Alright welcome in to the full recap of tonight's NBA TV Fan Night game between the Lakers and the Pelicans, where the Lakers, as much as they made a massive run after being 20+ down, couldn't overcome that big lead at the end of the 4th as they drop one at Staples to the Pelis after upsetting the Blazers last night.
First off, do not blame the game on the offense. The offense did just enough to put the Lakers back into the game, but talk about a stinker on the defensive side. If you're a fan of All-Star caliber high-scoring games, this game is the right fit, but if you're a defensive, grind it out, kinda fan, then you will cringe at the lack of defense this game had because both defenses weren't making any stops, especially on the Lakers' side, which I'll talk about further.
The Positives
Pau Gasol was the Lakers' top performer this game scoring 29 points, 12 rebounds, and 4 assists on 10-15 shooting. I could easily harp on Gasol missing a couple free throws, especially after starting 7-7 from the line, but all-around Gasol played a fantastic game. Had not Gasol played, the Pelicans would've easily had this game in the bag. All in all, Gasol got what he wanted and that was getting more touches in the paint. I'm not really going to be hard on Gasol because he played his ass off this game, on offense, on defense, not so much, which again I will elaborate after.
Kent Bazemore, 23 points, 8-17 shooting, 4-9 shooting beyond the arc. I just want to take this time to apologize to Bazemore. If you guys saw my thoughts on the trade during the Rockets vs. Lakers full recap, I labeled Bazemore as a throwaway piece for the Steve Blake because I thought MarShon Brooks was the main trade target. But every game, Bazemore has been proving me wrong, he's showcased a lot what the Warriors didn't see out of him, he can penetrate, shoot the 3 ball, and he's fast. He's excelling in the small forward position (for now). Personally I didn't like the decision of him taking the go-ahead 3 after the Lakers finally got a stop being down 4 late in the 4th. There was still plenty of time left to get a two, get another stop (hopefully) and go for the tie, but what does he got to lose though? The 3 game was working, considering the defense was total ass this game and Bazemore was taking huge advantages of it. A little upset, but I understand why because the 3 ball was working and if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
Jordan Farmar, 20 points, 8 assists, 7-12 shooting, 2-5 shooting beyond the arc. I mean with Kendall Marshall's current slump, Farmar has a chance to re-integrate himself as the long-term answer for the Lakers' point guard woes. The thing that Farmar had over Marshall is that Farmar can score, he can penetrate and create his own shot. Sure Marshall has the assist and the court vision, but Farmar has what I mentioned that Marshall doesn't have. Back in 2010, I was bummed out when let him go because he can speed up the tempo, though he can be reckless at times with ball, Farmar has the speed and he has the ability to create his own shot and open some lanes for teammates.
Robert Sacre, 9 points, 5 rebounds, on 4-7 shooting. Since Gasol needed a breather, carrying the team all game long, Sacre made some big buckets to put us within striking distance against the Pelicans. All he needs to do is polish his jump hooks and floaters and needs to learn how to finish aggressively. Pretty unfortunate that Kaman and Hill have fallen off the depth chart, but this game, Sacre put up decent numbers and provided some scoring on the inside with Gasol on the bench.
The Negatives
Defense. *Clap clap* defense *clap clap* defense. The stereotype of all Mike D'Antoni coached teams, all offense, no defense. I said in the halftime post that the defense has to be addressed considering guys like Tyreke Evans and Eric Gordon were penetrating in the paint, add in Brian Roberts too, filling in for the injured Jrue Holiday, also finding wide open lanes for easy deuces. I thought the defense from beyond the arc was decent, considering the Pelicans shot 41% from the field, but they didn't need the 3 ball to beat us, all they needed to do was exploit our rim protection and it's over. The interior defense is what ultimately killed the Lakers this game, they couldn't stop the Pelicans from driving, and when they finally do, the result ends up in a foul and 2 free throws and it was evident this game.
Conclusion
Awful game on defense for the Lakers. The wins prior to this was way beyond my wildest imaginations, Lakers beat the Kings 122-126 last Friday, upset the Blazers last night 107-106, but lost here 132-125, and I keep asking myself looking at the score, where is the defense? Just the last 3 games, not impressed that the Lakers needed to muster enough offense to win those games, although I'll give the benefit of a doubt the on the Blazers game. To go from that to this, proves that its back to reality. The Lakers have the Clippers, Thursday night and for sure, they won't blow it big time now unlike the season opener because now, the playoffs are coming and the Clipps are gonna be primed to win as much games as possible to capture a wide open best record for the West (although the Thunder did won today). I'll see you guys on Thursday for that game.
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