From Hero to Zero: LeBron Carries Lakers to OT; Misses Free Throws vs. Spurs

Welcome in to the full recap of the Lakers' matchup vs. the San Antonio Spurs where it was an offensive exhibition between both teams as they carried it to OT. But in the end, the Spurs came out on top, beating the Lakers 143-142.

All of that effort and it all was in vein. I'm still frustrated at that loss. But at the end of the day, good teams find ways to win. And the Spurs, as much of a makeover they've done over the offseason, as long as Gregg Popovich is coaching that team in San Antonio, they're a good team until further notice. The Lakers had every opportunity to put the Spurs away in that OT. They had all that momentum. But, an ill-advised three, free throws and giving Patty Mills all kinds of room to hit the game-winner cost the Lakers here. It didn't help that the defense spared the Spurs 40 points to start the game. The loss against Houston was frustrating. This was one of the more disappointing losses to start the season.

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Kyle Kuzma, 37 points, 8 rebounds, 15-25 shooting. No Brandon Ingram, it was time for "Kuzmania" to run wild. And did he now. The whole game changed when Kuzma took over the scoring in the 2nd half. He was just an absolute monster from end-to-end and off the dribble. He showed no fear of absorbing contact from the man in front of him, attacking the basket at will. The three-point shot down stretch was bigger than LeBron's game-tying three. My only gripe is why didn't we get the ball to him more in OT? Luke Walton and the coaching staff ran sets for LeBron, but what about Kuzma in that situation? They could've taken off some pressure from LeBron with the way Kuzma's been performing.

Josh Hart, 20 points, 10 rebounds, 2 steals, 8-14 shooting. Honestly, Luke Walton should give the reins for Hart to start going forward. Three games in and he's outperformed KCP this game. The double-double stat line right here says it all. He shot the three-ball here when needed. He hustled his tail off this game. He's clearly in sync with LeBron than KCP is. Start him!

Johnathan Williams, 8 points, 4 rebounds, 3 blocks. JaVale McGee fouled out early in OT. Zubac was non-factor as usual. Luke had to go deep into the bench to put Johnathan Williams into the rotation. And he put the minutes to good use, especially in OT. Williams' hustle and defense was there, but it was all in vein.

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DeMar DeRozan and LaMarcus Aldridge. DeRozan broke the LeBron jinx for now. Both he and Aldridge shredded the Lakers inside tonight. DeRozan with 32 points and 14 assists. Aldridge with 37 points and 10 rebounds. DeRozan disrupted the Lakers' defensive assignments and he got a lot of teammates involved from Rudy Gay to Bryn Forbes to Patty Mills the list goes on. He did damage as a mid range scorer and facilitator. But, the guy who did the most damage was LaMarcus Aldridge. His 15-foot jumpshot is near unstoppable. No matter how many looks the Lakers threw at him, he just found ways to score and find himself to put up more points on the free throw line. He was the main why Patty Mills was able to knock down the game-winning shot was because the defense feared Aldridge inside the post that much. Mills faked the pass to Aldridge on Lonzo and that allowed Zo to flinch a bit to get the double team on Aldridge. The Spurs executed that perfectly and Mills used that open space to knock down the J to secure the Spurs a victory.

LeBron James. For the namesake of this title. This was one of the many concerns of bringing in LeBron. Despite, some godly statistics he finds ways to just crack under pressure when the team needs him to take over. Don't get me wrong, LeBron had a solid game with 32 points, 8 rebounds, and 14 assists. He hit the game tying three. He would've been in my MVP conversation along with Kuzma. But, there were some critical mistakes he made down the stretch in OT. 'Bron went for the "home run" three to try and put the Spurs away. It clanked off. The Spurs hit a three to cut the Lakers lead to one. LeBron at the free throw. Needed two or one out of two, he didn't hit any of them. The game-winning 3-point attempt that rimmed off. Those were prime examples of why we used to call LeBron "LeChoke" all those years of rooting against him. It also didn't help he started 1-9 from the field.

Luke Walton. You're thinking correctly if Luke Walton is on the hot seat. The defense has allowed 100+ points a game. Rotations are questionable. He puts in Zubac over Johnathan Williams first. As a result, non-factor. Sets off the timeout are dull and uninspiring. And he's still electing to go with KCP over Josh Hart. I've predicted this in my season preview. He's gotta start coaching for his job. Then again, Portland, Houston, and San Antonio have high-powered offenses, so maybe I'll give a little leeway. But, if Phoenix drops 100+ points too, then trouble lies ahead for Luke.

MVP

Kyle Kuzma, 37 points, 8 rebounds, 15-25 shooting

LeBron would've been here too had he not choke out the game. Kuzmania ran wild tonight and he helped carry the Lakers back in this game. Again, I don't understand why Luke didn't involve him more in OT. He was clearly in the zone tonight.




Conclusion

If I heard correctly, no team has ever gone to the playoffs after 0-3. After this dismal start to the season, it's time we pump the brakes on this Lakers team. Clearly, this team needs a lot more time to build chemistry and it doesn't help that your promising star and savvy vet PG is not on that floor for multiple games. I still have this team going 6-8 seed at best, missing out in the playoffs at worst. Those expecting an instant championship or Western Conference Finals appearance need to tamper down expectations a bit. It was all fun and games, now we gotta look at the big picture. This team has a long ways to go before they can get back to championship material. Wednesday should be a start going up against Phoenix. Then again, the West is very unpredictable. So anything can happen. The game will not be nationally televised so as usual, expect a quick recap from me. But, I'm going to do something different this time around and you will see it the week after. Next nationally televised game is Thursday on TNT against the Nuggets. You wonder how much more trouble defending Jokic would be compared to Aldridge tonight. I'll see you guys for that game.

10/22: LAKERS vs. Spurs 2nd Half Open Thread

2nd half open thread of the Lakers-Spurs matchup. As usual, leave a comment below and share your thoughts on the game.

OT

SAS 143 LAL 142

They had it. They almost had it. Just a couple of dumb luck decisions in the final stretch. Stay tuned for the full recap.

Q4

SAS 128 LAL 128

This game has been unbelievable! The Spurs had a six point lead down the stretch. Usually, that would be over there. But a clutch three from Kuzma cut the lead to three. The Lakers needed a defensive stop. They get one. And who better to tie it up with LeBron James who couldn't hit anything from beyond the arc. He hit it when it mattered the most. And he wasn't even ready for that possession. LeBron was directing traffic and Hart prematurely gave it to him. And he's like "I'll take this shot." And we're tied. OT here!

Q3

SAS 99 LAL 96

That was a good effort there to get back in the game. It was just marred by that wasted possession down the stretch and Davis Bertans' 3-point shot for San Antonio to maintain the lead. So far, that small-ball lineup with Svi, Williams, Stephenson, Kuz, and Hart has worked. That lineup was responsible to help rally the Lakers to make this a three-point game. But on the Spurs' side, LaMarcus Aldridge was a man among boys that quarter. No matter how good the Lakers defended him, they just couldn't find a way to stop his sweet turn around J. The Lakers are fortunate to be down just three. And LeBron hasn't taken over the game yet. Looking at it, Luke Walton will stick with the same small-ball lineup to start the 4th quarter.

10/22: LAKERS vs. San Antonio Spurs 1st Half Open Thread

Welcome in to the first half open thread of the Lakers' home matchup vs. the San Antonio Spurs. Leave a comment below and share your thoughts on the game.


Q2

SAS 65 LAL 60

Ah, that last shot by Kuzma was way off. That would've had Staples Center explode off the roof tops heading into the half. At least, this was a much better effort from the Lakers this quarter than the last one. The Lakers are better off when they're playing at their fast pace and we saw a lot of that this quarter. It all starts on the defensive end. This team settled down defensively and started generating some turnovers on the Spurs' side as well as securing defensive rebounds here and there. JaVale McGee and Kyle Kuzma brought the hustle and aggressiveness. Kuz in particular just took this quarter over. The team is short-handed without Ingram and Rondo and he just took matters into his own hands, scoring inside and going coast-to-coast in transition. Overall, the fast pace system was on full display here as it was non-existent in the first quarter. They just now have to find a way to contain the Spurs' motion offense for the rest of the game, especially stop their midrange game. The Spurs were effective with that in the first half. As usual, they play some really great team basketball under Gregg Popovich. That's the main difference this game. The other? LeBron James hasn't gone off yet. So this deficit is definitely favorable on the Lakers' side to set up a 2nd half takeover from the King. We'll see what happens. The 2nd half will open up shortly.

Q1

SAS 40 LAL 26

The Lakers got their work cut out for them. This was not a good quarter. The Spurs came right out of the gate and it was a mid range assault for them. DeMar DeRozan and LaMarcus Aldridge had a field day out there from mid range. There was nothing the Lakers can do to stop them. The Lakers had some momentum going with a two-handed slam by KCP and LeBron's no look to Josh Hart. Lonzo Ball got off to a fantastic start with 10 points. But, they're still down by a lot and it's going to be a long climb.

Lakers Stifle Short-Handed Spurs for 3rd Consecutive Win

Welcome in to the full recap of the Lakers' matchup vs. the San Antonio Spurs where the Lakers rack up their 3rd win in a row, beating the Spurs 81-93.

The Lakers are now 3-0 since LaVar Ball opened his mouth about Luke Walton losing the team. All jokes aside, this was another great team victory by the Lakers. Defense-to-offense was in full effect like the last two games against the Hawks and the Kings. That's how they get their fast pace style of play going. The Lakers have recommitted to playing good, team defense, running the floor, attacking the basket, and unselfishly distributing the ball around. That's their identity right now and they've rekindled it during this winning streak. They've had some lapses this game just like in Tuesday's game against Sacramento. San Antonio came storming back by generating turnovers of their own. Most of it was because the Lakers started to get too cute with the passing, but they remained surprisingly calm and stringed together another strong finish to the game.

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Brandon Ingram, 26 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists. Laker fans, B.I. is evolving before our very eyes. There will be continued lapses with Ingram's game, but this game shows that he can flat out score when all phases of his offensive game is on display. The aggressiveness was there. The mid range jumper. The 3-point shot. It's safe to say that Ingram likes playing the Spurs. He poured in 30 points last year against them and that was when Kawhi Leonard was healthy. Tonight, he had 26 against them, despite the Spurs being shorthanded.

Lonzo Ball, 18 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists, 4 steals. The turnovers in the 3rd quarter took off some points for Ball having a great game, but I'm gonna let it slide. The biggest thing was that Ball hit shots from deep and disrupted the flow of the Spurs' ball movement. The fact that Zo' connected on 4-7 shots from 3-point land is an encouraging sign in terms of scoring. From my view, those shots looked like confident shots. That's going to be Lonzo's key to get his shot to fall and become more effective as a scorer while he's doing a solid job stuffing the stats sheets elsewhere.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, 10 points, 5 steals. KCP stepped up his play in the 3rd quarter when the Spurs went on a run to start the 2nd half. He gave the Lakers some needed defense-to-offense possessions that jump started his scoring. And in the fourth quarter, KCP just started picking pockets being the epicenter of additional turnovers forced against the Spurs' offense.

Larry Nance Jr., 14 point, 10 rebounds. And Nance was the epicenter of 2nd chance opportunities, leading the Lakers with 5 offensive boards. There's no further description needed for Nance's heart, hustle, and athletic ability. Get this guy in the dunk contest ASAP. He might've solidified his case when he made an acrobatic grab to throw down the alley oop dunk set up by KCP in transition.

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2nd Half turnovers. Lonzo was guilty of five of those turnovers. It was the result of being too fancy with the unselfish play. The Spurs took advantage of that and made this game competitive before the Lakers recovered and pulled away.

Foul trouble. Brook Lopez had 4 fouls. Nance had 4 fouls. Randle had 3 fouls. Obviously, they had their hands full trying to contain Aldridge and Gasol inside tonight.

MVP

Lonzo Ball, 18 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists, 4 steals

Got our first upset here in terms of game MVP. I could've easily have given this to Ingram because of his 26 point performance. But, I thought Lonzo had the better all-around game and affected the game more. The turnovers in the 2nd half hurt definitely, but the 3-ball was working for him, he continually pushed the ball, and was one of the catalyst in forcing San Antonio into a lot of turnovers.

Conclusion

This young Lakers squad is slowly climbing themselves out of the gutter and got back to the identity which made them underrated to start the season. The frustrating part is that they drift away from it easily. But, I think as long as Lonzo is on the floor and hopefully 100% the rest of the way, the Lakers will stick to the identity of playing good team, defense, running the floor, attacking the basket, and infectiously moving the ball with high energy. Right now at a 3-game winning streak, they are reconstructing their confidence, which is the big thing this team needed after going through a 9-game funk. They must continue to stick to their identity if they want to keep this train rolling. Now, it's time to take that show on the road as they go on a 3-game road trip from against the Mavs, Grizzlies, and Thunder. Stay tuned for a quick fact check on the Mavs game on Saturday and I'll see you guys on MLK Day on Monday when the Lakers take on the Grizzlies.

01/11: LAKERS vs. Spurs 2nd Half Open Thread and Discussion

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

Q4

SAS 81 LAL 93

It's been awhile since the Lakers got three straight wins. This quarter was great in a way the Lakers put the clamps on defensively as the Spurs were making runs. They got back to the basics in generating turnovers and turning defense into offense with some buckets that sealed the deal for them. San Antonio may have been shorthanded, missing key pieces, but they still put up a fight and they're still a contender in the west. Looks like the Lake Show is building their confidence back. Stay tuned for the full recap.

Q3

SAS 62 LAL 68

Not a bad finish for the Lakers. But, they have a tendency to be a little fancy when playing with the lead and that resulted in the Spurs storming right back into this game. Turnovers played a factor in this quarter. Lonzo was the culprit of most of those. He's putting a lot of air on those passes or trying to fit them into tight windows, which is the last thing the Lakers need. KCP couldn't have gotten hot at a right time like this. Lakers were crumbling and he stepped up the scoring and created some defense-to-offense possessions.

01/11: LAKERS vs. San Antonio Spurs 1st Half Open Thread and Discussion

Welcome in to the first half open thread of the Lakers' Thursday Night matchup vs. the San Antonio Spurs. Leave a comment below and share your thoughts on the game.

Q2

SAS 38 LAL 49


One thing's for sure is that the Spurs aren't the type of team that'll lie down for far more inferior teams and just like that in an instant, they took over down the stretch of the quarter to cut the lead into single digits. The Lakers responded well with the Spurs' run and they finished strong in the 2nd quarter. Brandon Ingram and Lonzo Ball are early headliners this game. Game-by-game, you see Ingram be more comfortable with his ability to shoot. The mid range has improved drastically and the 3-point game is coming along, especially in this game. Lonzo Ball, perfect 4-4 from the field so far and 3-3 from three point land, which is the astonishing stat. That alone is a good sign that his shot is starting to come together and he's shooting that ball with confidence. The big keys in the Lakers' lead over the Spurs is that they're creating turnovers and getting 2nd chance points. In this quarter alone, the Lakers' have disrupted San Antonio's offensive flow about 4-5 times, which ignited a big lead. They've done a nice job in putting on ball pressure and create turnovers that would allow them to play at their pace. That's pretty much on how they should beat the Spurs, force them on uncharacteristic turnovers and crash the boards offensively for 2nd chance points. They must continue to do that for the next 24 minutes. The 2nd half will open up shortly.

Q1

SAS 15 LAL 20

A slow start for both teams. But, a nice strong finish from the Lakers. Turnovers hindered them throughout this quarter and the Spurs were able to play at their pace. They've done a good job at preventing the Lakers from playing a fast and furious pace that we're accustomed to seeing in these last few games. But, Brandon Ingram has grabbed headlines this quarter with 9 points to start. He had a similar start on Tuesday when he was perfect from the field and racking up 10 points. You can see the improvement in the mid range shot as well as the three point shot. Combine that with the aggressiveness he brings, he's gonna be special. 2nd chance opportunities have helped the Lakers early on as well in this game as Larry Nance Jr. has been at the epicenter of it.