Lakers Clamped Down by Jazz

*Stats courtesy of NBA.com and Yahoo Sports*

Brandon Ingram was the Lakers' leading scorer with 16 points on 7-14 shooting to go with 4 steals in the Lakers' 81-96 loss to the Jazz last night. Jordan Clarkson was the only player who joined Ingram in double figures with 15 points off the bench. On a side note, Larry Nance Jr. grabbed 10 rebounds in this game.

Final Score: @ Utah 81-96 [L]
Full article: http://www.nba.com/games/20171028/LALUTA#/recap

Next Game: vs. Detroit (10/31)

Highlights: *courtesy of Ximo Pierto*

The game was closer than what the final scoreboard indicated, especially in the 2nd half. The Lakers pulled in as little as within one point from the Jazz on one occasion. Once again, I saw the 2nd unit consisting of Kuzma, Clarkson, Hart, and Randle was effective yet again and was one of the reasons why the Lakers were still in the game. Another reason was that B.I. was looking to attack the basket. Again, this is a recurring theme that Ingram is at his best when he's looking to attack the basket. On a side note, Lonzo Ball knocked down three 3-pointers in this game. Despite the field goal percentage, that has gotta be encouraging to see as Ball finds his outside shot. The Lakers stayed competitive through 3 1/2 quarters. Utah had the 3-point game clicking and they moved the ball better than the Lakers down the stretch. Donovan Mitchell is turning out to be a stud for the Jazz. He showed out when the Lakers played the Jazz in the preseason and in regular season action, he did it again. Along with Ricky Rubio, Mitchell provided the Jazz the spark to seal the deal over the Lakers. 

Raiders Commit Four Turnovers in Loss to Bills

Welcome in to the full recap of the Raiders' Week 8 recap vs. the Buffalo Bills where the Raiders tried to build momentum off of last week's win over Kansas City. But, they couldn't maintain it as the Raiders fall to the Bills 14-34, committing four costly turnovers.

Well, just when we thought the Raiders regained their swagger back after a dramatic win last Thursday night, the problems with this team from their last four losses manifested itself yet again. They started off on the right foot with a nice opening drive. But after that, nothing much. As I was mentioning throughout the whole game, Buffalo's weather might've played a huge factor with some rain and a little bit of wind. Derek Carr couldn't put a lot of air on his throws. Players were slipping and sliding and were having a tough time securing the ball. Those lead to the turnovers and a lot of stalled drives from the Raiders today. Then again, football is played in almost all of the elements.

(+)

Jamize Olawale, 2 carries, 3 yards, 1 TD. Olawale exiting the game was a swift kick in the groin in the Raiders' short-yardage game plan. For the time he had there, he reminded us how an effective short yardage back he is, getting the tough run on 4th down and the TD on 2nd down. Again, he could've had a quality return if it weren't for a holding penalty on Shalom Luani.

DeAndre Washington, 6 carries, 26 yards, 8 receptions, 62 yards, 1 TD. Yes, Washington's fumble before the end of the first half hurt. Before that, I made a note that D-Wash was outplaying Jalen Richard with Lynch suspended. The fumble was a big blemish, but Washington was effective most of the way, especially in the passing game.

(-)

Stalled Drives. After marching down the field in the opening drive, the Raiders couldn't get anything going. The running game, you knew it would be a non-factor with Lynch suspended. The Raiders went pass heavy in the opening drive. But the rainy weather got worse, which affected the plan in the passing game down the stretch.

Turnovers. 2 INTs from Carr. A fumble by DeAndre Washington returned for the TD. Jalen Richard with a fumble on special teams. Three of those four turnovers resulted in 13 points for the Bills. The Raiders were lucky that the defense held its own to force 6 points. Again, the weather played a factor in the majority of those turnovers. Richard and Washington couldn't secure the wet ball, especially with Richard slipping on a return. Carr struggled throwing the wet ball. The turnovers were a big factor in this loss today. And on a side note, it looked like the Raiders were unprepared to play in the elements.

Khalil Mack, 2 tackles. What was a homecoming for Khalil Mack after four years playing collegiate play with the University of Buffalo, he was a non-factor today. During the third quarter, Mack was questionably on the sidelines when the Raiders were on defense. He did get stood up by the physical play of the Bills' O-line and chased LeSean McCoy and Tyrod Taylor all game long. I'm assuming the coaching staff wanted to give him a breather. Mack did create pressure on Taylor at times, so he wasn't completely M.I.A. But, the Bills did a tremendous job in neutralizing Mack today.

MVP

DeAndre Washington, 6 carries, 26 yards, 8 receptions, 62 yards, 1 TD

Nobody deserved MVP in this game. But, Washington's selection was based on him stuffing the stat sheet. Outside of the fumble, I thought Washington was more effective running with the football than Jalen Richard. He was also effective in check down and screen passes with those receiving numbers.

Conclusion

The hole gets bigger and the margin of error gets smaller for the Raiders. Again, this dates back to the Week 3 against the Washington Redskins on Sunday Night Football. It might've been the anthem protests, but something on that night has changed the chemistry and unity of this team. Despite the win against the Chiefs, the tension was still apparent within this team. This schedule is going to get more difficult down the stretch if the Raiders continue play like this. At some point, someone has to take charge. Whether it's Carr, whether it's Mack, whether it's Del Rio, someone needs to adjust the sails on this sinking ship before it's too late. The Raiders will be camping out in Florida for next week for their Sunday Night game against the Miami Dolphins. They have to use that trip to look themselves in the mirror and straighten out all the negative vibes that is surrounding this team. Right now, division title is out of the picture. Super Bowl contention is completely out of the picture. They have to scratch and claw if they want to return to the playoffs because there's no margin of error at this point in the season. Going back to the Dolphins game, they've had the Raiders' number in the last few meetings. They're a team that's soul-searching too, but somehow they're at their very best when they play for the Raiders for some reason. For now, the Raiders just have to focus on Miami, then they have the bye week to fully straighten things out and possibly run the table. I'll see you guys next Sunday night for the game.

Week 8: RAIDERS @ Buffalo Bills 2nd Half Open Thread and Discussion

This is the 2nd half open thread of the Raiders-Bills matchup. As usual, leave a comment below the post and share your thoughts on the game.

Q4

OAK 14 BUF 34

Raiders fall to 3-5...

Stay tuned for the full recap.

Q3

OAK 7 BUF 20

The Bills are trying to go for the knockout blow on 4th down. The turnovers are killing the Raiders and swinging the momentum completely in favor of Buffalo. Interesting stats that in the Raiders' losses, they turned the ball over at least once. They've turned it over today three times. One for a TD. Two, luckily the defense held its own and forced the Bills to field goals. After the opening drive, the offense is struggling and the defense is getting gassed out, but somehow still making some good stops.

Week 8: RAIDERS @ Buffalo Bills 1st Half Open Thread and Discussion

After last week's epic Thursday night win over the Kansas City Chiefs, can the Raiders ride the momentum and run the table? This is the 1st half open thread and discussion of the Raiders' Week 8 matchup at the Buffalo Bills. Leave a comment below and share your thoughts on the game.

Q2

OAK 7 BUF 14

As I made the comment that DeAndre Washington was outplaying Jalen Richard at the running back position, the football pops out of Washington's hands into Matt Milano's hands and he runs it in to give the Bills the lead as time expired. Outside of the methodical opening drive and the Carr's underthrown deep ball to Michael Crabtree on the Raiders' 2nd possession of the game, there hasn't been much going for this offense. And if you heard CBS play-by-play announcer, Andre Catalon, midway through the quarter, Jamize Olawale is questionable with a hamstring injury, unlikely to return. That's a big blow to the Raiders' game plan in short yardage situation considering his tough runs on 4th down and the opening score. He could've had a great return to set up Carr and the offense in good field position, but the Raiders can't get a good return as long as flags are flying early, which indicates that it's going back. While there's a lot of questions surrounding the Raiders' running game, there's no questions about the Bills' running game. LeSean McCoy is having his way over the run defense and that allowed the Bills to open up the playbook a little with Tyrod Taylor scrambling and eluding the defense when pressure is getting to him. The Bills deferred and are getting the ball back. The defense has to force a quick 3 and out and the offense has to put together another smart, scoring drive. Though, the weather is playing a heavy factor right now in favor of the Bills. The 2nd half will open up shortly. 

Q1

OAK 7 BUF 0 

The weather in Buffalo is definitely affecting both teams' game plan, but not on the Raiders' opening drive. The Raiders knew that they can't establish the running game early since Marshawn Lynch is suspended and the Bills have a respectable front seven. So, they elected to go pass heavy. It was rough with a couple of drops, but Carr's pass to Cooper on third down settled things down. When the Raiders were in short yardage situations, they ran it to Olawale for good gains and eventually a TD, which was set up by a great catch by Lee Smith inside the five. Good, methodical drive to let the Bills know that the offense is back. Meanwhile, the Bills had a solid opening drive on their own, but offensive P.I. on Jordan Matthews helped the defense get off the field. Down the stretch, both offenses have been stagnant due to the rainy weather, but we'll see if the Raiders can go back to putting together another solid drive like they have on their possession of the game.

Lakers Gashed Out by Raptors in 2nd Half of Friday's Game

*Stats courtesy of NBA.com and Yahoo Sports*

Julius Randle lead all Lakers in scoring, racking up 18 points off the bench. But, the Raptors came back and rallied behind Kyle Lowry's triple-double and DeMar DeRozan's 24 point performance to beat the Lakers 101-92. Kyle Kuzma added a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds and Jordan Clarkson added 11 points. Brook Lopez was the only starter in double figures, tallying up 13 points to go with 5 rebounds.

Final Score: vs. Toronto 101-92 [L]
Full article: http://www.nba.com/games/20171027/TORLAL#/recap

Highlights: *courtesy of MLG Highlights*

Now that everybody has seen the stats sheet, it is clear that the 2nd unit of the Lakers carried the team. The rotation lineup consisting of Kuzma, Randle, Clarkson, Hart, and Brewer was an effective rotation that gave the Lakers some needed tempo and scoring firepower. You had Randle pushing the ball up court and kicking it to either Kuzma or Clarkson for scoring options. Kuzma, in particular, flashed that he can be an all-around offensive arsenal. He was looking to push and attack the basketball. The one player that I didn't mention is 30th overall pick, Josh Hart. He got a couple of nice buckets in, finishing with 9 points. You'd have to wonder if Luke Walton's gonna give Hart an extended look and maybe move Clarkson back to Point to back up Lonzo considering Tyler Ennis has been ineffective and Alex Caruso not seeing the court since opening night against the Clippers. Anyway, back onto the 2nd unit, that unit helped the Lakers build up a lead against the Raptors by as many as 10 in the 2nd quarter. In the 3rd quarter, when the Raptors made a run behind Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan, the 2nd unit again provided the Lakers a much-needed spark in the 3rd quarter and kept the team neck-and-neck against the Raptors before eventually losing in the 4th quarter. That's how effective the 2nd unit was and Luke Walton might've found a rotation that works in case the starters are ineffective. Speaking of ineffective starters, that's what they were. Brook Lopez was the only player in the starting five that came to play last night. Brandon Ingram had a quiet game. KCP, quiet game. Larry Nance, Jr., quiet game. Lonzo Ball, despite stuffing the stats sheet with 7 rebounds and 6 assists was relatively quiet. There was not enough of Zo or B.I. attacking the rim, which they should be doing to get themselves going. And overall, the starting five was terrible on defense, especially transition defense. I counted about 5 or 7 plays in the highlights where they were caught napping. Kyle Lowry was heaving a couple of passes from beyond half court to sprinting Raptor players for easy deuces. That's something the Lakers are trying to install with Lonzo on the floor and the Raptors, being the veteran team that they are, made the right adjustments in the 2nd half in exploiting the Lakers' weaknesses in transition.

*Quick Fact Check and Commentary on tonight's matchup @ Utah will be available after the Raiders-Bills Full Postgame Recap tomorrow*

Lakers Pull Off Stunning Win to Hand Wizards First Loss

Welcome in to the full recap of the Lakers' matchup vs. the Washington Wizards where the Lakers pull off win #2 in dramatic fashion yet again as they beat the Wizards 99-102 in overtime to snap the Wizards' 3-0 start to the season.

When the Lakers lose this season, it's comfortable and we all shake it off and say "next game." But, when they win, they have to give us a few heart attacks. That's the early narrative for this team this season. Their first win, they almost blew a six point lead against Phoenix, but luck tilted in their favor as the Suns missed a key first free throw. This 2nd win, the Lakers made a couple of key stops. Not a lot of shots were falling down the stretch, but they kept hanging in there with some good team defense and eventually, Kuzma came through with a three. KCP came through with a three. Ingram made some clutch plays. This is a type of win where young teams can hang their heads on, especially against a playoff contending team like the Wizards.

(+)

Brandon Ingram, 19 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 block. I said in my commentary last game against the Pelicans, Ingram is most effective when he's looking to attack the basket. Overall, the game plan the Lakers had was to attack the Wizards on the interior. B.I. was responsible for a couple of those points in the paint. That's how he gets going and that's his current strength in his game as of now. And a reminder, his shot will come and tonight, we saw glimpses of his mid range jumpshot from the top of the key as they were coming along down the stretch. Other than that, he stuffed the stats sheet, particularly on the boards. His offensive rebound to tie the game at regulation was huge.

Lonzo Ball's defense vs. John Wall. So, Marcin Gortat put out a tweet before this game, saying that John Wall would torture Lonzo Ball for 48 minutes. For those, who've missed the game, the stats sheet would say that Wall dominated Ball. It's like the equivalent in Boxing where you go off who won based on the Compubox statistics and the unofficial round-by-round score cards. But, the judges see something else and give the win to the "loser." Then you see replay that the boxer who you think is the "loser" landed the cleaner hits and defended himself better. Based on watching this game, Lonzo Ball held his ground against John Wall for the most part of the game. Wall beat Ball only on one play when he threw down an emphatic dunk in the 3rd quarter. Granted, Zo got help defense, but he did a good overall job in closing down Wall's lanes where he can't use his speed to attack the basket with ease. Ball also did a good job to keep his body upfront when defending Wall. Wall only got going when there was another defender guarding him and he had his way against KCP, Clarkson, and others, but not Ball.

Clutch defense. For a team that has given up 100+ points in three games, the Laker defense did its job in stepping up when needed. The Lakers made a run late in the fourth, they step up on D to make key stops to get the ball back. And in the closing moments of OT, the defense steps up again and forced the Wizards to take tough shots. Give the team defense of the Lakers credit. The back court of John Wall and Bradley Beal and the overall Wizards' offense is often difficult to stop.

Julius Randle, 10 points, 9 rebounds. Has Randle finally embraced the role of being a bench player? It remains to be seen, but he came up huge again tonight! His activity on both ends on the floor are what ignite the Laker runs. When the ball is in his hands, you know he's gonna push as long as he's in control. He was also solid on defense when he was switched up against Wall. And yes, his three to cut the lead at 91-90 was big time.

Larry Nance Jr., 18 points, 10 rebounds. Larry Nance's game was almost forgotten because of that wild finish. He was also responsible in the Lakers' game plan to attack the paint. His activity was there too. He was at the right places at the right time to clean up some offensive boards and get some put back shots for scores as Brook Lopez took out Marcin Gortat out of the paint. Most of his points were also set up with Lonzo and Clarkson attacking and Nance just back door cuts in for easy baskets.

(-)

Turnovers. This negative tends to show up in all Laker games. 21 is the official total for the number of turnovers the Lakers committed this game. The most frustrating part is that a majority of the turnovers were not Washington's defense. They were part of mental errors or the players just trying to do too much. This happens to young teams most of the time.

MVP

Brandon Ingram 19 points, 10 rebounds, 8-16 shooting

I implore my fellow Laker fans to stay patient with this man's development. B.I. took another step in his development tonight in making clutch plays down the stretch. For now, basket penetration is his forte. The outside shots will follow.



Conclusion

This is a nice compensation for LA fans who watched the Dodgers lose Game 2 of the World Series tonight. Side note aside, wins against good teams are what builds confidence for young teams. Granted, the season is still early and we don't expect this team to win a lot of games. Especially against playoff ready teams. But, what matters is that this team keeps fighting to the end. Some games will tilt in their favor and some won't. It's part of the growing process. Tonight was a great win, no question. The Lakers competed and kept their heads in the game when things were looking bleak, especially in the 2nd half. The next test now, is stringing together a small winning streak.  Open thread and full recap is back on November 2 when the Lakers take on the Blazers in Portland. The Blazers had their number lately. At some point, they gotta find a way to contain Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum. Expect more quick recaps and commentary for the next Laker games in between tonight and November 2. I'll see you guys later.

10/25: "Ball vs. Wall" - LAKERS vs. Washington Wizards 2nd Half Open Thread and Discussion

This is the 2nd half open thread of the Wizards-Lakers matchup and a marquee point guard matchup between John Wall and Lonzo Ball. As usual, leave a comment below and share your thoughts on the game.

OT

WAS 99 LAL 102

These are the kinds of games where young teams grow up! What a game! The Lakers scratched and clawed all game and they came out with the win! This was a great, team effort and a great way to overcome a lot of adversity that happened in tonight's game. The Wizards are undefeated no more! Stay tuned for the full recap.

Q4

WAS 92 LAL 92

Despite the the careless turnovers this game, I'm really proud of the fight of this Lakers' team tonight. Just when the Wizards were about to pull away, the Lakers make a run of their own down the stretch. Clutch three by Julius Randle of all people. Bradley Beal misses 1 of 2 free throws. Ingram with nice penetration, missed the first time, but grabbed his own rebound for the tip-in to tie the game. The Lakers' are giving the Wizards a run for their money as Washington just wants to head home, still undefeated. Let's see if the Lakers have enough juice for OT. That's the biggest test for this young team.

Q3

WAS 79 LAL 69

All the Lakers needed was to get this lead trimmed down to single digits heading into the 4th. At the same time, the last thing they needed was John Wall and Bradley Beal getting it going. Washington's back court found their game this quarter and that was the main reason they lead in double-digits. The Lakers are making a lot of careless turnovers. It's the story for every young team, but a lot of them were not on good defense by the Wizards. The Lakers' made a small run mid-quarter. Let's see if they can make another push in the final quarter of the game.

10/25: "Ball vs. Wall" - LAKERS vs. Washington Wizards 1st Half Open Thread and Discussion

It's a battle of point guards tonight! The 1st half open thread and discussion for the Lakers' matchup vs. the Washington Wizards on NBA Wednesday. Leave a comment below and share your thoughts on the game.

Q2

WAS 49 LAL 42

Well, John Wall tortured Lonzo Ball down the stretch...when Lonzo Ball was not guarding him. So far, the tweet by Marcin Gortat is not working out. When Ball is on Wall, no pun intended, he's kept him in check with some clean defense. Wall may have the speed, but Ball has done a good job closing out lanes to prevent Wall from further attacking the basket. The Wizards may have finished that quarter strong, but I like what I'm seeing overall from the Lakers. They're exploiting the paint and playing some really good defense for a young team that has given up 100+ points in the first three games. The only smear on this 1st half is that the Lakers started committing careless turnovers and it allowed the Wizards to come back. Jordan Clarkson, in particular, made some nice plays with Randle and Kuzma, but he's doing too much at the same time trying to be fancy with play making. The Wizards' best players in this game are not John Wall, Bradley Beal, or Otto Porter, but Jodie Meeks and Kelly Oubre. The Lakers' can live with that as long as they contain Washington's "Big 3." Particularly, they need to have a close eye on Meeks since he can be a game changer. If you knew from his Laker playing days, he has a tendency to catch fire when he gets a couple of three point shots going. The 2nd half will open up shortly.

Q1

WAS 18 LAL 23

If only Brewer didn't fumble that pass or if Kuzma just took that shot. But, so far, so good for the Lakers. I like the game plan that the Lakers are implementing early on this game. They are feeding Lopez inside the paint. As he takes on Gortat, Larry Nance Jr. is lurking inside to clean up some 2nd chance opportunities. 6-18 scoring in the paint are the stats so far in favor of the Lakers. I also liked the defensive activity. Lonzo is holding his own against John Wall and the rest of the team are making some shots more difficult for the Wizards.

Lakers Couldn't Maintain Run vs. Pelicans

*Stats courtesy of NBA.com and Yahoo Sports*

Jordan Clarkson lead all Lakers in scoring with 24 points off the bench to go with 5 assists and key player on the Lakers' run late 2nd half. But, they couldn't maintain the momentum, let alone stop the twin tower duo of DeMarcus Cousins and Anthony Davis as the Lakers fall to the Pelicans 119-112. Kyle Kuzma added 20 points off the bench and Julius Randle added 11 points. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope returned from a 2-game suspension and poured in 20 points and was the only starter in double figures in points. Lonzo Ball added a near triple-double with 8 points, 8 rebounds, and 13 assists.

Final Score: vs. New Orleans 119-112 [L]
Full article: http://www.nba.com/games/20171022/NOPLAL#/recap

Next Game: vs. Washington (10/25) <-- b="">Open Thread and Full Recap Posts

Highlights: *courtesy of MLG Highlights*

The Pelicans were in complete control of last night's game, almost leading the Lakers' as much as almost 20 points. But as mentioned, Clarkson and Kuzma were the main instigators in the Lakers' late run. Three things that highlighted the start of the Lakers' rally were Clarkson's 4-point play, Kuzma's three-pointer with .05 seconds left, and the waived basket from E'twaun Moore after Kuzma's clutch three. Moore made the halfcourt basket, but clearly, the ball was still in his hands. Clarkson pretty much did all his damage in the fourth quarter, both scoring and facilitating the basketball. Kuzma too. He's slowly creeping up his point total after a rough start to the season vs. the Clippers. Julius Randle is finally showing some signs of life. I liked the activity I saw from him last night, especially in screen and roll situations with Clarkson and Ball. KCP, had a nice debut. His shooting stroke was on point last night and he had a nice defensive highlight with a monster block down the stretch in the 4th quarter. Knowing how he played in Detroit, we know he's not gonna give 20+ points, high field goal percentage, or neither night in and night out, but he was impressive regardless in his first game as a Laker. Last night were quiet games for Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram. Ball still made noise though. The one important he was doing last night is that he was continuing to be aggressive in attacking the basketball. It's just that he was doing what he was brought in to do, get teammates involved, hence the 13 assists. One of Ball's question marks was that he didn't run a lot of pick and roll plays in UCLA. He's picking up that facet of the game really quickly and showed with Brook Lopez and Julius Randle. Ingram, definitely had a quiet game, but he was in foul trouble (again). I think what Ingram needs to stick to right now is attacking the basket and draw contact. Last year, he showed promise on that facet of his game and in the Phoenix game Friday night. Attacking the basket is, as of now, Brandon Ingram's biggest strength in his game. Clearly, his ceiling has not scratched the surface yet. Many are quick to jump the gun and asking for Kuzma to start over B.I. or Magic to trade him. In other news, clearly, the defense needs work. Giving up 100+ points in the first three games surely is not sitting well with Luke Walton. Luke really needs to put the hammer down and place more emphasis on the defensive end. Then again, it's part of the growing process for a rebuilding team. I'll see everyone on Wednesday night. Lonzo Ball and John Wall should be a fun point guard battle to watch as the Lakers take on the Wizards.

Lakers Hang On for First Win of the Season vs. Suns

*Stats courtesy of NBA.com and Yahoo Sports*

So, I just had two straight heart attacks in these last two days. NBA TV aired the finish of this game.  Nance had a nice defensive block, but T.J. Warren got the offensive rebound and Ingram fouled out. The Lakers were fortunate Warren missed those free throws. And for those calling for the heads of Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram last night, when it was the first game of the season, well they bounced back in a huge way. Lonzo had a big night tonight, flirting with triple-double numbers of 29 points, 11 rebounds, and 9 assists as he lead the Lakers to a 132-130 victory over Devin Booker and the Phoenix Suns. Brandon Ingram, despite fouling out in the last seconds, bounced back from his woeful shooting last night, scored 25 points on an efficient 9-14 shooting. Brook Lopez added a double-double of 19 points and 11 rebounds and a couple clutch shots to settle things down when the Suns were making a run. And Larry Nance Jr. added 14 points to round out the starters. Jordan Clarkson did work again as the 6th man, finishing with 17 points. Kyle Kuzma also had a better night tonight, adding up 15 points off the bench.

Final Score: @ Phoenix 132-130 [W]
Full article: http://www.nba.com/games/20171020/LALPHX#/recap

Next Game: vs. New Orleans (10/22)

Highlights: *Courtesy of Ximo Pierto*

Lonzo Ball did a nice job in balancing passiveness-aggressiveness here in this game. It's a drastic improvement from the Thursday night opener vs. the Clippers. For a 2nd game in his rookie year, Ball was fearless in attacking the basket and it looks like his jump shot is coming along earlier than expected. The same can be said for Ingram in last night's game. Thursday night, most of his shots fell short. This game, Ingram put more arc and touch on his shot and he was more aggressive in attacking the basket. Interesting enough, Corey Brewer played the "Patrick Beverly" role in hounding Devin Booker and eventually both players got into a little scrum in the 3rd quarter. The biggest thing these Lakers need to improve on is closing out and that should be the emphasis for a young team. Lonzo just gave the Lakers a six point lead, but they committed a slew of fouls at the end to make it come down to a pair of missed free throws and one more defensive play. Still, good win for the Lakers. A win against the Suns isn't too special to some NBA fans, but Lakers needed some kind of confidence builder and last night's game was the one with Ball and Ingram going off for a combined 40+ points.

Double Recap: Raiders Keep Season Alive with Crazy Win vs. Chiefs; Young Lakers Taken to School vs. Clippers

Welcome in to a double full recap in what was a crazy Thursday night for the blog as the Raiders and Lakers played on national TV. The Raiders resurrected some 4th quarter comeback magic as they knock off their divisional rival Chiefs, ending the Kansas City jinx in a 30-31 thriller. Meanwhile, the Lonzo Ball-Brandon Ingram era for the Lakers hit a brick wall in the team's opener, falling to the Clippers 108-92.

Wow, these two games were polar opposites of each other. My goodness. But I'm gonna be honest, I lost a lot of energy from that frantic finish on the Raiders-Chiefs Thursday Night game. The final sequence of that game was a pure example of the torture us Raider fans have to go through with this team. But, hey Derek Carr did it again against the Chiefs on Thursday Night Football in Oakland. I think the NFL seriously needs to consider more Raiders-Chiefs on Thursday Night in Oakland because that's the only way they can beat the Chiefs. All kidding aside, it took five tries in the final seconds. You'd think the game would be over, but finally the Raiders get calls their way and they capitalized on it with Carr's game-winning TD to King Crab. On the flip side, it was a tough sledding for the Lakers in their game against the Clippers. I said last night, despite Chris Paul's absence, the Clippers are still a proven veteran team and it showed tonight. The Lakers committed some silly turnovers and they were too passive offensively. Defensively, they had a lot of breakdowns which lead to some good outside looks by the Clippers and they just didn't have an answer for neither Blake Griffin nor DeAndre Jordan inside the post.

By virtue, I will cover the losing team first. It's a tradition that I've used when I'm covering the Super Bowl or the NBA Finals where I would address the losing team first and then address the winning team later.

Lakers

(+)

Brook Lopez, 20 points, 6 rebounds, 7-19 shooting. The Lakers brought in Brook Lopez for this kind of stat line. His 3-point game wasn't in sync, shooting 1-5 from beyond the arc, but he did most of his damage inside the post and from the perimeter as well. Keep in mind, I didn't see the first half, but in the second half, Lopez ignited a mini run with a couple of floaters and hook shots before the Clippers proceeded to destroy the Lakers' non-existent defense. Lopez is capable of creating his own shot and he's expected to fill the stat sheet up from here on out.

Lonzo getting teammates involved. Since I missed a majority of the game, I couldn't analyze how well Lonzo moved the ball and with his low assists numbers, I assume either players missed their shots or passed up a shot. But, hearing from Chris Webber at the end of the game that he thought Lonzo did a good job getting teammates involved, that was encouraging to hear. Remember, Lonzo is not a scorer. He's a pass first guy and he's looking to make plays for teammates. He had a nice highlight in the third quarter with pick-and-roll action, finding Lopez for a layup.

Jordan Clarkson 18 points, 7-16 shooting. Last season, Clarkson has proven to be a capable sixth man since the Lakers traded away Lou Williams. It's good to see he's carrying that over. Lopez and Clarkson are in reality the Lakers' offense until further notice.

(-)

Blake Griffin vs. Larry Nance Jr. and Julius Randle. There's no way around this, Blake Griffin destroyed the Lakers' Power Forwards tonight. He completely overpowered both of them in the paint. I saw the highlight of Randle getting posterized on Griffin's dunk in the 2nd half. The defensive assignment on Griffin proved to be too much.

Turnovers and indecisiveness. That was evident in the 3rd quarter. I feel it was the Lakers' youth trying to do too much. They're too focused on making the home run, highlight play and placing some overemphasis on the ball movement. It happens to young teams and you'd hope that the Lakers learn to slow down and be more decisive in their execution as this season progresses.

Defensive breakdowns. This has been a problem since forever literally. I couldn't recall how many times the Lakers allowed high percentage shots to the Clippers. They're gambling too much on double teams, closing out on their man too late, and failing to provide help defense at the right time. Luke Walton should continue to coach these players up on communicating better defense because that will be the biggest concern throughout the season.

Brandon Ingram, 3-15 shooting. Trade him. Okay, that was a joke. Clearly, this was not a good 2nd year debut for Ingram. In the 3rd quarter, Ingram settled for a couple of jumpshots. Those are high percentage shots, but they were just falling short. Say what you want about Ingram being a bust, but like I said, you can't judge a player until year 3. Unless Ingram has games like these in 75% of the season, then maybe we can start questioning how untouchable he is. Shooting-wise, bad game by Ingram, but it's only one game.

Raiders

(+)

Amari Cooper, 11 receptions, 210 yards, 2 TDs. These last few games, it was frustrating to see Cooper getting shut out in the game plan and rarely seeing some targets. It was also frustrating that a majority of Raiders fans were hating on him. Clearly the drops are frustrating, but it's not entirely his fault that Todd Downing doesn't trust him. This game was a great way to break Amari out of his slump. He was targeted a lot in this game. I'm disappointed that some are considering this game a bad game for Coop. Yes, he drop a couple of long balls, but you can't expect him to be on target all the time. He had 19 targets today. I'm sure if he was 18 of 19 in his targets, people still find ways to hate. Coop showed us that he's still a big play receiver and a YAC monster. And you wanna question his toughness? He took a big hit from Daniel Sorenson. I'm still one of those few who'll continue to defend Coop.

Derek Carr, 29 of 52 passes, 417 passing yards, 3 TDs. This one has to be extra special for Carr as nothing has gone his way against the Chiefs in the last five games. The completion percentage is by all means bad. And yes, most of his throws were 50/50 balls. But, no Marshawn Lynch, no running game, Carr had to carry the offense behind his back. Three years ago, Carr lead the Raiders to their first win against the Chiefs on Thursday Night. Three years later, he did it again!

NaVorro Bowman, 11 tackles. Wait, I thought 49ers fans said that Bowman was done? Clearly, they're in a youth movement, but Bowman still proved he can be a difference maker in stopping the run. Overall, the run defense held Kareem Hunt to 87 yards. That's not too bad for a defense that has struggled in defending the run. It's safe to say, Bowman's presence patched up some of the run defense woes.

Jared Cook, 6 receptions, 107 yards. Cook may not have a lot of monster games, but he's responsible for a couple of lore plays. If you look at the divisional playoffs, he made a spectacular catch against the Cowboys to give the Packers the win. This game, he added his name to Raiders lore. Without his clutch 4th down catch and deep ball catch to put the Raiders on the KC 1-yard line, the "L" would've been in the bag for Oakland. If there's one game that Cook needed a big game, this was the one.

Michael Crabtree, 3 receptions, 24 yards, 1 TD. Quiet game for Crab overall. Marcus Peters had a lot to do with that. But he wiped that out with the game-winning TD catch. There's nothing more to say about Crabtree. The man is clutch.

(-)

Secondary. Obi Melifonwu's debut can't come any sooner since he's taken off the I.R. list after Week 8. And hopefully, we get an update on Gareon Conley's shin injury. This secondary is the death of the Raiders' pass defense. David Amerson regressed big time. Sean Smith is a waste of $40 million (even though he didn't play as much). Reggie Nelson is a step late. They allowed Tyreek Hill to walk free. They allowed a big pass play when Marquette King once again pinned them deep. Keith McGill could've had an INT, but an unlucky tip to Albert Wilson. This secondary is seriously a weak link and considering they're banged up, makes it even worse.

Marshawn Lynch's ejection. Marshawn Lynch is a real dude, no question about it. If you hadn't seen it, Marcus Peters put a late hit on Carr, leading to an all-out scrum. The O-line already had Carr's back. Hudson, Osemele, and Penn came to his aid. And you got Lynch running from the sidelines to break up the fight, when he shouldn't be and he shoved a ref. Lynch was not needed when you have five big linemen ready to wage war for Carr. Since Lynch got ejected, the run game became non-existent for the most part besides DeAndre Washington's rushing TD.

MVP (Lakers)

Brook Lopez, 20 points, 6 rebounds, 7-19 shooting

Expect these kinds of stats from Lopez as this season moves forward. He's hands down, the Lakers' best scoring option outside of Clarkson.





MVP (Raiders)

Amari Cooper, 11 receptions 210 yards, 2 TDs

So many MVPs to choose from the Thursday Night game, but I had to give it Amari Cooper. There was so much talk about him going MIA, but when you get him involved, he puts the spark in the Raiders' offense.




Conclusion

Thursday has passed by as it hits 12 midnight in the U.S., but what a night it was. Surely you can't win em all. The Lakers have a lot of growing pains that they'll have to endure with their young core. The Clippers are still a good team without Chris Paul. Blake Griffin is a proven All-Star and they have all kinds of veterans on their squad. The Lakers have a lot of young pieces outside of Brook Lopez and they don't have quality veteran presence like the Clippers have. They still have a lot of learning to do, but they should improve game-by-game. For the Raiders, they needed this win against the Chiefs. As I said, this was a script-changer for a season that is shadowed with internal turmoil. With the crazy finish the game had and the Raiders coming from behind to win, they should get their mojo back. Now, coming off the emotional-draining victory, they have to get back to the drawing because the schedule gets harder from here on out. Whew, I'm beat. I'm emotionally drained. This was a crazy Thursday night. I can't wait to do it again in December and hopefully, I can make a few adjustments. Raider fans, I'll see you next week when the Raiders take on the Bills. Laker fans, I personally don't know when the next nationally televised Laker game is. I have to re-check the schedule. But, if you've followed my blog for a long time, Laker games that are available only in the home market in LA will be subjected to a quick recap post (denoted as a "Quick Fact Check"). The Lakers do have a game tomorrow off back-to-back sets against the Phoenix Suns, so expect a quick recap on that. Other than that, I'll see you guys later.

#ReignTogether - 10/19: Opening Night! - LAKERS vs. LA Clippers 2nd Half Open Thread and Discussion

The 2nd half open thread and discussion of the Lakers-Clippers matchup to wrap up a big Thursday night. Laker fans, as usual, leave a comment below and share your thoughts on the game.

Q4

LAC 108 LAL 92

Garbage time eases the margin of defeat. There's a lot of learning to do from this young Lakers team. Tonight, the Clippers showed why they are a veteran team. So far, I heard good things about Lonzo Ball getting teammates involved, which he was expected to do. Brook Lopez lead the team in scoring as expected. Brandon Ingram struggled with his shot. Growing pains, nothing more to be said. Stay tuned for a mega full recap. I will recap both the Raiders and Lakers games at the same time. 

Q3

LAC 87 LAL 63

Well, I haven't seen the first half. But seeing the game after three, we see a clear difference between this Clippers team and Lakers team. The Lakers played out there with a lot of jitters with too many hesitations and a lot of over-passing during the quarter. Meanwhile, the Clippers are playing like a veteran team that they are. As of late, neither Julius Randle nor Larry Nance Jr. have any answers for Blake Griffin. Not only is he a beast in the paint, but he can shoot from the perimeter as well. The least the Lakers can do is make the score a little more respectable in the 4th. But, this game is a reflection of how young this Lakers team is so far. 

#ReignTogether - 10/19: Opening Night! - LAKERS vs. LA Clippers 1st Half Open Thread and Discussion

Welcome to the other half of a super Thursday night! This is the first half open thread of the Lakers' regular season opener vs. the Clippers in the battle for LA supremacy. For Laker fans, leave a comment below and share your thoughts on the game.

Q2

LAC 53 LAL 42

Tune into the 2nd half open thread. I'll be covering there all the way!

Q1

LAC 27 LAL 19

No reaction since I couldn't find a working livestream of the game. I'll turn it over to this game after the Raiders game. But, this was the score at the end of one. 

#ReignTogether - Week 7: TNF - RAIDERS vs. Kansas City Chiefs 2nd Half Open Thread and Discussion

This is the 2nd half of the Chiefs-Raiders matchup in a mega Thursday night. Raider fans, as usual, leave a comment below and share your thoughts on the game. 

Q4

KC 30 OAK 31

Somebody call 911, I'm having a heart attack! Now, that's vintage 2016 Raiders! The Raiders needed a miracle after the Chiefs were pretty much controlling the clock. The Raiders' defense made a clutch stop with a Mack sack. Derek Carr threw a couple of clutch passes to Cooper and Jared Cook on 4th down. But, my goodness that finish! Jared Cook had a TD. No, call overturned, 10 second run off. The Raiders had three tries to get into the end zone. Through divine intervention, the Chiefs committed some costly penalties as time expired. Carr finds Crabtree for the game-winning TD and Tavecchio, my goodness, was that XP close to being wide. But it's good! Holy mother! Stay tuned for the full recap, but I'm turning it over to the Lakers-Clippers game. #ReignTogether

Q3

KC 30 OAK 21

Well, that quarter is the sole reason why the secondary is garbage. Unlucky tipped pass for a TD. The Chiefs winning a couple of challenges to keep the chains moving. It's looking ugly out there. The Raiders' current drive is going to be pivotal. Let's see what Carr and co do.

#ReignTogether - Week 7: TNF - RAIDERS vs. Kansas City Chiefs 1st Half Open Thread and Discussion

Welcome to one half of a super Thursday night! This is the 1st half open thread of the Raiders' Week 6 divisional matchup vs. the Kansas City Chiefs. For Raider fans, leave a comment below and share your thoughts on the game.

Q2

KC 20 OAK 14

Rough night for Tavecchio so far in terms of field goal attempts. Could've had this thing nodded up at 20. I'd say for 1.5 quarters in this quarter, we saw the explosive Raiders offense from last year. The AC/DC connection was re-ignited as Carr found Coop for the Raiders' two TDs in this game. Like I said, when they get Coop into the game plan, that opens up the playbook. Defensively, they implemented a lot of zone plays because that's how the Steelers shut the Chiefs' offense down last Sunday. But, on the other .5 of the last quarter, the problems of both sides reared its ugly head once again. I'm seeing some questionable offensive play calling by Todd Downing down the stretch. Ken Norton Jr. somehow thought it was a brilliant idea to put David Amerson on an island against the speedy Tyreek Hill. When Tyreek Hill is on the field, 100% of the time you have to double cover him! You leave him one-on-one and Alex Smith is going to heave it and Hill has the speed to burn them. Well, the run game is looking a lot different now since Marshawn Lynch is thrown out of the game. It's common sense for him to stay off the field. Carr has five big offensive lineman ready to go to war for him if any defender touches him. Lynch's presence is definitely going to be missed. That means more work load for Richard and Washington and Carr's gonna have to carry this offense. That work will be a lot to shoulder against a team like the Chiefs. The 2nd half will open up shortly.

Q1

KC 10 OAK 14

You see where getting Amari Cooper involved in the game plan gets you? That's what was missing in this offense. Explosive plays! The Raiders are throwing everything in the book at the Chiefs. Carr rolling out for a couple of completions. The flea flicker on the handoff to Cordarrelle Patterson to find Amari Cooper for a TD. And then on the 2nd scoring drive, Coop reminded us why he's a Yards-After-Catch monster. That's what was missing! Defensively, they're taking a page out of Pittsburgh's gameplan. They're playing a lot of zone to prevent explosive plays. It worked so far, despite KC getting a TD off a Denico Autry penalty. Good back-and-forth quarter.

#ReignTogether - Thursday Night Doubleheader! - Raiders vs. Chiefs-Lakers vs. Clippers

At some point, both the NFL and NBA scheduling would have two of my favorite teams overlap each other. Tomorrow night is going to be big for this blog. The Oakland Raiders are entering a very critical divisional matchup vs. the Kansas City Chiefs in prime time in order to turn the season around. The Los Angeles Lakers usher in a new era as they take on the Clippers in the battle for L.A. Both these games are going to be in front of a national audience, respectively on NFL Network/CBS and on TNT!

Now, onto the age old question, how is this going to work out on the blog? Obviously, the start of the Lakers-Clippers game will overlap the late 2nd half of the Raiders-Chiefs matchup. I may have to load up a livestream of the Lakers-Clippers start so I can fire up the 1st half open thread while I'm doing the 2nd half open thread of the Raiders-Chiefs matchup on TV. Considering Raiders-Chiefs starts at 5:25 PM, priority will be given to that game. And then once the game ends, I will switch up the channel to the Lakers-Clippers from there on out. I guarantee you, I will find ways to comment on both threads during that time and provide my Q-by-Q reaction on both threads as quickly as possible. In terms of the full post game recap, I will merge both of them into one mega recap. I'll recap the Raiders first and then, the Lakers after and I'll combine the "conclusion" section on my overall thoughts on both games and the outlook ahead for both teams.

I'm excited to experiment with this and I'm looking forward to both games. On the Raiders end, you have the debut of NaVorro Bowman. I said it in my full recap after the Raiders-Chargers game last week, the Raiders had to consider calling NaVorro Bowman. And they did so without hesitation signing him to a 1-year deal. He's expected to play tomorrow and stabilize the Linebacker core for a short term. But, this game against the Chiefs, NaVorro Bowman is a secondary headline. Make no mistake, the Raiders are not playing up to par as of late. They're proving that last year's 12-4 season was a fluke game-by-game. And they're going up against a previously undefeated Chiefs team that just lost to Pittsburgh and you can bet, they'll take their frustration out on the Raiders. They want to turn this season around? This is it. This is the Super Bowl even though it really isn't. But, in a literal sense, it is because the Raiders' aspirations for a Super Bowl trip is looking bleak based on the last few games. This game is a script-changer for the season.

On the Lakers' side, you have the most anticipated regular season debut of Lonzo Ball. We can't forget about Kyle Kuzma, Josh Hart, and Thomas Bryant. But most likely, Ball and Kuzma are going to log the heavy minutes among the Lakers' latest draft class. While the Lakers are going through their rebuilding phase, the Clippers are starting their rebuilding phase. They broke up 1/3 of Lob City by trading Chris Paul to the Rockets. The Clippers have had the Lakers' number and CP3 was a part of those Clipper victories. But just because they don't have CP3 doesn't mean that the Lakers can finally beat them. They still have Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan. They added Lou Williams and Danilo Gallinari. I would say they got better defensively by adding Patrick Beverly and he's going to be a handful for Lonzo Ball because of his scrappy, hard-nosed defense. To make things worse, the Lakers will be short-handed for tomorrow's game. Julius Randle is out. Andrew Bogut is out. KCP will be serving a two-game suspension. Randle is arguably the best rebounder on the team. Bogut out and KCP out are huge losses for the team defensively. It'll be interesting to see how Luke Walton will set the starting lineup and rotations. But, the Lakers should remain competitive with Lonzo, Kuzma, Brook Lopez, and Brandon Ingram. Speaking of Ingram, we're anxious to see how much he improved from his rookie year. He's due for a successful 2nd year campaign in terms of growth and development. Clippers may be the heavy favorite in the opener, but I want to see some competitiveness from this young Laker squad to go along with growth development.

Granted, this won't be the last time this is gonna happen. Both my teams are going to intertwine again in December on Christmas Day when the Raiders take on the Eagles on Monday Night Football and the Lakers take on the Clippers to wrap up the NBA's Christmas galore. But, tomorrow night can not come any faster! Raiders-Chiefs on Thursday Night Football. Lakers-Clippers on the NBA on TNT. For one night, the colors of Silver and Black and Purple and Gold reign together. GO RAIDERS! GO LAKERS! I'll see you guys tomorrow.

TrueRaiderLaker Productions #11! - 2017-18 Lakers - "The Restoration Plan"

"You know MechG2994, your last hype video with the Raiders was pretty damn epic. I was so pumped up for the season to start when I saw that. Without a doubt, it's your best hype video ever."

"Hey, how about giving the Lakers a hype video like that too? It needs some epicness to it. I'm excited for basketball season to start."

Ask and you shall receive. With no further introduction I present to you TrueRaiderLaker Productions #11 - 2017-18 Lakers "The Restoration Plan!"

Description

The conversation above wasn't real, but it certainly left me to think. I'm coming off making an epic hype video about the Raiders, using an epic song by Hi Finesse. When I was pondering about a Lakers video, I at first thought about using some rap. But, that's not the way to follow up an epic hype video! And then it dawned me and asked myself, "hey, why not an encore with Hi Finesse?" 

My latest third Raiders hype video had a lot of storytelling involved. From the clinching the playoff spot to Carr's injury to prepping for a Super Bowl (which is looking bleak at the moment. I wanted to replicate the same storytelling element to the Lakers' incoming first season under the Magic-Pelinka regime.

The last five years under Jim Buss were tough for us Laker fans. There was no long-term contingency plan when Kobe decided to hang it up. After Kobe retired, it was the opportune time for Jim and Mitch Kupchak to build for the future. They did right by hiring Luke Walton and drafting Brandon Ingram in last year's draft. But signing Luol Deng and Timofey Mozgov to mega contracts signaled the demise of the Jim Buss-Mitch Kupchak era. In comes Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka to right the wrongs. They tell us there's a plan in place and they're making moves to restore the Lakers to greatness. They're starting off on the right foot trading for Brook Lopez, signing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to a reasonable contract, and drafting Lonzo Ball and Kyle Kuzma. Ball and Kuzma carried the Lakers to a Summer League championship and they will look to build up that confidence in the regular season along with Ingram, Clarkson, Randle, Nance, KCP, and Lopez,. Whether Magic and Pelinka's plan succeeds or fails remains in question. One thing's for certain, they are unified with a common long-term plan to return the Lakers to its former glory. That plan starts on Thursday Night vs. the Clippers. This video is a visual presentation of a restoration plan in motion. Enjoy this 2 minute fury Laker Nation.

Thumbnail

Official thumbnail of the video featuring a landscape view of L.A. and Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram all drenched in Purple and Gold. ("But, where's Kyle Kuzma?") 

LA Lakers 2017-18 Preview: The New Era - Take 2

Welcome in Laker Nation to the regular season preview post for the Lakers' 2017-18 regular season campaign. There's a lot of headlines for the Lakers heading into this season, but I'll pick out the more obvious headlines and provide my overall outlook on how the season should go.

Leap Year For Ingram?

Brandon Ingram is "Mr. Untouchable" according to Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka. There is no question that all eyes will be dead set on Brandon Ingram. Last year, the Lakers took a conservative approach in easing their #2 overall pick into the NBA game. Coming off the bench, he certainly had some growing pains. But, towards the end of the season, I thought I saw a good enough sample size of Ingram's potential. By the time he was in the starting lineup, I thought Ingram was more assertive with his decision-making. At times, he's shown that he can attack the basket at will and can make defensive stops with his length. The only thing he just needs improvement on is his jump shot. Of course, the big elephant in the room is that Kyle Kuzma, who's been consistent since the Lakers drafted him this year, should start over Ingram. There's a difference between one player who's only completed one year of collegiate play and another player who's had three years of college basketball. Of course, Kuzma is going to be fine tuned with his game. Kuzma is polished right now, but Ingram has the higher ceiling. The trend in the NBA draft is that most college players who only completed their freshman year tend to go top 5 or top 10 in the first round. And some already reached their ceiling early than others (ex: Kyrie Irving, Anthony Davis, John Wall). Let me make this analogy for the namesake of this blog, Khalil Mack of the Raiders was taken 5th overall in 2014 NFL draft. He didn't get a single sack until Week 11 against the Chargers and finished up with just 4 sacks. Bust right? 26 total sacks and a Defensive Player of the Year award two seasons later, he's among the elite defensive players. Granted, the NBA is incomparable with the NFL. But what I'm saying is, right now, it's way too early to consider Ingram a bust. I'd say by a player's 3rd year is when you really start judging him. Ingram is due for a leap year this season from his rookie year. We saw glimpses of that last season and in Summer League game when he erupted for 26 points against the Clippers before Magic shut him down after an injury scare during that game. Ingram gets to start all 82 games. Let's see what he's truly capable of.

The "Lonzo Effect"

The Lakers pulled the plug on the D'Angelo Russell experiment and in comes Lonzo Ball, taken in this year's draft at #2 overall. During the last few games of the Lakers, I was also keeping track on Lonzo Ball's performance when UCLA was in the NCAA tournament. And for a small sample size, I was sold that Lonzo was the guy that the Lakers need to draft from a pure point guard standpoint. He had a rough debut in Summer League, but he got better en route to being Summer League MVP. Lonzo's scoring will come along, but two skills were he's most consistent at is his court vision and passing ability. Lonzo is not a type of player that will drop 25-30 points a night like D'Angelo Russell. But, what Lonzo brings to the table is that he gets his teammates involved and make them better. He made Kyle Kuzma look like "a million bucks" in the Summer League. Same with Ivica Zubac and same with guys like Vander Blue, Travis Wear, etc. We haven't seen much of his effect in the preseason because the Lakers are taking precautionary measures after he tweaked an ankle against the Nuggets. But, he'll get the benefit of a doubt of playing with Nance Jr. and Randle who can both run the floor. And he'll benefit big time playing with a former All-Star big man and current "Stretch 5" in Brook Lopez. I wouldn't be surprised if Lonzo sees a lot of action this season considering the Lakers didn't bring in a quality backup Point Guard. Ennis had a solid sample size last season. Caruso flashed in Summer League. But, they're not seasoned vets that Lonzo can rely on. It's gonna be a complete 180 approach to how the Lakers bring Lonzo along to NBA speed compared to how they brought Ingram along last season in his rookie year. Can Lonzo Ball win Rookie of the Year? No question that it's a possibility.

Pondering About Julius

This is a contract year for Julius Randle, but all signs point to him being gone regardless what the Lakers do with him. The Lakers are pondering about trading him midseason because Luol Deng's $72 million contract is still on the shelf and they want to get rid of Deng for another expiring contract. Or, they just let him play out of his contract. The likeliest scenario is that is that they want to use Randle as trade bait to get rid of Deng's big contract. Let's face it, there is a big logjam at the Power Forward position with Nance and the emergence of Kyle Kuzma. So that puts Randle on the outlier. Interesting enough, Luke Walton experimented with playing Randle off the bench late in the preseason and for the most part, he did pretty good, still recording double-doubles in the points and rebounds categories. But, if you look at his game, he still proves that he plays out of control. And that's where guys like Nance and Kuzma have the edge over him. For the Lakers, it's important that Randle continues to put up double-double numbers in the points and rebounds and puts a string of good games together if the Lakers want to maximize his trade value. Trading him is the likeliest scenario to get rid of another bad contract. We don't know when that will happen, but every game this season is a make-or-break for Julius Randle in the purple and gold.

"Kuz" Control

Speaking of Kyle Kuzma in the previous section, Kuz deserves the nickname, "Mr. Consistent." What a trade Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka cooked up by trading D'Angelo Russell and Timofey Mozgov's $68 million contract for Brook Lopez and the 27th pick. And that 27th pick turned out to be Kyle Kuzma. Why's Kyle Kuzma "Mr. Consistent?" He's been putting up monster numbers since his Summer League debut? And he successfully translated that play to actual NBA competition. He can shoot, attack, and use his length to disrupt opposing offenses and he's versatile at either Forward position. Of course as I mentioned in Ingram's headline, that some may argue that Kuzma should start over Ingram. Again, Kuzma is already seasoned with three years of collegiate play, but Ingram has a higher ceiling. Speaking of Ingram vs. Kuzma, why not put both on the floor at the same time?  They can score, they can attack, and they can use their length. I'd like to call a starting lineup of Brandon Ingram and Kyle Kuzma the "Slenderman" lineup. Regardless, Kuzma is a perfect complimentary player and a movable chess piece to exploit mismatches. And he could possibly creep up in Rookie of the Year conversations too. Even better, he could be in the conversation for Sixth Man of the Year if he continues to put up staggering numbers coming off the bench.

Season Outlook (Concluding Thoughts)

With Magic, Rob, and Luke at the helm, the Lakers are likely set on the fact that Brandon Ingram and Lonzo Ball are their cornerstones. They have their established core of young talent and they're not going to change that. Development and continuity is going to be key for the Lakers to get back into the glory days behind Ingram, Ball, and Kuzma. As much as I want to say playoffs, they're not loaded to compete against Golden State, Houston, San Antonio, Oklahoma City, the list goes on and on. The West is super stacked this year and the Lakers are living in the slums of the Western Conference. What I expect is improvement over the 26-56 record last season. Last year's finish was much better than the last three seasons. And in those three seasons, the Lakers got progressively worse. And that's because they didn't have an established core. They shouldn't fall to like 15-67 with the established young core of players and veterans they have on this year's roster. I'm hoping for at least a 30-35 win season. That would mark small steps forward for the Lakers to take the big step. On another note, the Lakers don't have a 1st round pick next year, so tanking is not an option this season. It's get the young players to develop and start grooming them into future stars. They want LeBron next year? They want Paul George next year? They want top free agents to come? Prove to them that there's a stable core of players to build around and the free agents will come. Again for the namesake of this blog, look at the Raiders after the 2015 season. Free agents saw that there's an established core of Mack, Carr, and Cooper to build around and they signed with the team. The same thing should be the goal for the Lakers. The team proves to have an established core with Ingram, Ball, and Kuzma, free agents will come play for them. This is all about righting the ship for the purple and gold. GO LAKERS! I'll see you guys on Thursday for a rare double-header on this blog when the Lakers take on the Clippers on opening night. For my fellow Raider fans and Laker fans, I'll be making some announcement before what should be a monumental Thursday Night.

Raiders Stunned, Chargers Flip Final Minute Script

Welcome in to the full recap of the Raiders' Week 6 matchup vs. the LA Chargers where this loss is going to hurt. The Raiders had a 7-10 lead at the half, but they let the Chargers hang around as Los Angeles cashes in on a missed Tavecchio PAT to beat the Raiders 17-16.

Raiders lose again. The Chiefs just lost to the Steelers. Raider Nation, we are approaching a very wary Thursday Night matchup next week. I'm sitting here on my laptop typing this post and I'm still stunned. I said in the first half post that the Raiders are approaching dangerous waters if they let the Chargers hang around for too long. Well, that statement rang true by the end of this game. There's no excuses to lose like that. You can't completely fault the missed PAT by Tavecchio or the bad snap by Jon Condo. When this team had too many opportunities to put the Chargers away and didn't capitalize on none of them, I'm sorry they deserved to lose this game.

(+)

Marquette King, 4 punts, 59 yards. Well, the Raiders can always rely on Marquette King to be consistent night in and night out. Every time Oakland's offense stalled after 3rd down, King was able to come through with a booming punt and pin the LA Chargers inside their own end zone.

TJ Carrie, 8 tackles. There's not a lot of positives to take out on the secondary, but Carrie had a solid game today. Carrie made a couple of nice open field tackles and he made a big pass defense early on when the Chargers went for it on 4th down.

Nicholas Morrow and Xavier Woodson-Luster. Five tackles from Morrow and six tackles by Woodson-Luster. Like the secondary, the linebacker corps has a lot of uncertainty. Morrow and Woodson-Luster capitalized on their opportunities behind a very short handed linebacker unit. They held their ground matching up against a good running back like Melvin Gordon.

(-)

Stalled drives. It didn't have to come down to the final seconds if the Raiders put together a string of good scoring drives. The only positive from the offense is that they gave Marshawn Lynch more touches. But one too many stalled drives and it didn't help with a pair of turnovers from Carr. I don't know how or why Todd Downing is holding this offense back with conservative and simplistic playcalling. I made a bold prediction Downing is a better OC than Musgrave. But I gotta take the blinders off after this 4-game skid. He has no idea how to maximize the talent on the offense and this is taking us back to the days when Greg Knapp or Greg Olson were calling plays. Soft and predictable.

David Amerson. How many times did David Amerson elect to go for the big hit rather than making a tackle today? A couple of times today. Granted, he's not a good tackler, but at least slow the receiver down to draw help from your teammates. Amerson gave up so many big gain catch and run plays that could've been short gainers. Wrap up or draw him out of bounds!

Karl Joseph. No question that Karl Joseph is the only good player on the Raiders secondary. But, he's gonna have some bad games. This was one of them. He got beat by Antonio Gates. He got beat even worse by Hunter Henry, especially on one specific pass play. King pinned the Chargers deep into their own territory. Then on the first play, Rivers passes to Henry. Joseph stops covering and Henry made the catch over his head. That was one of the many catalysts that lead to the Chargers game-winning field goal. 

Penalties. There's not much of a difference as the Raiders committed 5 penalties compared to Chargers committing 4 penalties. But how many of those penalties were momentum killers? How many of those penalties were questionable? Exhibit A: Carr lofts a pass to Amari Cooper for a big gain, but a phantom holding penalty on Gabe Jackson wiped it out. Exhibit B: Two Chargers defenders jumped into the neutral zone, false start called on Donald Penn when he didn't even flinch.

MVP

Marquette King, 4 punts, 59 yards

King did his thing today. Whenever the offense stalled, M.K. boomed it deep into the Chargers own territory. Too bad those efforts were for naught because the defense gave up big yardage.





Conclusion

There is no jinx here in this now 4-game skid. There are internal problems on this Raiders team. From the players, to the coaching staff, to Jack Del Rio, everybody's held accountable at this mess! There's no way around it. Was going 12-4 last year a real sham? Because more and more it looks like it. It's like this team just doesn't have it yet to be one of the elites, let alone, a Super Bowl contender. The whole offense is not being the well-oiled machine like we imagined it to be. Secondary is an issue. Linebackers are the equivalent of Russian Roulette, you never know who's starting. But hey, we might finally have the answer at Linebacker because rumor has it, the Raiders are interested in NaVorro Bowman. I'd take him than what the Raiders have now at Linebacker. Next game against Kansas City on Thursday Night is not looking good. And you can bet, the Chiefs will be amped up on Thursday for losing against the Steelers today. Do the Raiders want to be great? They have to earn it against the Chiefs on the Thursday. I'll see you guys for a potential double-header on Thursday. Because Lakers basketball is coming back and I will have a Regular Season preview up in about a couple of hours. I'll see you guys later. 

Week 6: RAIDERS vs. LA Chargers 2nd Half Open Thread and Discussion

The 2nd half of the Raiders-Chargers Week 6 matchup. As usual, leave a comment below and share your thoughts on the game.

Q4

LAC 17 OAK 16

I haven't done this awhile...

Stay tuned for the full recap.

Q3

LAC 7 OAK 10

This is a quarter with so many missed opportunities. The Raiders were putting together a nice opening drive of the 2nd half and then a tipped INT in the red zone just killed all kinds of momentum. Defense forces a fumble, then the Raiders almost gave it right back to the Chargers. Luckily enough, the defense is holding its ground. Nicholas Morrow and Xavier Woodson-Luster are providing some unsung contributions in the linebacker position as they're doing a solid job containing Melvin Gordon. At some point though, the Raiders have to put the nail in the coffin. This is gonna be an ugly fight to the finish heading into the 4th.

Week 6: Must Win - RAIDERS vs. Los Angeles Chargers 1st Half Open Thread and Discussion

This is the open thread of the first half of the Raiders' Week 6 matchup vs. the LA Chargers. Leave a comment below and share your thoughts on the game.

Q2

LAC 7 OAK 10

It seems to me that it's going to be the Raiders vs. the Chargers and the Refs based on what I saw on the first half. The positive here is that Oakland was able to get out of this slow first half with a lead. The offense is playing safe out there and understandably so to protect Carr. They did a nice job establishing the run against the Chargers' poor run defense and they decide to go with quick, short and intermediate routes to ease Carr in. With that gameplan, they got a score with Carr finding Crabtree for an early 7-0 lead. To think, the Chargers could've lead at this half, but Nick Novak missed a field goal and they failed to convert on one of their two fourth down plays. The defense for the most part did its job minus the Gordon TD late in this quarter. TJ Carrie is standing out early on, making a couple of big 3rd down plays. The secondary needs any positive right now at this point. Anything would be great. Slow, safe first half, but the Raiders need to open it up a little bit in the 2nd. They are in dangerous waters if they're letting a 1-5 Chargers team hang around. 2nd half open thread will open up shortly.

Q1

LAC 0 OAK 7

Wow, that was a very questionable call to end the quarter. False start on Penn? He didn't flinch one bit. Okay, back to the overall summary of this quarter. I thought we were gonna be off to another shaky start after Carr threw a pick. I was thinking "this is where the Chargers" score a TD. But, they missed a field goal. Raiders get back on the field and they put together a very methodical drive to establish the run and ease Carr with easy completions, culminating in a TD to Crabtree. So far, so good, but there's a lot of work to do. But, I'm still stunned on that call. Chargers jumped big time.