping for. But, for both my fellow Raider and Laker fans, Merry Christmas to all of you. Hope you guys enjoyed time with your family and unwrapped a lot of presents under the tree. Onto the two games, first on the Raiders. They had nothing to play for with the Chiefs winning last night, but they held their own against the NFC's top team. But, they turned the ball over too many times, which costed them an upset victory and I'm sure Vikings fans are livid since they want home field advantage. Not all is bad for Minnesota though. The T'Wolves won against the Lakers behind their trio of Karl Anthony-Towns, Andrew Wiggins, and Jimmy Butler with a little help from Jamal Crawford and Taj Gibson. The Lakers were in it, but so many turnovers and missed shots in the 2nd half doomed them.

Raiders

(+)

Defense. This was pretty much the whole positive of the Monday Night game for the Raiders. I hope they keep John Pagano around. Since, he took over for Ken Norton, Jr., the defense has played a lot better despite the missing pieces around this unit. The entire front outside of Khalil Mack was able to create pressure on Nick Foles. That's the biggest question the Eagles must answer: how can they fill the void Carson Wentz left behind? Because Foles does not have Wentz' scrambling ability. The front seven for the Raiders made Foles uncomfortable throughout the game. They forced some fumbles. Reggie Nelson grabbed an INT. Most impressively, Sean Smith held his own against Alshon Jeffrey, holding him to no catches. Then again, Jeffrey is more of a get up and grab type of receiver and is not as fast. So, Smith was able to get that advantage. Overall, the defense made enough plays for the Derek Carr and the offense to win the game. It's just that Carr and company kept giving it away.

(-)

Turnovers. The Raiders were definitely in the Christmas spirit of giving. Derek Carr threw two interceptions. Marshawn Lynch fumbled after the Raiders get it back with a fumble recovery. Jalen Richard fumbled twice. The 2nd half was pretty much a turnover fest for both teams. So this game came down to who commits the costlier turnovers. It turned out the Raiders did and nothing you can say, other than it's a microcosm of how underwhelming this season has been for the Raiders.

Lakers

(+)

Kyle Kuzma, 31 points, 8-18 shooting. Kuzma got things going for the Lakers to start the game with four quick points. I changed the game back to the Raiders-Eagles game after that. But, looking at the stats sheet in the first half, Kuzma scored 16 points on 6-11 shooting. The great thing about him is that he can create his own shots and he needed to do that since Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram are not there to draw defenses in and free him up. An interesting stat from Bleacher Report is that Kuz is the first rookie to score 30+ points on Christmas Day since LeBron James in 2003. That's a pretty amazing feat and his legend from 27th overall to a star-in-the-making continues to grow.

Julius Randle, 16 points, 7 rebounds, 7-10 shooting. It's either feed Julius Randle down low and he'll bully his way in or let him have the ball and go coast-to-coast full speed and bully his way in. That was the case tonight. That has always been Randle's game, muscling his way into the paint and crashing the boards as well. Commonly, once Randle plays bully ball, that's when the Lakers make their run. Randle continues to come off the bench and just pinball his way off defenders in the paint.

Josh Hart, 12 points, 5-13 shooting. Hart's finding his way into the rotation and making the most out of it. He'll give out good small sample sizes on his game. Tonight, it was making the unselfish passes and making a three to cut the deficit to eight before the T'Wolves pulled away. The Lakers have to continue to give him more PT as he's the overlooked guy between Ball and Kuzma.

Jordan Clarkson, 17 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 4 steals. Clarkson is still struggling with his shot with an 8-24 shooting tonight. But, he made his presence known with the all-around stat line. With Ball out, Clarkson filled in well as a facilitator. He set up guys like Randle and Nance nicely for easy shots by using his slashing ability to draw the Timberwolves defense to him.

(-)

The biggest negatives here were the missed shots and the 2nd half turnovers. Based on the report on the first half, the Lakers had chances to build on a big lead, but they ended up missing. I'm sure Clarkson's 8-24 shooting night had something to do with it. KCP also struggled with a 3-11 shooting night. Like JC, Caldwell-Pope has been struggling with his shot. I don't want to believe his legal issue stemming from last season off a DUI had something to do with his struggles. But, he just can't find the range these last few games, especially from three. The turnovers in the 2nd half, Timberwolves defense started to tighten up and swarm the Lakers to turn the ball over.


MVP

Reggie Nelson, 6 tackles, 1 INT

For this weeks MVP, it's like asking "who do I give it to?" The whole defensive unit deserves it, but random selection, Reggie Nelson gets it. It's his last year here, so he might as well ball out while he can. He had an interception to set the Raiders up in good field position to take the lead and could've had a sure pick 6 in the 1st half.



Kyle Kuzma, 31 points, 8-18 shooting

Kuz had to pick up the slack for tonight's game with the Lakers missing Ingram and Ball. But still, he was able to play his game and create his own shots. He's been on a tear these last few games and it looks like Kuz is showing no signs of slowing down.




Conclusion

I'm almost there to the finish line on this hectic Christmas night. Overall if you think about it, turnovers and misfires directly link to the Raiders and Lakers losses tonight. There is not a lot of luster for either games. The Raiders are playing for pride after being eliminated from playoff contention. The Lakers are still in the development stage and the Timberwolves were able to take advantage of Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram's absence. Only one more week for the Raiders till this jinx of a season is over when they wrap it up against the Chargers on New Year's Eve. Raider Nation, I'll see you guys next week for that game. On the Lakers' side, I missed out on the Portland game on Saturday night. I'll provide a quick fact check and commentary for that game tomorrow. Other than that, Merry Christmas to all Raider and Laker family and friends even though both outcomes were not what we wanted for this holiday season. I'll see you guys later.

#ReignTogether 12/25: LAKERS vs. T'Wolves 2nd Half Open Thread and Discussion

The 2nd half of the Lakers-Timberwolves matchup in a battle of two young teams with rising star potential. As usual, leave a comment below and share your thoughts on the game.

Q4

MIN 121 LAL 104

Taj Gibson and Karl Anthony-Towns took over when the Timberwolves needed it and they came up with the win. Lakers tried to make a final run, but Minnesota clamped down on the defensive end generating a lot of turnovers, hence why they had a flurry down the stretch to seal this game. Kuzma, Hart, Clarkson, and Randle tried to carry this shorthanded Laker team, but when the Timberwolves built up the 10 point lead in this 4th quarter, it just became insurmountable. Stay tuned for a mega recap.

Q3

MIN 83 LAL 80

Rarely do you see the refs call a foul with 1 second to go. But, Kuzma did a nice job selling the contact for three shots. Based on the stats in the 1st half, both teams were pretty much neck-and-neck. I heard that the Lakers had a couple of opportunities to blow up the score, but they just kept missing a shots. Probably, Minnesota's defense and their trio of Town, Butler, and Wiggins add into the equation. The 3rd quarter, that story carried over. When the Timberwolves look like they were about to pull away with defense to offense, the Lakers come right back. Julius Randle is at the center of it this quarter, just bullying his way into the paint for easy baskets. T'Wolves are holding on to a three point lead, but the Lakers continue to creep on them with Ball and Ingram out tonight. 

#ReignTogether 12/25: LAKERS vs. Minnesota Timberwolves 1st Half Open Thread and Discussion

Merry Christmas! Since the Raiders-Eagles game is still ongoing by the time the Lakers-Timberwolves game starts, priority will be given to the Raiders-Eagles game, unless the score is not close. However, the 1st half open thread is still on and feel free to leave a comment and share your thoughts in the game. I'll see you guys in the 2nd half.

Q2

MIN 53 LAL 52

Q1

MIN 29 LAL 20

#ReignTogether Week 16: RAIDERS @ Eagles 2nd Half Open Thread and Discussion

This is the 2nd half open thread of the Raiders-Eagles on a Monday Night Christmas. As usual, leave a comment below and share your thoughts on the game.

Q4

OAK 10 PHI 19

On the Raiders' menu tonight for a late Christmas dinner...

Stay tuned for a mega full recap after the Lakers-Timberwolves game.

Q3

OAK 10 PHI 10

Crazy sequence of events in this 3rd quarter. Raiders and Eagles exchanged a couple of turnovers. After Carr's INT, it looked like momentum shifted towards Philly. But, the Raiders force a turnover of their own to gain momentum, but that was quickly negated when Marshawn Lynch fumbled the ball. Outside of that, the defense is holding their own against this high-powered Eagles offense. Philly is really missing Wentz' ability to scramble and make plays with his legs. Raiders are also getting the running game going. It has worked this quarter, but there are still a couple of run plays where there's a lot of confusion on who's blocking making it inconsistent. Not to mention, Philly's defense recovers well and is prepared for the next run after a big gainer.

#ReignTogether Week 16: RAIDERS @ Philadelphia Eagles 1st Half Open Thread and Discussion

Merry Christmas! It's one of those rare occasions again where both the Raiders and Lakers play on National TV on the same night. #ReignTogether! This is the first half open thread of the Raiders' Week 16 Monday Night matchup vs. the Eagles in the City of Brotherly Love. Raiders may be eliminated from playoff contention with the Chiefs winning yesterday, but they still must play to win the game. Leave a comment below and share your thoughts on the game.

Q2

OAK 7 PHI 7

This is now a competitive game after this quarter. The offense wakes up. Amari Cooper catches the Eagles secondary with a double mood and Derek Carr delivered a perfect strike for the TD. Though the Eagles front seven has been stellar, their secondary outside of Malcolm Jenkins is shaky at best and the Raiders are exploiting that with quick throws and double moves. The defense is holding its own and their creating pressure in the pocket against a patchwork O-line and getting into Nick Foles face. It has disrupted Philly's passing game, making them one dimensional relying on the run. The only negative is of course the penalties. They're not going to get off the field as long as flags are flying in the middle of play or after the play. With nothing to play for, the Raiders are doing their best to play spoiler to shift the home field advantage to the Vikings in the NFC. They have to continue to exploit the secondary and get pressure on Foles. Foles is not athletic as Wentz, so that provides the defense a valuable advantage for the Raiders to get the upset. The 2nd half will open up shortly.

Q1

OAK 0 PHI 7

This game has less hype with the Raiders being eliminated from playoff contention. At this point, the Raiders might as well take some shots with nothing to lose. They did so going for 4th and 2, which was well-defended by Philly. Meanwhile, the Eagles still have something to play for and on that TD, they gutted the defense with a whole lot of run plays. Like I said in the comments, that drive alone was what Raiders offense aspired to be, but it failed miserably with Todd Downing calling the plays.

Lakers Drop Another Close One vs. Warriors

*Stats courtesy of NBA.com and Yahoo Sports*

Kyle Kuzma had another stellar game with a double-double, scoring 27 points and 14 rebounds, but the defending champion Warriors got the best of the Lakers again 106-113. Lonzo Ball followed up with 24 points including shooting 5-6 from beyond 3-point land. Brandon Ingram added 12 points and KCP rounded out the starters in double figures with 10 points. Julius Randle was the lone player in double-figures off the bench with 21 points.

Final Score: @ Golden State 106-113 [L]
Full article: http://www.nba.com/games/20171222/LALGSW#/recap

Next Game: vs. Portland (Tonight, 6:30 PM Pacific Time)

Highlights: *Courtesy of Ximo Pierto*

Including this game, the Lakers have taken the defending champions to the limit. You talk about two games in LA that went to overtime. And this game last night, the Lakers almost rallied, but the Warriors still found a way to win, which all great teams do regardless of their situation. Kevin Durant had a usual KD stat line, but Jordan Bell was the X-factor in this game with a double-double. Bell cashed in a lot of opportunities in the pain when the Laker defense had all its attention on Durant. Some of the positives from last night's game, of course Kyle Kuzma recording a double-double and a 20+ point performance. He was the MVP in the last game the Lakers played the Warriors and he continued to put up nice numbers against them. Kuz has had the hot hand as of late and that trend should continue with the way he's playing as of late. Julius Randle carried the 2nd unit. He played his style of bullying basketball last night. In some possessions, Randle came in like a freight train and just went strong to the hoop for emphatic dunks. He was really effective inside the post and brought over some good energy on the defensive side adding 2 steals and a block. The highlight outside of Kuzma's red hot performance was Lonzo Ball's 24 point performance and hitting 5-6 from the 3-point line. Looking at his highlights, the way he was shooting the ball was different. His original form is he brings the ball to the opposite side of his waist and shoots. It worked in UCLA, but it's ineffective in the NBA. Last night, Ball shot the ball (no pun intended) in a more formal and proper shooting form. Those threes that he made last night were all swishes, nothing but net. This game is an encouraging sign and his new form is going to be a work-in-progress. It'll get better with time as he becomes more consistent with it. Three tough losses against the Warriors though in three competitive games, the Lakers couldn't have a better opportunity than that. They play each other again in March, but that game is likely going to be less competitive than these three games with the Warriors making a playoff push at that point of the season. I wasn't even alive the last time the Warriors swept the Lakers in a regular season series. A majority of Warriors fans who started cheering on this team since 2014-15 weren't alive the last time that happened. The chances of the Warriors sweeping the Lakers in regular season head-to-head this season is likely building up. But, anything can happen between now and that next meeting in March.

Lakers Snap Rockets' 14-game Winning Streak

*Stats courtesy of NBA.com and Yahoo Sports*

Kyle Kuzma poured in a career high 38 points to go with 7 rebounds to power the Lakers past the red-hot Rockets 122-116 despite a 50+ point performance from James Harden. Lonzo Ball added 16 points and 9 rebounds while Brandon Ingram racked up 13 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists and Josh Hart chipped in 11 points, filling for KCP. Corey Brewer came back to Houston and stung the Rockets with 21 points off the bench and Larry Nance Jr. added 13 points and 9 rebounds.

Final Score: @ Houston 122-116 [W]
Full article: http://www.nba.com/games/20171220/LALHOU#/recap

Next Game: @ Golden State (12/22) <-- b="">*No Open Thread and Full Recap Posts*

Highlights: *Courtesy of MLG Highlights*

This was a stunning, yet big win for the Lakers on the road. Think about this, heading into this game the Rockets were undefeated with Chris Paul on the floor. The Lakers are one of the worst in the league in terms of 3-point shooting. All those fact checks were thrown out of the window by the time this game was over. What a game by Kyle Kuzma as the stats indicate. Kuz ignited the 3-point shooting game and ignited the fantastic start for the Lakers, starting the game 6 for 6 from beyond the arc. The Rockets couldn't put a hand up on time and Kuz just straight line drives his jumpshot, nothing but net. Houston's defense had no answer because Kuzma can shoot and attack the basket at will. He has the arsenal to be an all-around scorer. Big ups to Corey Brewer as well coming off the bench. The crazy part about it is that the Lakers' most consistent players off the bench, Jordan Clarkson and Julius Randle, did not play well. Randle in particular didn't play that much off the bench. But, Corey Brewer stepped up as did Larry Nance Jr. Brewer probably had this game marked on his calendar so he could stick it to his former team. I liked his aggressiveness on both ends of the floor. Speaking of defense, the Lakers really stood out on the defensive end. The final score doesn't indicate it, but they were running and hustling back defensively and securing rebounds to finish the good defense. Clyde Drexler, NBA legend and color commentator for the Rockets basketball network, pointed that out during the game. Harden can drop 50+ points, but it's all about containing the rest of the team, which the Lakers did and granted, the Rockets missed a whole lot of shots that they routinely make, especially from three point land.

Lakers Couldn't Flip the Script vs. Warriors on Kobe's Jersey Retirement Night

Welcome in to the full recap where the Lakers took it to the limit against the Warriors yet again in OT, but they couldn't flip the script from the first meeting as the defending champs prevailed again 116-114 behind a game-winner from Kevin Durant and a key defensive play from David West.

This loss is going to be a tough pill to swallow. In the first meeting, I wasn't even mad. The Lakers competed against a Warriors team at full strength. This meeting, the Warriors were ailing with all kinds of injuries. Kevin Durant struggled to shoot. Klay Thompson struggled and yet somehow, some way they still found a way to win. That is the mark of a great team though. They win by any means. Lakers were so close, yet they blew their opportunity to notch a victory against the defending NBA champs. Never take the Warriors to OT.

(+)

Kobe Bryant's jersey retirement. That was an amazing tribute and homage to his "Dear Basketball" piece. This game right here was what it was all about. 20 years of Purple and Gold with the man, the myth, the legend himself. It was exceptionally coordinated that both his 8 and 24 jersey would sandwich Chick Hearn's mic in between. I tell ya, the Lakers could've used Kobe at the end of regulation this game. Game winding down to the final seconds, give it to Kobe and the rest is history make or miss.

Kyle Kuzma, 25 points, 6 rebounds, 10-16 shooting. Back to the present hour, the Lakers missed Kuzma's firepower in the first meeting against the Warriors. And even against the defending champs, he still had no fear playing his game: aggressive to the basket and knocking down threes. A lot of his three point shots came in down-to-the-wire moments where the Lakers needed buckets to keep within striking distance on the Warrior lead.

Brandon Ingram, 19 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists. Ingram's hard fall to the hardwood didn't look right. He'll probably be re-evaluated again for possible concussion symptoms, but he fell flat on his face after getting blocked during a layup attempt. It was very encouraging that he still managed to play. Ingram also took over in the 4th quarter on both ends. He held his own against Durant again and made some clutch jump shots to keep the game close.

Lonzo Ball, 16 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists. I especially liked what I saw during the overtime period. Zo dropped the nonchalant body language and took over scoring-wise. Again, being aggressive was the key here and Zo was aggressive during that overtime period. He also made a clutch three pointer to pull the Lakers within one. He doesn't need to change his shooting form, he just has to be confident with his shot. The three pointers he made this game were confident shots.

Julius Randle, 15 points, 11 rebounds. The double-double machine does it again. There's nothing else to say other than that Randle has been terrific on the bench. I liked the violent activity he had on both ends of the floor tonight. He even posterized Durant in this game! Both him and Nance baptized Durant tonight.

(-)

Free throws. We wouldn't be talking a Laker loss without mentioning either high turnovers or a low free throw percentage. The Lakers hit 62% of their free throws this game. If they bump that up by 20%, we'd be talking about a different outcome. Then again, if Durant and Klay didn't have a cold shooting night, we'd have a different outcome. But, a lot of the missed free throws came back to bite the Lakers. Ingram, though he finished 7-12 on the charity stripe, started 0-3. He was missing point blank to start. Randle missed some critical free throws. Chalk this up as another bad performance from the free throw line.

Luke Walton's coaching decisions in the final seconds. This was a philosophy taken from Phil Jackson. When your team has the ball in the final seconds, don't take the timeout. I've seen a lot of that as a Laker fan when Phil was still coaching. Those were veteran teams. This is a young team. The final possession in the 4th quarter was bad management on Luke's part. He has to take the timeout and design a play. Instead, he allows the Lakers to run it up the court and KCP has to rush a three point shot which resulted in an air ball. If Luke took the timeout and design a game winning play for KCP, he would've had a high percentage look. In OT, he wasted a timeout because Ingram couldn't adjust his shoe. He didn't need to take a timeout. Just sub Ingram out for one possession. Taking the final timeout in OT proved costly because Zo has to run it full court and David West timed his block right to prevent the game-tying layup. As a coach, Luke Walton still has to work on game management.

MVP

Kyle Kuzma, 25 points, 6 rebounds, 10-16 shooting

It wasn't even close who the MVP was. Kuz continues to impress as a draft day steal game by game. He was big in the three point game tonight and was especially effective in the 3rd quarter to keep the Lakers afloat.




Conclusion

That's two opportunities the Lakers had to get a win against the Warriors and they're out the window. It's going to be an entirely different when this regular season series shifts to Oracle Arena. Usually, the Lakers-Warriors matchup at Oracle wounds up in a Warriors rout. We'll see what happens from then because the Lakers are gonna battle the champs again on Friday on the road. As I said before, this week is the toughest stretch. They're facing pretty much the top two teams in the West in Houston and Golden State (x2). It's not going to be easy, especially since the Lakers are going to be on the road for a majority of the week. But, the silver lining is the Lakers are never out. They just gotta keep working on finishing. That's the most important part if they want to take the next step in the development process. I'll see you guys later.

12/18: LAKERS vs. Warriors 2nd Half Open Thread and Discussion

This is the 2nd half open thread of the Lakers-Warriors matchup on Kobe Bryant's jersey retirement night. As usual, leave a comment below and share your thoughts on the game.

OT

GSW 116 LAL 114

Gut-wrenching loss. 2nd time against this Warriors team. Like I said, this was very similar to the first meeting. Lakers had a chance to win at the end in regulation again, but they couldn't capitalize and Kevin Durant like Steph Curry did in the first meeting took this game over and willed the defending champs to victory. Stay tuned for the full recap.

Q4

GSW 102 LAL 102

Man, the Lakers almost had it! But, liked the way the Lakers rallied in the final stretch after being shutout by the Warriors for about five minutes into this quarter. So many missed opportunities here that the Lakers couldn't capitalize. The KCP airball for the win was one of them. Can't take it into OT with this Warriors team, even if they're short handed and Klay and KD are having off nights.

Q3

GSW 83 LAL 82

Strong finish to the quarter for the Lakers. Kyle Kuzma was pretty much the offense here in this 3rd quarter. The big 3 to end the half was critical. This quarter overall was a tightly contested one. Kevin Durant continues to have a rare off shooting-night, the Lakers can live with that. It's just that they're getting these other Warriors players involved. Omri Cassipi is quietly eating underneath the rim. That's just one of the few microcosms as to how the shorthanded Warriors are still miraculously winning.

12/18: Kobe Jersey Retirement Night! - LAKERS vs. Golden State Warriors 1st Half Open Thread and Discussion

Numbers 8 and 24 are gonna be hung on top of the Staples Center rafters tonight for the Black Mamba. This is a special open thread and discussion session in the Lakers' matchup vs. the defending champions. Leave a comment below and share your thoughts on the game.

Q2

GSW 57 LAL 53

Quite an entertaining way to end the half. The Lakers responded with a couple of runs of their own. I liked that they were aggressive on both ends of the floor. Their game in transition was more effective, getting shots from defense to offense. The free throws and the turnovers are hurting them of course. And they're allowing other Warriors outside of KD and Klay to get involved. They gotta find a way to contain the other players in the 2nd half and stick with the aggressive offensive gameplan to attack the basket.

Quick halftime post, now onto the main course. This is a great tribute video on Kobe. "Dear Basketball" is being narrated by Kobe with a cartoony sketch of his career from childhood to the NBA. Whoever did this cartoon, this is an amazing piece of work and a fitting tribute to a player who has dominated most of my tenure as a Laker fan. A lot of memories watching Kobe play. The 81 point game. 61 points in Madison Square Garden. The best Kobe memory I had is those six game-winners back in the 2009-10 season against the Heat, Bucks, Kings, Celtics, Raptors, and Grizzlies. Those were fun times where I would shout "KOBE!" Of course, the best memories are the championships. Three with Shaq. Two with Gasol. I wouldn't have witness five championship trophies as a Laker without no. 8 and later no. 24. And of course, the 60 point game in his final game against the Jazz. When it comes to compare the 8 Kobe to the 24 Kobe, 8 represented the athletic, afro Kobe. The swagger he had was amazing to watch as a kid. No. 24 solidified himself as the alpha dog, the killer. The origin of the Black Mamba who'll rip the hearts out of the team and their fans. It's always gonna be a debate on who the greatest Laker is between Magic and Kobe, but the most important thing is that he made a legacy of his own and put his own blueprint of the game. It's very rare to see a player have two jersey numbers retired by the same team. That's one more precedent Kobe Bryant set in Lakers history and above all, in the game itself. 20 years in purple and gold and I'm lucky to have witnessed 16 of those years as a Laker fan. I gotta shout this out one last time..."KOBE!" The 2nd half will open up shortly.

Q1

GSW 32 LAL 24

The Warriors figured out the blueprint and used it against the Lakers. To start, Lakers came out and attacked. They got Larry Nance Jr. going early. Brook Lopez is racking up points inside the paint, which is encouraging to see. Early on, the Lakers were dominating in pts in the paint. Then, the Warriors made the adjustments and started to use the same strategy. Kevin Durant was not shooting the ball well, so he dared the Laker defense to come at him, which lead to opportunity for other Warrior players to attack the basket.

Raiders Playoff Hopes Dashed on Sunday Night in Loss vs. Cowboys

Welcome in to the full recap of the Raiders' Week 15 matchup vs. the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday Night Football where the playoff hopes of the Raiders may have just been broken as the Raiders lose to the Cowboys 20-17.

This game is probably going to be added in Raiders' infamy. There was the "Immaculate Reception." The "Tuck Game." And now, this game will be known as the "Index Card" game. The 4th and 1 where the Cowboys elected to go for it truly decided the outcome of the game. If Dallas gets it, they get to chew more clock. If they don't, Oakland has the ball and set up a possible game-winning drive. Referees couldn't determine the measurement, so they used a index card. From the point of the refs, it looked like the tip of the ball went over the border of the index card. I'm looking at another angle that someone posted on the Raider Nation forum, it looked like there was separation between the tip of the football and the index card and likely Dak would've been stopped short. That was one story of the game. The other story was Derek Carr's fatal mistake. He played relatively well. It's just that he tried to go for the home run TD run when he could've just stepped out of bounds after getting the first down. They have one more timeout and have enough time to take a shot in the end zone, but Carr fumbles in the end zone and that was a gut-wrenching finish and it summed up the Raiders' 2017 in a nutshell.

(+)

Derek Carr, 21 of 38 passes, 171 yards, 2 TDs, 4 carries, 47 yards. The fumble that resulted in a touchback is a smear in his game. Probably got a little too greedy to play hero. But, we finally get to see Carr escape out of the pocket this game. We haven't seen that kind of mobility since last season before the broken fibula. That's what was missing this whole season was Carr's ability to scramble out of the pocket and use his legs to make plays. He had a big gainer in the third quarter, which set up the Raiders' first TD of the night. His numbers passing-wise were pedestrian, but his TD passes to Crabtree were on the money.

Michael Crabtree, 7 receptions, 39 yards, 2 TDs. Crabtree didn't have a big of a game with those 7 receptions on 17 targets, but with Coop out, obviously he's going to draw all the attention of the Cowboys' defense. Despite all that, he still hauled in 2 TDs and drew a big time PI penalty to keep the Raiders alive in the final minute of the game.

Khalil Mack, 6 tackles, 2 sacks. The Cowboys' elite offensive line was Mack's biggest test as a pass rusher. Not to mention, Mario Edwards Jr. was inactive this game so all the attention was drawn towards Mack and Irvin. But, Mack still delivered and was still able to wreak havoc in the pocket to get to Prescott.

(-)

Special teams. This unit was the biggest turkey of the game. Outside of Marquette King's punting and Coradarrelle Patterson's returns, Giorgio Tavecchio missed a 30 yard field goal at the end of the 2nd quarter, which quietly costed the Raiders because they'd be talking a potential game-winning field goal at the end. Allowing the punter, Chris Jones to run free on a 4th and 11 fake punt in the 3rd quarter was absolutely inexcusable, although the Cowboys did execute the right blocks for that to happen. And of course, the penalties piled up mostly on the Special Teams unit. The Raiders can never catch a break on special teams penalties. It seems that every time the Raiders bust out a big return, flags are on the field and 100% of the time, it's either holding or illegal block in the back on the Raiders.

MVP
Derek Carr, 21 of 38 passes, 171 yards, 2 TDs, 4 carries, 47 yards

It's simple, if Carr runs it in with the ball secured, he's going to be praised for single-handedly winning the game for the Raiders. But it is what it is. The small, but solid performance from Carr tonight was what we were longing for since last season: escaping out of the pocket and taking shots down field in crunch time to potentially win the game. Obviously, it's too little too late for that this season. Hopefully, it translates next year and that swagger and poise from the 2016 season returns to form.

Conclusion

The crazy part about this is that the Raiders are not mathematically eliminated from the playoff hunt, but it's gonna take hundreds of scenarios for that to happen. So with that, it's time to officially pull the plug on a playoff appearance this season. The Raiders dug themselves into a ditch this season, and the hole was too deep for the Raiders to get out. These next two games, the team just has to play for pride and get to 8-8. It'll be a tough one in Philly next week. There is no way that the Eagles will hand over home field advantage in the NFC to the Minnesota Vikings that easily. Last time the Eagles played the Raiders with Nick Foles under center, Foles set an NFL record with 7 TDs. A lot has changed since then. I'll see you guys next week for a crazy Christmas Day on the blog.

Week 15: RAIDERS vs. Cowboys 2nd Half Open Thread and Discussion

This is the 2nd half open thread of the Raiders-Cowboys Week 15 battle on Sunday Night. As usual, leave a comment below and share your thoughts on the game.

Q4

DAL 20 OAK 17

That final drive...

It's over. It's been over since last week, but this was the final nail in the coffin on the Raiders' playoff hopes. Stay tuned for the full recap.

Q3

DAL 17 OAK 10

Just for the Cowboys converting on the fake punt, Brad Seely, Special Teams Coordinator for the Raiders, YOU deserve the boot too. The defense managed to make a good stop on Dak Prescott and company. Then, the fake punt on 4th and 11 happens. Chris Jones had a lot of green in front of him to make a very critical first down which set up the TD from Prescott. How in the world do you not account for that? Well, it's almost impossible because it's unexpected. But, the Raiders were riding the momentum and that fake punt absolutely brought momentum back to the Cowboys. They were pulling out all the stops during that quarter to catch the Raiders off guard. It shows which team is playing with more desperation.

Week 15: Sunday Night Marquee Matchup - RAIDERS vs. Dallas Cowboys 1st Half Open Thread and Discussion

Raiders-Cowboys, playoff implications on the line in prime time. This is the first half open thread and discussion of what was the fantasy Super Bowl matchup last season between these two teams after a 12-4 and 13-3 season respectively. Now, they're fighting to sneak in the wild card at 6-7 and 7-6 respectively. Leave a comment below and share your thoughts on the game.

Q2

DAL 10 OAK 0

Watching this game be like...

Honestly, everything is going wrong with the Raiders as it has been all season. Yes, my reaction is like Tiger Woods' mug shot. Absolutely mundane first half for the Silver and Black. Despite the 10-0 lead, Dak and the Cowboys are dominating the Time of Possession behind the offensive line. First quarter alone, the Cowboys offense was on the field for 8 minutes compared to 2 minutes for the Raiders offense. The defense is on the field for too long. The secondary woes can't be masked for a long time. The passing game is struggling. The running game is way too predictable when you have Marshawn Lynch running in Singleback formation most of the time! It also doesn't help that the penalties are piling up, which I think some of them were bogus calls. The Raiders are playing the game of their playoff lives and like the Chiefs game, they are wetting the bed, especially at home!  Nothing more needs to be said about the Raiders, other than show some fight and play like you give a *NSFW language*! The 2nd half will open up shortly.

Q1

DAL 3 OAK 0

This quarter was just too sad to watch. But, it's the story of the Raiders' 2017 season. Dallas pretty much set the tone in this quarter with the elite O-line and running game they have.  8 minutes to 2 minutes on Time of Possession tells the story in this quarter. Cowboys dominated that and is leaving the Raiders gasping for air. It doesn't help that the Raiders' passing game is struggling and the fact that they've abandoned the run after a good gain from Lynch on the first possession says it all.

Lakers Split Four Game Road Trip With Loss to Cavs

*Stats courtesy of NBA.com and Yahoo Sports*

Brandon Ingram bounced back quickly after an off shooting night on Tuesday's loss to the Knicks, scoring 26 points to go with 6 rebounds and 6 assists. But, the King reigned tonight as the Cavs powered their way past the Lakers 112-121 behind LeBron James' triple-double. Lonzo Ball recorded a near triple-double of his own in his first matchup against LeBron, racking up 13 points, 8 rebounds, and 11 assists. Josh Hart filled in for KCP and played well, recording a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Kyle Kuzma lead the 2nd unit with 20 points to go with 7 rebounds while Julius Randle and Jordan Clarkson followed with 13 points from Randle and 11 points from JC.

Final Score: @ Cleveland 112-121 [L]
Full article: http://www.nba.com/games/20171214/LALCLE#/recap

Next Game: vs. Golden State (12/18) <= *Open Thread and Full Recap Posts*

Highlights: *Courtesy of MLG Highlights*

The silver lining here in this game is that the Lakers kept fighting back in this game. It's an ongoing narrative that when it looks like the Lakers were down and out, they just kept battling back. But in the end, LeBron and the Cavs were just too good. If you're not following what they're doing, they've found their footing with the new look roster. Outside of that, one positive in here was Brandon Ingram. He had a nice bounce back game after shooting a horrendous 2-12 back in the game against New York. Every player has off nights and they bounce back the next game. He's learning that process in his 2nd year. He had everything going tonight offensively, attacking the rim and hitting the outside shots. Kuzma had another great night. Josh Hart, filling in for KCP really stood out. A double-double as a first time starter is not too bad and he showed no fear taking it to the rim with LeBron ready to chase down. Hart has been the forgotten 1st round pick in the Lakers' 2017 draft class and he's had a couple of quiet good games this season. With the legal issues surrounding KCP (not sure it's from his DUI arrest that lead to a two-game suspension this season or another legal issue), Hart is going to have all kinds of opportunities to show out. The last two games from Lonzo Ball is an encouraging sign, having a near triple-double here this game after notching 15 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists in the last game against the Knicks. I'm not going to buy into the hype train regarding the end of game conversation Ball had with LeBron. Everybody's screaming "LeBronzo to LA," but I'm sure it's just LeBron giving some advice to Zo. This game marks the beginning of the Lakers' hardest stretch this season before Christmas. The next set, they have Golden State twice at home and on the road, on the road against Houston, and at home against Portland where they haven't won against Lillard and co since the 2013-14 season. It'd be encouraging signs if the Lakers competed like in this game against the Cavs in those games. They almost had the Warriors in the first meeting, but they didn't have the manpower in OT to take them down. That game is also going to be the night where Kobe Bryant's 8 and 24 jerseys are going to be hung on the Staples Center rafters. Perhaps that could provide the Lakers some juice and instill a little bit of Mamba Mentality in the young team to best the Warriors this time around. I'll see you guys for that game on Monday.

Lakers Falter to Knicks in OT

*Stats courtesy of NBA.com and Yahoo Sports*

Lonzo Ball shined with an all-around game in his debut at Madison Square Garden, scoring 17 points to go with 8 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 steals, but the Lakers could not contain Kristaps Porzingis and the Knicks, losing 109-113 in OT. KCP lead all starters in scoring with 24 points and Brook Lopez added 14 points. Kyle Kuzma made his MSG debut as well, racking up 19 points off the bench. Julius Randle added 13 points off the bench and Jordan Clarkson tallied a quiet 12 points off the bench.

Final Score: @ New York 109-113 [L]
Full article: http://www.nba.com/games/20171212/LALNYK#/recap

Next Game: @ Cleveland (12/14) <= *No Open Thread and Full Recap Posts*

Highlights: *Courtesy of MLG Highlights*

Young stars tend to rise to the occasion when they're playing at "The Basketball Mecca." If you play well at Madison Square Garden, you know you're a star in the making. Lonzo Ball's stats may not jump to the casual basketball fan,  but this game should be a huge confidence booster for him. He put on quite a show in the 3rd quarter. Everyone in the Garden crowd were going "ooh" and "aah" when he and KCP executed the lob and the dunk to perfection. Ball had his shot in stride and was aggressive. I have to emphasize this again, Lonzo's more effective when he's looking to be the aggressor on the court whether it's finding ways to score or setting up teammates for high percentage looks. The 3rd quarter in particular was entertaining if you're a pure basketball fan as both the Lakers and the Knicks were trading baskets. The Lakers gave the Knicks a run for their money. Kuzma came up clutch in the final minute to go with a nice all-around game. Both teams were tied at 99, but in the end Porzingis stepped up and took over for the Knicks. Michael Beasley came alive, he's been known to get hot and score in bunches. Frank Ntilikina put the clamps on defensively against Lonzo. Those were some of the keys to the Knicks pulling this competitive game out. Brandon Ingram was ice cold in this game, starting 0-9. He did not even score his first field goal until the 4th quarter if I recall. This would've been a much different game in the Lakers' favor if Ingram didn't have the shooting slump he had last night. Instead, the Lakers are 2-1 on this road trip and they're going to have their hands full closing this road trip out on Thursday night against LeBron and a Cavs team who've won 15 of their last 16 games.

Lakers Top Reeling Hornets

*Stats courtesy of NBA.com and Yahoo Sports*

Jordan Clarkson came off the bench and was the Lakers' top performer with 22 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists as the Lakers notch their 2nd consecutive road win, beating the Hornets 110-99. Kyle Kuzma added a double-double with 12 points and 14 rebounds and Julius Randle racked up 12 points to round out the 2nd unit. Brandon Ingram lead the starters in scoring with 18 points to go with 6 rebounds, KCP added 15 points, and Brook Lopez chipped in 13 points.

Final Score: @ Charlotte 110-99 [W]
Full article: http://www.nba.com/games/20171209/LALCHA#/recap

Next Game: @ New York (12/11) <-- b="">*No Open Thread and Full Recap Posts*

Highlights: *Courtesy of Ximo Pierto*

The Lakers can cross off Charlotte in terms of road victories. For a team that barely wins road games outside of Phoenix, starting 2-0 on a four game road trip is a good confidence builder. Granted, the Hornets have a lot of problems of their own. I mean this is a team that lost to the lowly Bulls twice this season. They are really struggling to find their footing in the East. For the most part, this was a tightly contested game until the 4th quarter. The Lakers put the clamps on defensively and Jordan Clarkson, KCP, and Julius Randle took over. Clarkson especially stood out. We know he can score in bunches when he comes off the bench. But, I thought he did a nice job facilitating the ball too, setting guys up for easy deuces when he was slashing to the rim. Facilitating-wise, Lonzo Ball dished out 9 dimes today. As I keep saying, being aggressive and running the floor are Lonzo's strengths as of now. Zo was aggressive at facilitating the this game. What we saw in from him in Summer League from a facilitating standpoint (passes beyond half court, pushing the ball and setting up teammates) were on display. Ingram was in attack mode as usual. It didn't take long for Kyle Kuzma to bounce back after putting up a whopping 3 points in the Philly game. Kuz had a nice block this game too. Overall, the Lakers showed up when it mattered the most as this game was a back-and-forth affair with the Hornets. 

Raiders Flop in AFC West Battle vs. Chiefs

Welcome in to the full recap of the Raiders' Week 14 road matchup vs. the Kansas City Chiefs where 1st place in the AFC West was on the line, but the Raiders didn't show up for three quarters as they fell to the Chiefs 15-26.

Such an epic fail of epic proportions. But I've seen worse as a Raider fan throughout the losing seasons. This was a game the Raiders had to have not only to be on top of the AFC West, but to keep their playoff hopes alive. And they wet the bed big time today. The first possession of the game set the tone with an incomplete pass to Coop, a run to Lynch for a minimal gain, and a sack on Carr to force a quick 3 and out against a Chiefs defense that's missing some key players. The Chiefs offense under Alex Smith was anemic through the past 6 losses, but they clicked against the Raiders' weak secondary. The Raiders offense finally woke up in the 4th quarter to make the final stretch of the game entertaining after three quarters of mundane football. But 26 down with 7 minutes to go in the 4th, especially when those scores were because of the defense being on the field for too long is a tall task to come back from.

(+)

Slash Bros. Bruce Irvin with two sacks. Khalil Mack with one sack. Irvin looked like he had a third sack this game, but the stats sheet say NaVorro Bowman had that sack. I saw that play again where they had pressure on Smith and it looked like Bowman had the sack rather than Irvin. But aside from that, the Slash Bros came to play today as I said countless times in the comments sections. They were doing their jobs generating outside and inside pressure on Smith.

Jared Cook, 5 receptions, 75 yards, 1 TD. It took all three quarters for the offense to finally go to Jared. Why? When the receivers were not connecting with Derek Carr, it's obvious they have to go to the Tight End who can catch! Why wait to find Cook when the game was pretty much out of reach? 

(-)

Entire offense. Like I keep saying, it took three quarters for the offense to finally show up. From Todd Downing's playcalling, to Derek Carr being off target with the receivers, to the receivers dropping balls, the offense was stagnant until the fourth quarter. Shorthanded Chiefs defense and the offense was nearly shut out. So many predictable screens that even a pop warner defense can see through the play. They keep running the ball in singleback formation, which is why Lynch got stuffed early on and why Washington got stuffed when he was giving Lynch a break. Why not run more I Formations when running the ball? It's always gotta be in Singleback formation whenever they call run. That's what's frustrating. Derek Carr was off target. I'm starting to be convinced that it was way too preemptive to give him that extension when he was just coming off a major injury. Receivers dropping balls, looks like the Raiders need to hire new receiver coaches in addition to giving Downing the boot for a proven OC. This offense has been frustrating to watch all season long. They are too talented to be held down like this.

Secondary. No surprises here that there's still problem in the secondary. The Chiefs exposed that big time throwing the ball to Tyreek Hill and Hill just carved up Carrie and McDonald all game long.

Marquette King. This was not good game punting-wise for Marquette King. A 40.9 average on 7 punts is not good. Most of his punts today didn't reach past Kansas City territory, which is why the Chiefs had good field position in some of their drives today. I'd say he only had one good punt today when he punt the ball out of bounds inside the 20 to prevent Tyreek Hill from fielding a decent return. One deep punt went for a touchback and the rest gave Kansas City good field position to start.

MVP

Bruce Irvin, 4 tackles, 2 sacks

Had to give it to one of the Slash Bros. But, Bruce deserves this one considering he's been playing better since Pagano took over. One of the few players who came to play today in this critical division battle.






Conclusion

While the Raiders are not mathematically eliminated, this loss pretty much shuts up any hope of running the table any further. This whole season has been one big disappointment. The most overhyped season after an overachieving 12-4 season playing against sub .500 teams. This was the season where the Raiders needed to prove that last season was no fluke. And with the lackluster season, they're proving that last year was a fluke. Today summed it up. Critical matchup of their lives against a reeling Chiefs team and the Raiders looked more like the team who just lost six straight games rather than the Chiefs. Not much to say. With playoff hopes fading, the Raiders just need to salvage what they can heading into next season. And definitely, expect drastic changes to follow after this debacle of a season. Raiders play the Cowboys next week on Sunday Night. That matchup was supposed be the preview of the Super Bowl, but it's looking more like both teams are playing for pride with their playoff hopes on life support. I'll see you guys next week for that game.

Week 14: RAIDERS @ Chiefs 2nd Half Open Thread and Discussion

This is the 2nd half open thread of the Raiders-Chiefs Week 14 divisional matchup for 1st place in the AFC West. As usual, leave a comment below and share your thoughts on the game.

Q4

OAK 15 KC 26

A little drama in the final quarter in this game, but the Raiders waited a little too long to finally get things going on offense. Coming from 26 down in the middle of the 4th quarter is insurmountable. Good effort though with the Lynch TD, the onside kick recovery, the TD to Cook, and the 2-point to Crab, but all for naught if they couldn't do that in the first three quarters of the game. Stay tuned for the full recap.

Q3

OAK 0 KC 26

That last sack from Justin Houston sums up how poor this offense is playing. From Derek Carr to the offensive line to the receivers, nothing positive is generating from this unit. Todd Downing put together a really pathetic gameplan against this shorthanded Chiefs defense. This offense has been a disappointment all season long. 

Week 14: RAIDERS @ Kansas City Chiefs 1st Half Open Thread and Discussion

The fight for first place in the AFC West race! This is the first half open thread of the Raiders' Week 14 road matchup against the Chiefs. Leave a comment below and share your thoughts on the game.

Q2

OAK 0 KC 16

With the way this first half went you might as well rewrite this from Raiders vs. Chiefs to Khalil Mack and Bruce Irvin vs. the Chiefs. As I said in the comments, they are the only one's coming out to play. They're the only players who look like they really want this game. 3 sacks from Bruce. Khalil had a sack. Both are generating outside and inside pressure on Alex Smith. They are carrying this team. The rest of the defense is giving up a lot of pass plays. I was skeptical about the defense in the last two games and now they're playing against a proven QB and they're getting roasted. The offense, don't get me started. The playcalling is garbage. Todd Downing is calling all kinds of predictable screens and running run plays in singleback formation again! Derek Carr and the receivers are not on the same page. Marquette King is not having a good day punting the ball and pinning KC deep. This is the season is right here and it seems that they don't want it. The 2nd half will open up shortly.

Q1

OAK 0 KC 3

Terrible is an overused statement to describe this first quarter. The Raiders get first possession of the game, here were the plays: dropped pass, a run for no gain, and a sack allowed from the O-line. Story of the season on how underwhelming this offense is. KC's defense is shorthanded and the offense outside of Marshawn Lynch's big run cannot generate anything. Meanwhile the defense did its job the last two possessions. The D-line is creating pressure. Bruce Irvin already has two sacks. But, the secondary is starting to break, giving up big pass plays against a really anemic Chiefs passing game. Right now, the Raiders look really unfocused on what's at hand in this game. I'm sure all of you had a weird feeling heading into this game that the Raiders would wet the bed. That is becoming reality with this kind of start.

Brandon Ingram Hits Game Winner Over Philly

*Stats courtesy of NBA.com and Yahoo Sports*

Brandon Ingram lead all Lakers in scoring with 21 points to go with 7 rebounds and 6 assists, including the game-winning shot to give the Lakers the 107-104 win over the 76ers in a thriller between two up-and-coming teams. Lonzo Ball recorded a near triple-double with 10 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists, KCP added 13 points, Brook Lopez added 11 points, and Larry Nance Jr. also added 11 points to go with 7 rebounds. Julius Randle and Jordan Clarkson were co-scoring leaders for the 2nd unit as both players added 16 points off the bench.

Final Score: @ Philadelphia 107-104 [W]
Full article: http://www.nba.com/games/20171207/LALPHI#/recap

Next Game: @ Charlotte (12/09)

Highlights: *Courtesy of Rapid Highlights*

Based on the headline, you know what the headline is going to be about. Brandon Ingram with a early career-defining moment, coming through for the Lakers with a clutch 3-pointer. Before, we discuss how the play went down, the Lakers almost blew another game where they had the lead. The finish in the 4th quarter where the Sixers came storming back behind Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid, it looked like the Lakers were gonna have a complete meltdown. They hit 50% of their free throws last night, they've been a problem this season. Kyle Kuzma was limited to just 3 points. Kuz was due for an off game, it was a matter of time. Of course, they had no answer for The Process. Embiid dropped 33 points. But, the Lakers kept their composure when things weren't going right. The final seconds of the game, Lonzo pulled up from three with a lot of time left in the final seconds. It's a big risk for a two-for-one in the situation because of that "what if" scenario. What if the Sixers milked the clock and executed the perfect play for a high percentage shot? And on the other end, what if the Lakers didn't execute and would eventually lose the game? But, luckily it worked in the Lakers' favor. Julius Randle did a nice job on keeping his body in front Embiid to force him into a tough layup. Ball grabs the rebound. In about the 10 second mark, the Sixers' defense could've dared Zo to shoot from three because they knew he's not a good shooter. But, Zo did the right thing in being aggressive to the cup to draw the defense to him. He then kicks it out to Ingram. Keep in mind, Ingram is not that good of a three-point shooter...yet. But, Ball did a nice job of drawing the Sixers to him so that they don't close out on B.I. Ingram settles for the high-percentage 3-pointer and drills it to silence the Philly crowd. Ball gets the credit for making that play happen by penetrating to the basket and clamping down the defense. Ingram gets the credit for coming through in that very moment. It wasn't too long ago where Ingram was the go-to-guy for a potential game-winner against the Warriors. So, he was in that stage before. Only this time, he finally managed to come through and give the Lakers a road win outside of the two games at Phoenix.