Lakers Drop Game in OT to Dubs

*Stats courtesy of NBA.com and Yahoo Sports*

Brandon Ingram posted a career high with 32 points to go with 5 rebounds and 3 assists, but the Lakers let the defending champs hang around a little too long as they fell to the Warriors 127-123 in OT. KCP added 21 points and 7 rebounds and Lonzo Ball added a double-double with 15 points and 10 assists. Jordan Clarkson had a solid all-around game off the bench with 21 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists and Julius Randle racked up 20 points.

Final Score: vs. Golden State 127-123 (OT) [L]
Full article: http://www.nba.com/games/20171129/GSWLAL#/recap

Next Game: @ Denver (12/02)

Highlights: *Courtesy of Ximo Pierto*

Add this to the list games the Lakers let slip away this week. The Warriors were not sharp with their ball movement tonight and Curry was struggling from the field. This is the kind of stuff the Lakers needed to take advantage of while they can and just like the Clippers game, they couldn't close it out. But, we can't put aside their effort this game. They gave the Warriors all they could handle. Brandon Ingram had a monster game, posting a career high in points. B.I. had all three phases of his shot working: attacking the basket, midrange jumpshot, and the three-point range in which he connected on two from deep. Compare his stats with Kevin Durant this game, KD had 29 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, 1 block on 12-25 shooting. B.I. had 32 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, 2 blocks on 12-21 shooting. Those are near-identical numbers! B.I. is slowly creeping up to his Kevin Durant-esque ceiling in which everybody touted about during his draft day. Though, this whole game centered around Lonzo Ball and Steph Curry which was rooted in Lavar Ball's comments when Zo was still in the UCLA. Lavar said that Zo would be better than Steph Curry. Tonight, it was like a tale of two halves between the two. Zo had his three point shot falling and he was aggressive as a facilitator and at times, a scorer. Steph couldn't buy a bucket. Then later, Zo struggled to score and handle the ball and Curry rekindled his inhuman range from deep in OT. The Lakers' pretty much sealed their own fate by allowing this game to go to OT. It started by allowing Kevin Durant too much space for the game tying three after KCP made a three point play. By the way, KCP struggled to score early on, but he came alive in the fourth. Then on the final play of regulation, they elected to go to Ingram and have him attack the basket. I thought he got fouled on that play, but the referees, 99% of the time, are not going to decide the final seconds of the game with their whistle. In OT, Curry got hot and that was all that's needed. Lakers had a chance for another tie, but Clarkson tipped the ball so far off KCP was beaten by a step by Iguodala for the loose ball. This game overall exemplified a case of good teams finding ways to win and young teams finding ways not to finish right. The Warriors found a way to win. The Lakers fail to close out again this week with the lead.

Sweet Lou Stings Lakers Again

*Stats courtesy of NBA.com and Yahoo Sports*

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope lead all Lakers in scoring with 29 points on 12-28 shooting, but the Clippers were able to pull away from the Lakers 115-120 behind Lou Williams' career high 42 points. Brandon Ingram added 17 points and 5 rebounds to round out the starters. Jordan Clarkson lead the bench with 17 points to go with 8 rebounds and 5 assists. Kyle Kuzma returned to the bench and racked up an efficient 15 points while Julius Randle added 11 points with seven of those points coming from the free throw line.

Final Score: @ LA Clippers 115-120 [L]
Full article: http://www.nba.com/games/20171127/LALLAC#/recap

Next Game: vs. Golden State (11/29)

Highlights: *Courtesy of Ximo Pierto*

Another frustrating "road loss" from the Lakers. Both the Lakers and the Clippers were in a deadlock throughout the whole game. If I heard correctly, there were 13 lead changes in this game. I don't know how many lead changes there were after. However, the finish showed the difference between these two teams. The Lakers at one point were leading 101-93. Then, the Clippers came back behind Austin Rivers and Lou Williams. Just when the Lakers were in rally mode, they missed some big shots and committed some costly turnovers when the opportunity was given for them to take the lead. KCP may have had a big game, but he went cold during the final stretch of the 4th quarter. The Lakers lost this game on free throws too. 67% from the free throw line while the Clippers shot over 90%! In the NBA, you gotta make free throws. That's always the rule of thumb. Lou Williams though, if you've seen him as a Laker, you know that he's a scoring machine and a magnet to the free throw line. If you're defending him, you have to be very disciplined. Those defending him like KCP, Clarkson, and Hart, they didn't get that memo. Sweet Lou singlehandedly took this game over in the final minute to extend the Lakers' misery against the Clippers in the last five years. It doesn't get any better for the team when they take on the defending champion Warriors on Wednesday. Although, the Lakers have a history of snatching at least one game against them.

Raiders Score Just Enough to Hold Off Broncos

Welcome in to the full recap of the of the Raiders' Week 12 divisional matchup vs. the Broncos. The Raiders jump to a 21-0 start and hold on to win the game 14-21, keeping their playoff and division title hopes alive after the Chiefs lost to the Bills earlier today.

First off, belated Happy Thanksgiving Raider Nation. I hoped all of you enjoyed this Thanksgiving weekend, enjoyed time with your family and enjoyed some good food and leftovers. Now, let's get back to this game. A win is a win no matter what. But, this is a type of win that's overshadowed with some skepticism. The Broncos elected to go with Paxton Lynch this game and the Raiders were expected to come out and dominate against a team whose quarterback was making his first start. Then Lynch goes down, Trevor Siemian takes over. The defense went back to its old ways. But like I said, the 21-0 start that Carr and the offense generated was huge down the stretch, especially since they were missing Cooper and Crabtree. They ran the ball down the Broncos' throats with Beast Mode and Carr made some critical passes to Holton and Patterson to put Denver on ice.

(+)

Marshawn Lynch, 26 carries, 67 yards, 1 TD, 3 receptions 44 yards. This was another strong game by Beast Mode, just keep feeding him the ball. He got off to a slow start because the Broncos' defense knew that run plays were going to him. But, he picked it up in the 2nd quarter. Same with the run blocking from the O-line. He was also effective as a pass catcher with a key catch and run in the 4th quarter, which proved to be in vain after Tavecchio missed a field goal. As I said, last season, the Raiders beat the Broncos last season because they rammed it down the Broncos' throats. Today, they did it again and it started with Beast Mode.

Derek Carr, 18 of 24 passes, 253 yards, 2 TDs. The first drive was not a good start from Carr as he overthrew his first two passes. He then committed a fumble before the end of the 1st quarter. But, today we saw the Derek Carr of old as the game progressed. He was rolling out of the pocket and taking shots deep. Not to mention, he put up the aforementioned stats after Crabtree got ejected in the 1st quarter and Cooper had to be taken out for possible concussion symptoms in the 2nd quarter.

Cordarrelle Patterson, 3 receptions, 72 yards. A big chunk of that yardage came off his big catch and run to seal the deal against Denver. Like I said, if that 3rd down pass didn't work, we'd have a lot of hands rolling, but Patterson had good concentration on Carr's pass to make that grab.

Johnny Holton, 2 receptions, 53 yards. Holton is developing into a nice deep threat. He burned the Broncos' secondary again to set up Carr's pass TD to Jalen Richard.

(-)

Defense.  Shut out by the defense in the first half was fools' gold today. The party was over when Trevor Siemian came in relief for Paxton Lynch. Even though, the D-line generated 5 sacks and they forced an INT, most of those came against Paxton Lynch. He's not used to the NFL speed, so we expected them to dominate. The problems with this unit late in this game was still apparent going up against Siemian who's far more familiar with the terminology of the Broncos' offense.

Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree's status. Derek Carr is going to need one of them for next week. As mentioned, Coop took a big shot from Darian Stewart. His status is up in the air. And of course, Crabtree fighting Talib ignited a huge brawl early on in this game. And you know, when it comes to Raider players, the NFL pulls no punches in implementing the harshest penalty possible on players donning the Silver and Black. Most likely, we're expecting Crabtree to be suspended for next week's game against the Giants. Cooper is a 50-50 shot. Carr is going to need one of them back.

MVP

Marshawn Lynch, 26 carries, 67 yards, 1 TD, 3 receptions 44 yards

Keep feeding this guy the damn ball! Not much more to be said. Beast Mode's starting to come on down the stretch, which bodes well for the Raiders in running the table.




Conclusion

It's never easy with this current Raiders team. But, they got the W. They're going to need all the wins they can get down the stretch here. They took advantage of Denver's quarterback carousel today. Next week, they're going up against the Giants who are struggling just as much as the Raiders are. With the injuries and the struggles of Eli Manning, this team should take advantage of that. Then again, considering this game and how the Raiders almost blew a 21-0 lead, expect no easy gimmies. Outside of the Chargers, the Giants have been successful against AFC West teams this year. Raiders need to be alert and continue to play with desperation. I'll see you guys next week for that game.

Week 12: RAIDERS vs. Broncos 2nd Half Open Thread and Discussion

This is the second half open thread of the Raiders-Broncos Week 12 divisional matchup. As usual, leave a comment below and share your thoughts on the game.

Q4

DEN 14 OAK 21

Like I said, it was gonna get interesting with Trevor Siemian taking over. The final score made the game more competitive than expected. Cordarrelle Patterson came up with the biggest catch in the game. If that didn't work, we'd be screaming on the TV about the play call. They tried to do that previously with a pass to Jared Cook that lead to a missed field goal by Tavecchio. But, the Raiders are happy to get out with a win with no Cooper and no Crabtree and no Gabe Jackson. They tie with the Chargers for 2nd place in the AFC West. Stay tuned for the full recap. 

Q3

DEN 0 OAK 21

The Raiders keep churning away with this one. Carr finds Holton off a deep pass against the Broncos' secondary again and it caps off with Jalen Richard's passing TD. They are doing what is expected with the Broncos' quarterback carousel. It's unfortunate that Paxton Lynch got hurt. Trevor Siemian luckily didn't start the last few weeks. I'm seeing Denver's quarterbacks woes for the first time and yes, it is really bad as many said. It's a dumpster fire.

Week 12: RAIDERS vs. Denver Broncos 1st Half Open Thread and Discussion

Must-win game today. This is the first half open thread of the Raiders' Week 12 divisional matchup vs. the Broncos. Leave a comment below and share your thoughts on the game.

Q2

DEN 0 OAK 14

Well, from the looks of that shot, it looks like the Broncos are going to be turning back to Trevor Siemian in the 2nd half. It should make this game a lot interesting and luckily, the Raiders will be up by two TDs. So, the Raiders lose a couple of key cogs in the offense. Crabtree got ejected. Gabe Jackson got ejected. Amari Cooper took quite a hit by Darian Stewart and is questionable to return. They are absolutely fortunate to build a 14-0 lead. They've rekindled a formula they established when they beat the Broncos last season, pound the football. Lynch, Washington, and Richard each got touches and churned up some good gains against the Broncos' d-line. Even though going up against Paxton Lynch, the defense is the one that standing out. First game under John Pagano and they've finally get that elusive first INT from Bowman with an assist from Reggie Nelson off a series of tips. Bruce Irvin managed to get a sack. The D-line was getting some pretty good pressure up against Paxton Lynch. But, then again, it's Paxton Lynch. It's the guys first game and the defense was expected to feast on him. Now, if Siemian starts based on him putting on the helmet at the end of the first half, it will present a more interesting test for the defense in Pagano's first game as DC. With the Raiders' primary receivers out, they have to keep running the football on this thin Denver D-line and get Jared Cook involved as a primary go-to-guy. The 2nd half will open up shortly.

Q1

DEN 0 OAK 0

Derek Carr fumbling the football with 47 seconds left is not a good way to end the quarter. Both teams were struggling to get something going and they just gift wrapped the Broncos good field position to score. Overall, this was a mundane quarter. The big highlight of this was the massive brawl early on in this quarter that was ignited by Crabtree and Talib. We definitely haven't forgotten about that chain snatching incident last year I hope to avoid an explanation of this personal rivalry. Both players ejected was expected. I didn't understand why Gabe Jackson got ejected and I saw replay that he pushed the official. Definitely not okay and the ejection was justified.

Lakers Walloped by Kings

*Stats courtesy of NBA.com and Yahoo Sports*

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope lead the Lakers in scoring with 20 points, but it wasn't enough for the Lakers as they lose to the Kings in Sac-Town 102-113. Lonzo Ball racked up a double-double of 11 points and 11 rebounds to go with 7 boards, Kyle Kuzma was the 2nd leading scorer with 17 points, and Brandon Ingram stuffed the stats sheet with 12 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists. Jordan Clarkson lead the bench with 15 points and Julius Randle followed with 14 points to go with 7 rebounds.

Final Score: @ Sacramento 102-113 [L]
Full article: http://www.nba.com/games/20171122/LALSAC#/recap

Next Game: @ LA Clippers 11/22

Highlights: *Courtesy of Ximo Pierto*

Before I make any comments about the game, I just wanted to wish a belated Happy Thanksgiving to Laker Nation. Hope you enjoyed time with your family and feasted the night away with lots of stuffing. Now onto this game. We've all hyped this up as Lonzo Ball vs. De'Aaron Fox on the NBA stage. Considering I didn't get to see the whole game, Fox and Ball didn't have a lot of one-on-one matchups against each other. Mostly, the defense on Fox was delegated to either Kyle Kuzma or KCP. Nonetheless based on the stats sheet, Ball overall bested Fox besides scoring, but a lot of people will point to the W of the Kings. This game was mostly the Zach Randolph and Willie Cauley-Stein show for Sacramento. When the Kings switched to their bench lineup lead by WCS, that's when they started to run away with this game for a bit. It wasn't just Cauley-Stein's 26-point explosion, but guys like Bogdanovic, Buddy Hield, and Frank Mason III fired from all cylinders. Zach Randolph abused Brook Lopez on the offensive end of the ball. There were like 5-6 highlight plays in the video where Z-Bo took Brook to school with his footwork inside the post. Lopez has been held in check to four points during this game. He also was held to 4 points against Chicago. He's obviously in a funk right now, especially he can't hit his 3-point shot. The Lakers made it close down the stretch in the 3rd quarter, trailing as little as seven points. They made a run again when Lonzo drained two consecutive three pointers, which is an encouraging sign. But, they fell just short. As mentioned, Z-Bo went off. WCS went off. Sacramento's 2nd unit was tough to slow down during this game.

Lakers Overcome Slow Start to Beat Bulls

*Stats courtesy of NBA.com and Yahoo Sports*

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was the Lakers' top performer with 21 points to go with 8 rebounds and 3 steals as the Lakers rally from 19 down to beat the Bulls 94-103. Kyle Kuzma lead all scorers on the Lakers with 22 points while adding 5 assists. Brandon Ingram added 17 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists to round out the starters. Jordan Clarkson lead all scorers off the bench with 12 points despite struggling from the field on 3-8 shooting and Julius Randle notched a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

Final Score: vs. Chicago 94-103 [W]
Full article: http://www.nba.com/games/20171121/CHILAL#/recap

Next Game: @ Sacramento (11/21) <-- b="">Open Thread and Full Recap cancelled. I'll be out with a couple of buddies during the game, but I'll provide a Quick Fact Check and Commentary.

Highlights: *Courtesy of Ximo Pierto*

This game was a textbook example of a slow start, strong finish. In the first half, the Lakers looked lifeless out there. Probably they didn't take Chicago too seriously and toyed with them. The Bulls were outhustling them on both ends of the ball. They were firing on all cylinders especially from beyond the arc. They were the aggressor during that first half. However, 2nd half different story. The Lakers turned up the intensity on the defensive end. Julius Randle didn't have sexy numbers on the stats sheet, but his energy on that floor gave the Lakers the spark to ignite a monster run in the 2nd half. Randle had a nice defensive block on Bobby Portis and then ran on the opposite end of the floor for the layup and the and 1. Textbook defense to offense. The Lakers were due for a big game from KCP and he delivered. He was big especially in the 4th quarter with clutch three point shots and defensive stops. So far, this game was the Lakers' big comeback of the season after being down 19 points. This game exemplified the themes of the Lakers this season of tightening up and picking up the pace after a slow start. Except, this took one took a little longer than usual as it took them the 2nd half to get in rhythm and rekindle their incumbent team identity.

Six Lakers in Double Figures in Win Over Nuggets

*Stats courtesy of NBA.com and Yahoo Sports*

Lonzo Ball recorded his 2nd career triple-double with with 11 points, 16 rebounds, and 11 assists to go with 2 blocks in the Lakers' dominant 109-127 win over the Nuggets. Brook Lopez lead all starters in scoring with 21 points, KCP followed with 15 points to go with 4 steals, Kyle Kuzma added 17 points, and Brandon Ingram chipped in 13 points with 5 boards and 6 assists. Julius Randle had a monster game off the bench with 24 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists and Jordan Clarkson followed with 18 points.

Final Score: vs. Denver 109-127 [W]
Full article: http://www.nba.com/games/20171119/DENLAL#/recap

Next Game: vs. Chicago (11/21)

Highlights: *Courtesy of Ximo Pierto*

With all the scrutiny that Lonzo Ball has face so far in the season, some points are understandable. In most games, he would be too pedestrian. But, when he's aggressive and active on both sides of the ball, he's at his best. Tonight was an example. Ball was back to pushing the pace and finding that balance between scoring to the basket and setting up teammates for easy shots. Defensively, he was active in rebounding and made a pair of nice defensive blocks. In terms of building up confidence, this is exactly what Ball has to do from here on out. He just needs to keep attacking and pushing and just play good sound defense. Overall, that's what the Lakers did tonight. They played impressive team defense and moved the ball well. I saw in the statistic that the Lakers generated 26 total assists on 35 shots. They finished with 36 total assists and limited their turnovers to 15. The important part was that the Lakers were hitting their shots. Brook Lopez struggled last game against Phoenix in his three-point shot, he was able to hit three of them tonight. Kyle Kuzma had an efficient game. Clarkson also had an efficient game. Ingram didn't shoot the ball well, but found other ways to impact the game in the stats sheet as mentioned. KCP and Corey Brewer helped ignited the defense as they both wounded up with 4 steals. Julius Randle definitely stood out tonight. He looked calm and collected out there and playing his game. That's the thing we wanted out of Randle, to play under control. When he does, he's an absolute monster on the floor. Now granted, the Nuggets were a little short-handed.  Paul Millsap left the game early with an injury.  Nikola Jokic was tossed out of the game in the 2nd quarter. But, the Nuggets are still a good team that can score. They had some scoring spurts in this game and the Lakers responded with timely baskets to quell off any potential runs the Nuggets were about to create.

Patriots Romp Over Raiders in Mexico City

Welcome in to the full recap of the Raiders' Week 11 matchup vs. the New England Patriots in Mexico City where it was a terrible trip to Mexico City this time around for the Raiders as they get taken to school by the defending champs 33-8.

No bueno, this game was for the Raiders. As I said, the Patriots are light years ahead of the Raiders and it showed today. But, it was more of the Raiders shooting themselves in the foot. They had a lot of opportunities on offense to be within striking distance, but dropped balls and turnovers doomed them. And the Patriots made them pay for the mistakes. The tone was set in the first quarter when Brady and the offense went no huddle. They were looking for the kill early on and absolutely gashed the defense at almost every turn.

(+)

Marshawn Lynch/running game. This was the only positive going for the Raiders today. The running game was effective and helped keep drives alive. Marshawn was the epicenter of it. On the opening drive, they ran it with Lynch three times. He managed to rip one for about 15-20 yards, probably his best run of the day. It wasn't just Lynch, Richard racked up a couple of chunk yardage to extend drives. Out of all the things that didn't work at all for the Raiders this game, the running game was the only thing that worked.

(-)

Seth Roberts/Drops. This one was the one of the biggest momentum-killers in the game. Seth Roberts was responsible for a couple of those drops. Crabtree dropped an easy sideline throw as well. Holton and Coop dropped some balls. Going back to Seth, he was just terrible overall with the drops. Even worse, he fumbled the ball when fighting for the extra yards. He already had the first down. It just absolutely deflated (no pun intended) any momentum the Raiders had on that potential scoring drive.

Turnovers. Like I said in the previous negative, Seth Roberts' fumble was key because it erased all momentum the Raiders had on a scoring drive. Derek Carr threw an INT on a deep ball intended for Holton. The worse you can do is turn the ball over, especially against a team like the Patriots and the Raiders were down by a couple of scores already.

Derek Carr. Carr may have finished with over 200 passing yards, but most of his throws looked off today. Most of his deep balls hung over the air for a long time and the Patriots secondary has already caught on to the receivers. You also had one throw if I recall to Johnny Holton where the ball just bounced off the Patriots' receivers. He tried to find Coop in the short passing game, but it hit nothing but dirt.

Secondary. There's no surprise about this short handed secondary. We expected Brady and Cooks to make mince meat out of them. They beat Carrie and Nelson. Melifonwu had no business covering Cooks. It all centered around Reggie Nelson getting beat by half a step. That is a terrible matchup to begin with have Nelson give Safety help over the top against Cooks. We saw last year's game against the Saints when Cooks burned Sean Smith and Reggie Nelson for a 90+ yard score. The only time they were successful against the Cooks deep ball was when it was Karl Joseph who was providing the help. And they never made that adjustment ever again going forward into this game.

Coaching staff. Two weeks to prepare and this is the result? Here's the thing, Bill Belichick and the coaching staff made the team stay in Denver to simulate themselves to the altitude in Mexico City. Jack Del Rio and the coaching staff are like it's no big deal. They played in Mexico City last year, they're gonna stay in Oakland and fly overnight. That backfired big time. The worse part is that some of the players weren't used to it and were gasping for air because they were not on the team last year when the Raiders made the trip to Mexico City. We can pin it on the players for lack of execution, but the lack of preparation and exploiting mismatches on the coaches' part is one thing that has let the Raiders' season spiral out of control.

MVP

Marshawn Lynch, 11 carries 67 yards, 1 reception, 10 yards

I can't believe on that 4th and 1 play, we didn't have Lynch in that backfield! He was instrumental in the Raiders' running game being the only thing that worked today against the Patriots. They need to keep feeding Beast Mode the ball.



Conclusion

I'm probably sure it wouldn't be much of a difference if they played this game in Oakland. The Patriots just outclassed the Raiders in every way possible. History-wise, Brady and Belichick have had a good track-record against Jack Del Rio-coached teams. The Patriots will be the cream of the crop as long Bill Belichick is roaming the sidelines. Tom Brady will retire eventually, but as long as he's still playing, New England's the team to beat. Frustrating, but sad reality. Now, that this game is out of the way, the Raiders are not mathematically eliminated. 10-6 is a sure shot to go to the playoffs. If they go 9-7, they're gonna need some scenarios to go their way to get in. If we look at the schedule, it's a little more favorable than everyone thinks. Denver is reeling with poor quarterback play. The Giants are a dumpster fire. Kansas City is slowing down. Cowboys don't have Ezekiel Elliott to finish the season. The Eagles are probably the only difficult team at this point of the schedule. It's certainly possible for the Raiders to run the table and win out. That run starts next week against Brock Osweiler and the struggling Broncos. Most definitely, that is winnable this time around. I'll see you guys next week for that game.

Week 11: Venganza en Mexico! - RAIDERS vs. Patriots 2nd Half Open Thread and Discussion

The 2nd half of the Raiders-Patriots Week 11 matchup in Mexico City. As usual, leave a comment below and share your thoughts on the game, English or Spanish.

Q4

NE 33 OAK 8

The game is pretty much over. They still gotta do the 2-minute warning. From start to finish, we knew that if the Raiders didn't execute well, this was gonna be a long game. This team still has a long ways to go if they want to match the elite status the Patriots had in the AFC for a long time. It showed today. Brady and company marched over this Raiders defense with ease. On offense, the Raiders receivers let the passing game down. The running game was solid, but receivers could not catch a cold and it costed the Raiders a couple of promising drives. Nothing else to say, Patriots were clearly head-and-shoulders better today. Stay tuned for the full recap.

Q3

NE 30 OAK 0

How to sum up this 3rd quarter...

Week 11: Venganza en Mexico! - RAIDERS vs. New England Patriots 1st Half Open Thread and Discussion

The game we've all waited for. Bienvenidos! This is the 1st half open thread and discussion of the Raiders-Patriots Week 11 matchup in Mexico City. Whether in English or en Espanol, leave a comment below and share your thoughts on the game.

Q2

NE 17 OAK 0

That last Raiders drive hurt. They could've cut the deficit to just a touchdown. Instead, they're down 17-0 at the half against the defending Super Bowl champions. What was Seth Roberts thinking loosening that handle on that football? Just get down. You have a first down. The Raiders can run another play with all three of their timeouts. Instead, it results in a fumble and the Raiders come up empty handed. That is the story in the first half. The one thing that Oakland had going was the running game. Marshawn Lynch had a couple of nice runs. Jalen Richard picked up chunks to spare Beast Mode. That kept the Raiders in this game. But, the drops and the turnovers are killing them. It's more of the Raiders stalling their own drives rather than the Pats' defense in the first half. With those errors, Tom Brady and the offense made it look easy on the Raiders defense. Brady has so many weapons to throw to and the matchups are just absolutely bad. Even worse, the Patriots deferred on the coin toss and will get the ball.  The defense has to get stops because if the Patriots score again, it'll be hard for the Raiders to depend on the arm of Derek Carr with the drops from the receivers. At this point, hope for the best and expect the worse. The 2nd half will open up shortly.

Q1

NE 7 OAK 0

The silver lining is Khalil Mack getting a sack on Tom Brady. Hopefully, that creates momentum for the Raiders. But, in that first quarter, you can tell the difference between these two teams. The Raiders started off on the right foot running the ball with Lynch and the drive stalled with Seth Roberts dropping a pass. On the Patriots' first drive, you can tell they were looking for the kill early on in the game. They used the high altitude to their advantage to run no huddle and gash out the Raiders' defense early on and they capped it off on an easy score. The Raiders gotta build any momentum on any side of the ball. This quarter shows some of that rust on the bye week.

Kyle Kuzma's Career High Not Enough vs. Suns

*Stats courtesy of NBA.com and Yahoo Sports*

Kyle Kuzma had a career night Friday night, pouring in 30 points and 10 rebounds, but the Lakers could not stop Devin Booker and the Suns this time around, losing 122-113. Brook Lopez also notched a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds to go with 4 blocks. Brandon Ingram racked up 17 points and 8 rebounds and KCP added 13 points to round out the starters. Julius Randle lead all scorers off the bench with 13 points.

Final Score: vs. Phoenix 122-113 [L]
Full article: http://www.nba.com/games/20171117/PHXLAL#/recap

Next Game: vs. Denver (11/19)

Highlights: *courtesy of MLG Highlights*

Toss out the Phoenix Suns label of the "team most depended on for Laker W's." The Suns were on a back-to-back. They just gave up 90 points in the first half to Houston the other night. And based off the game, the Lakers looked like they were the ones on a back-to-back. Of course, the highlight of the game last night, Kyle Kuzma. He struggled to get his shot going in the first half. But in the 2nd half, he caught fire and single-handedly kept the Lakers afloat when it looked like the Suns were gonna run away in this game. The biggest thing in how Kuzma got going was that he was looking to attack and his shot just followed with it. However, Kuzma's career-high was overshadowed big time by the Suns hitting some timely shots, Devin Booker getting his way in scoring, and the Lakers stopping their own momentum with some turnovers and missed shots. They were daring guys like Dragan Bender to shoot and he made sure the Lakers' defense paid big time with some key three pointers. Brook Lopez missed a couple of threes that stalled the Lakers' series of runs. He struggled from beyond the arc. Laker players made some unforced errors down the stretch. And most notably, they could not slow down Devin Booker down. He finally had a high-scoring performance go his way against the Lakers.

Lakers Could Not Stop the Process

Welcome in to the full recap of the Lakers' matchup vs. the Philadelphia 76ers where the Lakers competed down to the wire behind big games from Ingram, Kuzma, and Clarkson. But, the Lakers found no answer for Joel Embiid and his 46 point performance as the Sixers beat the Lakers 115-109.

As an NBA fan, this was a very good battle to see between two young teams with bright outlooks and the young talent showed out tonight. Unfortunately, as a Laker fan, the Lakers lost this one. It began with the bad start in the 1st quarter. The Lakers let Philly run over them, which is uncharacteristic for a team that has improved defensively. But, they tightened up and played their game and they scratched and clawed back in. It's just that they couldn't stop Joel Embiid down the stretch. He's just that good. It's a sign of relief that he's setting an example that the big man game in the NBA is not extinct just yet. That's where I gotta tip my hat to the Sixers.

(+)

Brandon Ingram, 26 points, 11 rebounds, 2 blocks, 11-18 shooting. B.I. was dead quiet in the last three road games the Lakers had on their 4-game trip. Tonight was one way to get out of the funk. The biggest thing to take away from this game was that he was on target on a majority of his jump shots. Whether tonight was flukey remains in question, but he looked confident taking those shots. Not to mention, in terms of attacking the basket, he was going hard at Embiid. That too should be a huge confidence booster that B.I. can take on anyone anchoring the inside defensively.

Jordan Clarkson, 20 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals. Clarkson followed through after his 25 point performance Monday night in Phoenix, notching another 20 point performance and stuffing the stat sheet. This was one of the games where I saw Clarkson playing hard. He was being aggressive and hustling out there on the floor. We gotta see more of these kinds of games from Clarkson.

Kyle Kuzma, 24 points, 7 rebounds, 9-18 shooting. Kuzma could've had the highlight of the game had he connected on the posterizing dunk on Embiid in the 2nd quarter of this game. But, he did make a sweet baby hook shot over Embiid as compensation late in the 4th. Nonetheless, Kuz strung together another stellar game scoring-wise in his rookie year. He will have his bad shooting nights like he had in Boston and Phoenix, but he'll stuff the stats sheet anyway he can.

Andrew Bogut, 6 points, 10 rebounds. Between, Bogut, Lopez, and Randle, I would say Bogut did a better job at trying to slow down Joel Embiid tonight. And as you see in his stats, he was active in the boards. Most of his points came off of him securing offensive rebounds. A small positive for the Lakers tonight.

(-)

Stopping the Process. This is also the main headline in this post game recap. The Lakers found no answer for Joel Embiid's 46 point performance tonight. He and Simmons did most of their damage inside the paint, but Embiid dealt the heavier blows to the Laker defense. The thing that makes Embiid a nightmare to D up on is that not only can he dominate on the inside, but he's just as effective on the outside. He can hit shots on top of the key and from beyond the arc. And he's got a good array of foot work. He outclassed, Bogut, Lopez, and Randle. Randle in particular received most of the abuse from the Process. The Lakers went small ball to try and slow him down, but Embiid just kept eating down low, muscling his way in and drawing contact.

Lonzo Ball, 2 points, 1-9 shooting, 0-6 three point shooting. We can expect that Ball, in some games, will look like a deer in the headlights or a pedestrian. He made some strides in the last two games, particularly against Milwaukee where he found his outside shot. Tonight, he tried to get going by shooting a couple of three-pointers to get himself going. There's nothing wrong with continuing to shoot, but I made this comment when Zo' missed his last three-point attempt: if he wants to pick up his scoring, he has to attack the basket. That's his game right now. Mark Jackson also made that point during the game as Zo' was missing threes at point blank range. The silver lining is that I'm sure Ball's gonna learn from this. The growing pains continue and we gotta stay patient.

MVP

Brandon Ingram, 26 points, 11 rebounds, 11-18 shooting

Tonight was an excellent bounce-back game from Ingram, scoring 20+ points and shooting at an efficient percentage. Biggest plus was that he found the stroke in his jump shot tonight and still was aggressive going to the basket. We've been waiting for that kind of Kevin Durant-esque performance from him.


Conclusion

One thing that we can take away from this game is that the Sixers have established their young core and are gonna eventually build around them. The Lakers are closely behind. The young core just has to continue to make strides in their development. But, they are competing game-by-game. And there's nothing bad we can say about that. Not much more to say about this game. It just looks like the Sixers are ready to take the next step in their rebuilding process. The next nationally televised game, Lakers take a trip to Sacramento to take on the Kings next Wednesday night. Are we finally gonna see Lonzo Ball vs. De'Aaron Fox on the NBA scale after their epic UCLA-Kentucky duels last year? We just gotta hope that both stay healthy between now and that game. I'll see you guys for that. It's back to Quick Fact Check and Commentary posts on Laker games between now and next Wednesday. I'll see you guys later.

11/15: Rising Stars - LAKERS vs. Sixers 2nd Half Open Thread and Discussion

Second half of the Lakers-Sixers matchup. As usual, leave a comment below and share your thoughts on the game.

Q4

PHI 115 LAL 109

Trust the process indeed for the 76ers. The Lakers gave them everything they got down the stretch. But, Joel Embiid man. The Sixers gotta consider taking the wheels off because he's an absolute monster. He killed the Lakers down the stretch and Julius Randle had no answer for him defensively. Lopez and Bogut guarded him too, but it didn't matter. Nonetheless, this was a great battle between two young teams. But in the end, the Process was too much for the Lakers to stop. Stay tuned for the full recap.


Q3

PHI 83 LAL 84

This has been a recurring theme so far for the Lakers. They are fighting out there! Again, just when the Sixers were about to pull away with Embiid and Simmons carrying the team, the Lakers respond with a run of their own by playing good defense and pushing the ball. Brandon Ingram is making shots out there while being aggressive. This is one of his best shooting games in his career. Meanwhile, it's the opposite of Lonzo Ball. He has to play his game in being aggressive. The settling for three's won't cut it. But luckily, the Lakers are hanging in there. This is going to be a strong fight to the finish for both these young teams in the 4th quarter.

11/15: Rising Stars - LAKERS vs. Philadelphia 76ers 1st Half Open Thread and Discussion

A battle between two young, up and coming teams. Welcome in to the first half of the Lakers-76ers matchup. Leave a comment below and share your thoughts on the game.

Q2

PHI 58 LAL 54

The good thing here is that the Lakers are hanging around whenever the Sixers look like they are about to pull away. They've dug themselves out of the 18-7 hole to trail as little as four heading into the 2nd half. Though LA made some bad passes and had some defensive lapses to start, Philly missed a lot of high percentage looks and also being the young team that they are, they turned the ball over. Combined with the spark of the Laker bench lead by Randle and Clarkson, all played a factor in the Lakers getting back into this game. But, they gotta do something to contain Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid. They are killing the Lakers with Simmons attacking the basket and Embiid lurking around the post and they've connected on a lot of them tonight. Though this is centered around Simmons vs. Ball, we can't forget that Simmons and Ingram were the top two picks in the same draft class. I'd say they're neck-and-neck with B.I. having the biggest edge in scoring. B.I. specifically is off to a terrific start with 15 points and shooting an efficient 6-10 from the field (*stats courtesy of Yahoo Sports*). The Lakers have overcome a possible big deficit. They have to stick with their identity in locking down defensively and being aggressive and pushing the tempo against this Sixers team. They also have to be much smarter with the ball movement. The 2nd half will open up shortly.

Q1

PHI 29 LAL 26

What did I say in the comments when the Lakers find themselves in a hole? They have a tendency to step up and make a run. I'm gonna be honest though. The Lakers looked really flat to start the game. They turned the ball over. Defensively, they were allowing the Sixers easy layups and that's what got the Sixers the big lead early. But then, Walton inserts the bench mob lead by Randle and Clarkson and provided instant energy to pull the Lakers within three. With that lineup, they played much better on both sides of the ball.

Lakers Finish Road Trip with Win Over Suns

*Stats courtesy of NBA.com and Yahoo Sports*

Jordan Clarkson dropped 25 points off the bench on 11-19 shooting to lead the Lakers past the Suns 100-93, overcoming a 30+ point game by Devin Booker. Corey Brewer followed with 13 points to round out the bench. On the starters, Brook Lopez and KCP were co-leading scorers as each scored 15 points. Lopez notched a double-double with 10 rebounds while Caldwell-Pope almost recorded one with 9 rebounds. Kyle Kuzma had a quiet game, but finished strong with 11 points and 6 rebounds.

Final Score: @ Phoenix 100-93 [W]
Full article: http://www.nba.com/games/20171113/LALPHX#/recap

Next Game: vs. Philadelphia (11/15) <-- b="">Open Thread and Full Recap Posts

Highlights: *Courtesy of Ximo Pierto*

When Clarkson's on fire and he's shooting efficiently from the field off the bench, it tends to be a good sign for the Lakers. The Suns opened up a big lead to start this game and the Lakers closed the gap when JC came off the bench and started stringing together made shots. Most of them were high percentage shots too. If you see his individual highlights he ad a lot of space between the him and whoever was guarding from the Suns. And the key thing is that he was decisive. It helps especially when he has the stroke. It was not just Clarkson's good game, but I thought the Lakers did a great job turning up defensively, especially late in the 2nd half. Devin Booker's 36 points is a smear on the defensive effort. But, he's going to get his shots regardless. Kyle Kuzma didn't play a good game, but he finished strong in the 4th quarter to give the Lakers some clutch shots to seal the deal this game. Also, Corey Brewer had a surprising 17 point performance. He's been absolutely terrific against Phoenix. In the last meeting against Phoenix, he hounded Booker and they had intense one-on-one matchup respectively when Brewer "D'd" up on Booker. This game, he was hustling on both sides of the ball. Certainly, a win against Phoenix not impressive since they are projected to be bad once again. But, the Lakers just needed something positive to cap off their brutal 4-game road trip. Remember, three of those games were up against the better teams in the East and the Lakers lost all three of them. Tomorrow's matchup against the 76ers should be an interesting one. The Sixers might have found their Big 3 of the future in Embiid, Simmons, and Covington. They put up some big numbers last night in their comeback win over the Clippers. There are a lot of headlines heading into tomorrow's game. Both teams have good young cores and future stars. Lonzo Ball and Ben Simmons are front runners for Rookie of the Year. Kyle Kuzma may creep up with them if he continues to play this well into the season. But also, in last year's draft, Ben Simmons went #1 while Brandon Ingram went #2 respectively. We finally get to see the top two picks in last year's draft go head-to-head. I'll see you guys tomorrow night for that game.

Ball's Triple-Double Overshadowed by Lakers' Costly Mistakes in the 2nd Half vs. Bucks

*Stats courtesy of NBA.com and Yahoo Sports*

Lonzo Ball surpassed LeBron James as the youngest player in NBA history to record a triple-double with 19 points, 12 rebounds, and 13 assists. But, the Lakers had no answer for the MVP favorite Giannis Antetokounmpo in their 90-98 loss to the Bucks last Saturday night. Kyle Kuzma grabbed another double-double with 21 points and 11 rebounds and Brook Lopez added 10 points. Julius Randle lead all scorers off the bench with 17 points and adding 9 rebounds.

Final Score: @ Milwaukee 90-98 [L]
Full article: http://www.nba.com/games/20171111/LALMIL#/

Next Game: @ Phoenix (11/13)

Highlights: *Courtesy of Ximo Pierto*

I managed to catch this game on League Pass just before halftime. The 2nd half was where the Lakers ultimately loss this game. They were terrible on the free throw line. When you see in the stats sheet that they made 50% of their free throws, that is inexcusable. To make matters worse, turnovers come again and shot the Lakers in the foot. If I remember, the Lakers were called for traveling three times in the 2nd half because they were shuffling their feet. Julius Randle was called for a 3-second violation in the key. They were too passive down the stretch as well. Players were hesitant to take a shot and trying to make the extra pass. But, on the plus side, congrats to Lonzo Ball on getting the triple-double. He got his shot going early on, which was very encouraging. The one game in Phoenix where he dropped 29 points was his best game scoring-wise. Last night's game was arguably his best all-around game without question. Besides the turnovers and missed free throws, the Lakers couldn't find a way to slow down the Greek Freak. Giannis had another monster game with 33 points and 15 rebounds. The defense couldn't do anything when he attacked the basket. There's no question that he's the early front runner in the MVP race. In this road trip, the Lakers went up against Kyrie Irving, John Wall, and Giannis Antetokounmpo. We fans knew that was going to be a brutal road trip for them and the Lakers lost all three games against Boston, Washington, and Milwaukee respectively. Luckily, they get some breathing room when they wrap their 4-game road trip in Phoenix. Although, the Suns are slowly playing better basketball as of late. It should be a different matchup after their last outing early on the season, which resulted in the Lakers winning in a shootout and preventing a late 4th quarter scare.

No Overtime Needed: Wall, Wizards Get Back at Lakers

*Stats courtesy of NBA.com and Yahoo Sports*

Lonzo Ball notched a near triple-double with 10 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists, but the Lakers couldn't overcome woeful shooting, falling to the Wizards 95-111. Brook Lopez was the leading scorer in the starting five with 15 points. Brandon Ingram was held in check to 10 points. KCP racked up 13 points and Kyle Kuzma struggled again despite recording a near double-double of 13 points and 9 rebounds. Jordan Clarkson lead all scorers off the bench with 15 points and Julius Randle almost racked a near double-double of 11 points and 9 rebounds.

Final Score: @ Washington 95-111 [L]
Full article: http://www.nba.com/games/20171109/LALWAS#/recap

Next Game: @ Milwaukee (11/11)

Highlights: *Courtesy of NBA Kit*

Watching highlights can skew the perception on how this game went. Because you're barely going to see any missed shots unless it is from a great defensively play. So, if I go back to the stats sheet, this was a pretty bad shooting night from the Lakers. They only shot 36% from the field while the Wizards shot over 50%. Only three players shot at 50% (KCP, JC, and Randle) while the rest of the struggled. Back to the highlights, this game got pretty ugly at around the 6 minute mark of the 2nd quarter. The Lakers had a run in the 3rd quarter to cut the deficit to nine, but Wall, Beal, and Porter were just two tough to contain. They were firing on all cylinders. It's pretty crazy that when it comes to the Wizards, many people talk about the Wall-Beal back court. Otto Porter has been that forgotten man and he continues to make great strides for Washington at the Small Forward position. Overall, the Lakers just had a bad night this game. Add into the fact that this was on back-to-back nights after the Lakers chased the Celtics, arguably the best team in the East, around, the Wizards would easily exploit that and come out swinging against this team.

Lakers Couldn't Finish vs. Celtics

Welcome in to the full recap of the Lakers' matchup vs. the Boston Celtics in a back-to-back road trip. The Lakers rallied from 21 down to start this game against their bitter rivals. But, the Lakers couldn't maintain their run as they ultimately fell to the Celtics 96-107 as Boston keeps the streak rolling with their 10th straight win.

This will be a distorted full recap since I missed all of the first quarter and a portion of the second quarter. The Lakers did well enough to make this is a game down the stretch, cutting it to an eight point deficit. Then in the 3rd quarter, they kept the train rolling early on. But down the stretch in 3rd, they went absolutely ice cold. I don't know if the Lakers ever took a lead in this game. I'm sure they did early on before the Celtics went on an offensive clinic. But at times, they had a chance to take the lead. They just couldn't buy a bucket and those missed shots eventually came back to bite them after they did a better job on the defensive end. And they also turned the ball over, which has shot the Lakers in the foot for years.

(+)

Brandon Ingram, 18 points, 7 rebounds, 7-11 shooting. It's a recurring theme that Ingram is at his best when he's taking the ball to the rim. I saw spurts of his performance during the 2nd quarter and in the 2nd half in its entirety. When B.I. attacks, that's when the Lakers are at their best and he was a key cog in why the Lakers were able to come back after a very slow start in the game.

Julius Randle, 16 points, 12 rebounds, 5-9 shooting. If I'm correct, this has to be Randle's first double-double since accepting his role off the bench. He was the only player in plus figures for this team. Randle was also a key cog in making this loss more respectable. He stuck to his strength, which is playing bully ball inside the paint. He drew a couple of contact on those plays to get to the line for the and 1. He's been up and down on the free throw stripe, but he hit all of his free throws tonight.

Team defense 2nd-4th quarter. I'm sure the Lakers were having a tough time containing Kyrie Irving and the Celtics. Boston kept attacking the basket and played some really unselfish basketball to start the game. I'd say mid 2nd quarter-the entire 4th quarter, the Lakers made the adjustments and started to put more pressure on the ball against the Celtics. They were able to come up with a couple of turnovers and it helped ignited the Lakers to get back to basics in pushing towards the basket.

(-)

Turnovers. It's not rocket science. When the Lakers commit more turnovers than the other team, they wound up losing the game. Most of the turnovers the Lakers had tonight, they were careless. This in terms of ball movement and not being aware that the Celtics were gonna provide 100% on defense. They weren't sharp in moving the ball with a couple of lazy passes. They were too nonchalant with the basketball and the Celtics took advantage of that with sneaky steals.

Rebounding. The Celtics had the close edge in terms of offensive rebounding against the Lakers 16-12. The Lakers completely forgot how to box out in some of those rebounds. Particularly in the 4th quarter, the Lakers executed a good defensive possession. But, somehow they were for naught because the Celtics were able to sneak in for the offensive rebound, Marcus Smart for example. For instance, there were about 3-4 yellow jerseys in the paint ready for the rebound, but you have one green jersey sneaking in and getting the rebound. Nobody boxed out. They were standing there waiting for the ball to come to them.

Missed shots in the 3rd-4th quarter. These hurt big time. When the Lakers played good defense and were able to secure rebounds, they couldn't hit a shot to either tie the game or take the lead. They were down as many as 2-3 points and it would've been a different story if they hit those shots. Instead, the shots couldn't fall in and it presented all kinds of missed opportunities and wasted possessions for the Lakers when they made the run in the 2nd quarter and early in the 3rd quarter.

Kyle Kuzma, 10 points, 4-10 shooting, 5 fouls. We found out that Kuz is not immune to a rookie off game. Tonight was one of those nights where he had an off game. 40% shooting, 10 points, 6 rebounds is still not too bad, but it shows struggle and he did show that he can make mental errors tonight.

MVP

Julius Randle, 16 points, 12 rebounds

As mentioned, Julius is the only Laker in plus figures this game and this was his first double-double coming off the bench. Combined with bully ball and 100% free throw shooting, Randle rekindled the reputation as the "double-double" machine.



Conclusion

This is very similar to last season. The Lakers would compete in road games, but they just couldn't figure a way to finish strong or close out. Let alone, they can't do a shootout against the better teams. Again, they're a young team and this is something where they ask themselves "how can they get over this hump?" Hats off to the Celtics. They found a way to win despite being short handed and their train keeps rolling with 10 straight wins. It's gonna be tough in the rematch this season when they have all players healthy (minus Gordon Hayward of course). Nonetheless, the Lakers gotta hit the next game and they're flying to D.C. for a rematch against the Wizards. No question, John Wall and company are gonna be looking for some redemption against Lonzo Ball and this Laker squad. Next nationally televised game, they play the 76ers next Wednesday night. Ben Simmons, Zo, and Kuz are all front runners for Rookie of the Year. More specifically, it's gonna be a passing war between Simmons and Ball. Should be fun to watch. I'll see you guys for that game. Meanwhile, keep out on the Quick Fact Check and Commentary posts between this game and next Wednesday's game. I'll see you guys later.

11/08: Rivalries Never Die - LAKERS @ Boston Celtics 2nd Half Open Thread and Discussion

This is the 2nd half open thread of Lakers-Celtics. As usual, leave a comment below and share your thoughts throughout the game.

Q4

LAL 96 BOS 107

Well, this is part of the growing pains. The silver lining here is that they erased that 21 point deficit and just got back to the basics that made them successful so far in this season. Unfortunately, they couldn't maintain the run. They went ice cold in scoring, committed a whole lot of mental errors, and they forgot to box out after some great defensive efforts. The opportunities were there, but they just didn't capitalize enough and the Celtics hold on for their 10th straight win. Stay tuned for the full recap.

Q3

LAL 81 BOS 87

The Lakers remain in striking distance. They've cut it to as small as two. There were a lot of chances that they could've taken the lead by the end of the quarter, but they missed some shots that might come back to haunt them down the stretch. And, there's a lot ticky tack calls going against the Lakers this quarter. The Lakers tried to draw contact, no whistle. Celtics do and at the littlest of contact, the refs blow the whistle. Bogus officiating this game so far. No matter, it's important that they keep within striking distance. Get some key stops and push to the basket down the stretch of the 4th quarter.

11/08: Rivalries Never Die - LAKERS @ Boston Celtics 1st Half Open Thread and Discussion

Lakers vs. Celtics...enough said. This is first half open thread and discussion of the NBA's historic rivalry. Leave a comment below and share your thoughts throughout the game. 

Q2

LAL 52 BOS 61

The team has found a way for a strong finish in the 1st half. Obviously, the Celtics are the Lakers toughest test in this early part of the schedule. I didn't see the first quarter, but in the 2nd quarter, it was obvious that Boston got the big lead because they were attacking the basket and played tough defense. Irving had his way early on. Fortunately, the Lakers made a run to close this out. They had to get back into the basics: attack and press. They picked those up down the stretch to cut it to single digits. It's a brand new game now and the Lakers have to ride the momentum from the end of the 2nd quarter. 2nd half will open up momentarily. 

Q1

LAL 0 BOS 0

*Hi guys! I could be running a little late for the game due to work. I'll miss the 1st quarter. I could miss a little bit of the 2nd quarter or miss the 1st half entirely. But, open thread will still be up. So keep doing what you're doing. Thanks! ~ MG*

Lakers Cap Off Home Stand with Win Over Grizzlies

*Stats courtesy of NBA.com and Yahoo Sports*

Brook Lopez lead all Lakers in scoring with 21 points to go with 5 assists and 2 blocks as the Lakers pull off a 107-102 victory over the Grizzlies. Brandon Ingram dropped 20 points to go with 7 rebounds. KCP added 15 points and 7 rebounds and Kyle Kuzma racked up another double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds. Jordan Clarkson lead all scorers off the bench with 15 points to go with 5 assists and Julius Randle added 12 points and 8 rebounds.

Final Score: vs. Memphis 102-107 [W]
Full article: http://www.nba.com/games/20171105/MEMLAL#/recap

Next Game: @ Boston (11/08) <-- --="" b="" nbsp="">Open Thread and Full Recap

Highlights: *Courtesy of Ximo Pierto*

One of the key components that this young Lakers team has to work on is closing out games against good teams. They dominated the Grizzlies squad in the 2nd half, but the Grizzlies, being a veteran, playoff team came storming back. Luckily, there's a reason why the Lakers have Brook Lopez and KCP. Being the veteran presence that they are, they calmed things down when the Grizzlies made a run. Lopez hit some key shots and got to the foul line. KCP hit clutch shots and made clutch defensive plays down the stretch of the game. They stepped up at the right time for this young team. Ingram had his second 20+ point game of the season and he attacked the basket at will in the first half. If I heard correctly, 17 of his 20 points came within that half. He was quiet in the 2nd half. The Grizzlies probably made some adjustments to seal off his lanes where he can't attack. Kuzma was impressive again with another double-double in his 2nd career start. Lonzo Ball kept pushing on the break and igniting the infectious ball movement. Last night's win overall was another impressive team victory over a perennial playoff squad. Wednesday's game against the Celtics is gonna be a pretty good test for this team. Boston's riding hot under Kyrie Irving. Ball and the Lakers are gonna have a handful containing him, but if they can hold down the rest of the team, it'll be a down-to-the-wire game. I'll see you guys on Wednesday for that.

Raiders Keep Playoff Hopes Alive with Win Over Dolphins

Welcome in to the full recap of the Raiders' Week 9 matchup at the Miami Dolphins in a Sunday Night game. The Raiders stay alive in the playoff hunt as they hang on to beat the 'Phins 27-24.

In a game that was filled with penalties and a near crazy ending, the Raiders endured and walk out of here with a big win. Okay, a win against the Dolphins is not impressive to some football analysts. But, the Raiders' backs were against the wall after the beatdown they received in Buffalo. They needed to string together some wins from here on out and what better way to do it against a team they haven't beaten in like forever. The Dolphins have had the Raiders' number, especially when the matchup is in Miami. And this team ended that jinx and the Raiders finally "squished the fish."

(+)

Marshawn Lynch, 14 carries, 57 yards, 2 TDs. Whether this game signifies the return of Beast Mode remains to be seen. But there's no question, he was missed last week in Buffalo. If this game tells us something, this is how the Raiders should've used Lynch. Here's the disparity of carries between Lynch, Richard, and Washington: Lynch as mentioned had 14 carries. D-Wash had 4 carries. Richard has 5 carries. They needed to let Lynch loose and give as many carries as possible. Lynch got off to a slow start, but Lynch picked it up in the 2nd half. Credit the O-line as well for picking up on their run blocking. They opened up holes for Lynch and he ripped open a 22 yard TD and plowed his way for a goal line TD to give the Raiders an 11 point lead. Many had doubts about Lynch these last few weeks, but this a great way for him to shut those critics up and remind everybody that Beast Mode is alive and well.

Jared Cook, 8 receptions, 126 yards. 3rd down and long, who does Carr go to? He went to Jared. I've lost count how many times Cook bailed out the Raiders offense with critical catches on 3rd down tonight, but they certainly needed that from him to prevent stalled drives. In the first quarter, Carr threw to him three times and he caught all three passes. Two of them came from 3rd down and long to keep the drive alive on the Raiders' first possession of the game. Although, he was responsible for some ticky-tacky back-to-back penalties in the first half, that doesn't change the fact that this was one of his best games as a Raiders, receiving-wise. The Dolphins had no answer for Cook tonight.

Gabe Jackson/O-line. The O-line picked up the run blocking in the 2nd half. But, the one guy who was responsible for that was Gabe Jackson. Big Gabe ran all over the field and executed some excellent guard pulls to free up holes for the running backs. He opened up a solid gain from DeAndre Washington in the first half and he was a key cog in Lynch's 22 yard TD run.

(-)

Penalties. Okay, there were a lot of penalties that were bogus on both teams. Unnecessary roughness calls on Lee Smith and Karl Joseph were some of the most ridiculous calls I've seen. The only fortunate part is that the Dolphins committed one more penalty for two more yards than the Raiders. The Raiders had 10 penalties for 105 yards while the 'Phins committed 11 penalties for 107 yards.

Critical dropped passes. Passing on 3rd down in the 4th quarter is always risky because there's chances that a receiver will drop a pass and allow too much time for the opposing team to make a comeback. The Raiders still had a surmountable lead for the Dolphins to comeback. Roberts dropped a pass on 3rd down, which wouldn't matter because of a penalty. Crabtree had a pass that bounced off his chest. Coop still has shaken off the dropsies yet. I'm watching there and thinking, "they're just begging for the Dolphins to knock on the door." This is one area that the Raiders need to improve on: catching the ball in close out time if they have the lead.

MVP

Jared Cook, 8 receptions, 126 yards

There'd be a lot of stalled drives if Cook didn't have this kind of game tonight. He was critical in keeping drives alive for the Raider offense. Carr needed to go to someone on 3rd and long situations. He went to Jared.




Conclusion

Well, the AFC West race is beginning to heat up down the stretch. The Chiefs lost earlier today against the Cowboys. Broncos got thumped by the Eagles. Chargers had the bye week, but the Raiders' win tonight puts them in 2nd place. This is a golden opportunity for Oakland as Kansas City has dropped three of its last four games. And the Broncos are reeling down the stretch as poor quarterback play is catching up to them. With this win heading into the bye, they have to keep the momentum going. Hopefully, they use this bye week to figure out what could make this team click for a strong finish. The game against the defending champion Patriots in Mexico City after the bye week is going to be a strong barometer game. The defense needs to bring their A-game and rattle the living daylights out of Tom Brady. I'll see you guys in two weeks for that game.

Week 9: SNF - RAIDERS @ Miami Dolphins 2nd Half Open Thread and Discussion

This is the 2nd half of the Raiders-Dolphins Week 9 matchup on Sunday Night Football! As usual, leave a comment below and share your thoughts on the game.

Q4

OAK 27 MIA 24

Okay, the Raiders just have to take a couple of knees. That was a very interesting sequence down the stretch. The Dolphins scored and converted a two-point try. They tried the onside kick. They tried to fool the Raider special teams unit again. But, Coop seals the deal and the Raiders improve to 4-5 heading to the bye week. Big game from Beast Mode after serving the one-game suspension. That was just what the doctor ordered. Playoff hopes just aren't dead yet! Stay tuned for the full recap.

Q3

OAK 20 MIA 16

Well, well, well, highlight of the night: Beast Mode rips out a big run in the red zone for a TD. We've been waiting for the real Marshawn Lynch to stand up and we saw that this quarter. The offense right now, is showing some spurts in driving down the field and scoring. Still a couple of questionable playcalling by Downing, but they're gaining some yardage. The defense allowed a TD by the Dolphins, but managed to stop them on the first and last drive of the Dolphins. It's time for Carr and the offense to close this out as they're driving down the field.

Week 9: SNF - RAIDERS @ Miami Dolphins 1st Half Open Thread and Discussion

Sunday night is Raiders night! It's desperation mode now for the Silver and Black. This is the 1st half open thread of the Raiders-Dolphins Week 9 matchup on Sunday Night Football. Leave a comment below the post and share your thoughts on the game.

Q2

OAK 13 MIA 9

The Raiders weathered the storm and take a four point lead. Tavecchio adds three more on a 53-yard chip shot. If there's early indication, the Raiders are gonna have to beat the Dolphins with the passing game. There was a little rain in pre-game, which caused a lot of concern for me. But, luckily that has subsided before kickoff. Going back, the Raiders' running game couldn't get anything going against Miami's front seven, but Cook was able to step up and bail the Raiders out on 3rd down. The biggest negative right here is make a guess. If you guessed penalties, that is correct. Most of them were bogus calls from the refs, especially Lee Smith and Karl Joseph's unnecessary roughness penalties. The only legit penalties were Penn's false start and Jared Cook's holding penalties. So far, the Raiders are hanging tough despite playing against two teams. The 2nd half will open up shortly.

Q1

OAK 3 MIA 0 

My goodness, that run game to start was horrendous. The Dolphins have a decent front seven with Suh being the epicenter of that.  The Raiders tried to run the football to get things, but not a lot of holes to get a decent chunk of yardage. The offense was bailed by three great catches from Jared Cook on Derek Carr's pass. Everything else, Miami's D was ready for everything that the Raiders tried to run on offense. We have to see some better play calling in the 2nd quarter.

Brook Lopez Sticks It to Nets; Lakers Spoil D'Lo's Return

*Stats courtesy of NBA.com and Yahoo Sports*

Brook Lopez explodes for 34 points and 10 rebounds in the Lakers' 112-124 win over the Brooklyn Nets. Kyle Kuzma made his first career start and notched a double-double of 21 points and 13 rebounds. Brandon Ingram also added a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds to round out the starters. Jordan Clarkson added 19 points from the bench and Julius Randle and Tyler Ennis each added 10 more points for the bench.

Final Score: vs. Brooklyn 112-124 [W]
Full article: http://www.nba.com/games/20171103/BKNLAL#/recap

Next Game: vs. Memphis (11/05)

Highlights: *Courtesy of NBA Conference*

The intrigue of this matchup circles back to the offseason trade the Lakers made with the Brooklyn Nets. They had to sacrifice D'Angelo Russell to get rid of Timofey Mozgov's ridiculous contract. In exchange, the Lakers get former All-Star, Brook Lopez on a 1-year rental and the 27th pick for this year's draft from the Nets. And in turn, the Lakers used that 27th pick to select Kyle Kuzma. Even though, these two teams will meet again at the Barclays Center, the first meeting usually sets the tone on which team had the better end of the trade. And based on this game, it's officially safe to say that the Lakers won the trade by more than a mile. Lopez and Kuzma showed out in this game big time. But without question, Brook Lopez wanted this game more. Lopez's block at the start of the game set the tone that he's going to look out for blood against his former team. He looked like he was Klay Thompson last night, running behind the three point line and shooting his threes. Lopez has been sharp the last two games and he's becoming what us Laker fans expected him to be: a stretch big man that'll drop 20 a game. Meanwhile, Kyle Kuzma drops a double-double in his first start. We all knew Kuzma was going to be a special gem and it doesn't matter whether he's on the bench or starting, he was going to produce and last night was another day in the office for him. This game also showed that Kuzma and Ingram can play together on the same floor. B.I. also had a good game and he's made a lot jump shots in this game, an encouraging sign that his outside shot is turning the corner. A secondary headline in this matchup circled around Lonzo Ball vs. D'Angelo Russell. This was a heated topic among Laker forums. D'Lo may have had his way in scoring, but Ball did all the little things right in this game, especially not turning the ball over. I'm not choosing sides here saying Zo is better than D'Lo or D'Lo's better than Zo. But, here's the thing, with Zo's presence, the ball movement is infectious with this team compared to last year when D'Lo was running the floor. That's my observation even though it's still early in the season. And once again, the infectious attitude of unselfishness showed to cancel out defensive lapses the Lakers had against the Nets last night. It's going to get more interesting when these two play again in Brooklyn, but Round 1 goes to Magic Johnson, Rob Pelinka, and the rest of the brain trust of the Lakers' Front Office for making the trade.

Lakers Get Hearts Ripped in Rip City

Welcome in to the full recap of the Lakers' matchup at the Portland Trail Blazers where the Lakers threw everything in the play book to snap their long losing streak against Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers. But, it came down to one final shot and Lillard has delivered in the clutch for the Blazers and breaking the hearts of the Lakers again to the final score of 110-113.

Still, you can't say nothing about that final shot by Damian Lillard. Brandon Ingram played really good defense on his shot and had a lot of length to disrupt the arc of the shot. Again, it was just better offense and as an NBA fan, you can't deny Dame's clutch gene. The Lakers had the right formula in stopping Portland's back court and the team as a whole. I feel the momentum started to slip midway through the 3rd quarter when the Lakers tried to be more flashy with their playmaking off their good defense. And some late game adjustments or lack thereof by Luke Walton also cost the Lakers the game.

(+)

Brook Lopez, 27 points, 3 rebounds, 9-15 shooting. This was a throwback Brook Lopez game before he developed a 3-point shot. All game, he just kept taking Jusuf Nurkic down low in the paint and he was having his way. I made a comment in the 3rd quarter that I was seeing flashes of a prime Pau Gasol tonight. The Lakers kept sticking to one element that worked and that was attacking the rim. They fed the ball inside to Lopez and Lopez did the rest by backing up Nurkic or taking it strong into the paint.

Kyle Kuzma, 22 points, 3 rebounds. Kuzma had a good look on that final shot that would've tied the game. But, getting a quick high arcing, high percentage shot off with .7 seconds left is impossible to pull off. Nonetheless, this was an excellent game from Kuzma. In the 1st quarter, the Lakers dug themselves a hole early. There was not too much activity on either side of the ball for LA. Then Kuzma comes in and creates a run of his own to put the Lakers' back into the game, trailing by four or six points. As Reggie Miller said in the game, Kuzma, for a rookie, is calling his own plays to create his own shot.

Defensive intensity. This was present for 2 1/2 quarters. Obviously, it was non-existent for the Lakers as the Blazers jumped to a 25-41 lead in the first quarter. Then slowly, but surely, they picked up the intensity on defense. Full court press, trap defense, double teaming, you name them. The Laker defense swarmed like flies on the Blazers for the most part of the game.

(-)

4th quarter coaching adjustments. The common denominator on Luke Walton's weakness as a coach is he doesn't see what kind of personnel the opposition has on the floor and he doesn't tailor his adjustments to match that personnel. The Blazers made the adjustment in putting Jusuf Nurkic back in in the 4th quarter to counter the Lakers' small ball lineup of Kuz and Randle. When I saw that, I said that Luke's gotta put Brook Lopez back in. But instead of that, he sticks to the current small ball lineup and Nurkic scores four straight points to spark the Blazers' run down the stretch. The NBA and sports in its entirety is all about a game of matchups. Walton has got to get better in understanding situation and personnel. This was the back breaker that ultimately cost the Lakers' shot in snapping the losing streak against the Blazers.

Lonzo Ball, 0 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists. Ball had some solid spurts defensively against Lillard tonight. But, other than that, where was Zo tonight? He was inexplicably M.I.A. tonight. Usually, when the ball was in his hands, he'd push the tempo or be aggressive and finding the balance in either getting someone else involved or scoring all the way to the hoop. I didn't see any of that tonight from Lonzo. He was very conservative and very pedestrian tonight.

Larry Nance's injury. This is exactly reminiscent like last season. Lakers' were off to a .500 start, then Nance gets hurt and everything comes crashing down on the Lakers. He's been a key cog in the Lakers' way of playing high intensity team defense with his hustle. They could've used him in the 4th quarter. Early prognosis on Nance's injury is a fractured metatarsal. He's definitely gonna miss some significant time.

MVP

Brook Lopez, 27 points, 3 rebounds, 9-15 shooting

Tonight's game had the closest MVP race. But, if I had to give it to one, it'd be Lopez. He was neck-and-neck, trading shots with Jusuf Nurkic in the post and he hit a go-ahead three late in the 4th to give the Lakers the lead. He may have developed a 3-point shot, but he still has some moves in the post.



Conclusion

Twelve games and now 13 games in and the Lakers still can't get one against the Blazers. They almost had it, but minor blunders down the stretch turned this game into a missed opportunity. This time of the season was the best time the Lakers could've snatched a win against this team. Because I'm sure by the time they meet again, Portland's is gonna try to make a playoff push. They're not going to toy around with bottom feeding teams anymore when that time comes. Anyway, the Lakers can't hang their heads on this loss. Because they have to fly back home to LA for tomorrow's game. They have to prep up for D'Angelo Russell's welcome back party as he and the Brooklyn Nets come to town. I want to cover that game so bad. But too bad the game is not going to be on ESPN or something. With the defense the Lakers are playing, it's going to entertaining to see if they'll hound D'Lo with the same defensive intensity. I'll provide a quick recap and commentary for that game and I'll see you guys for the Lakers' next nationally televised game, which I'm sure is on the road vs. Kyrie Irving and the Boston Celtics. Lakers-Celtics, the age-old rivalry continues. I'll see you guys later.