Alright, welcome in to the full recap of the Lakers' matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies where the Lakers competed in the game, took it to the Grizzlies, but at the end, the Grizzlies' defense was a key difference as the Lakers had a chance to keep it close and regain the lead at times, but they couldn't as they fall to the Grizzlies 99-93.
First things first, if you read the recap of the Nuggets-Lakers game, there was a "questionable" denoted for this game. That's because I had a supposed evening dental appointment and I was unsure if I would make it home on time for the game, but I was able to cancel that appointment for another time not for this game, but for other undisclosed matters. Nonetheless, I was able to cover this game for you guys for the blog. Anyway, opportunity was knocking during that 4th quarter for the Lakers and they didn't want to answer and a lot of it had to do with too many missed shots, some shots were indeed ill-advised, but it's absolutely inexcusable for the Lakers to come up empty on nearly half of their offensive possessions for that quarter. Most of the possessions were indeed stopped by good
defense by Memphis, while others were just, you just want to put your head down in frustration.
The Positives
Ed Davis, 2 points, 8 rebounds, 3 blocks. The positives this game only came from the defensive side of the ball. Let's start with the rim protector off the bench, Ed Davis. Obviously, he was riled up for this game after playing with Grizzlies last year. The Grizzlies, known for their grit and grind style of defense didn't want to bring him back and he eventually signed with the Lakers. His stats may not impress most, but there's more than just offense. Davis did what we brought him in to do and that's protect the rim and grab rebounds and he did just that. 8 rebounds, 2 blocks came from one Grizzlies offensive possession, the other in the 2nd half that set up a Nick Young jump shot in transition. Defensively, Davis did what he was brought in to do.
Ronnie Price, 11 points, 5 assists, 5-8 shooting. As I said in the halftime post, Price is a pest. Not only was he the leading scorer off the bench, but he was another spark plug for the Lakers defensively. Even though the steal for a dunk in transition and a charge was all back in the 1st half, he was everywhere this game, D'ing up Mike Conley or executing the double team when needed.
The Negatives
Turnovers. Turnovers weren't a major factor until the 2nd half. Credit where it's due, the Grizzlies turned it up defensively and the Lakers couldn't anything going. They couldn't make the extra pass or give players open looks and it's all because how stingy and how quick the Grizzlies defense is. Turnovers are always a killer and they were one pitfall as to why the Lakers lost.
Missed opportunities. As I said before, the missed opportunities in the Lakers' offensive possession in the 4th was inexcusable. At one point, they were down 89-87, the Grizzlies couldn't get nothing on offense in one of those stretches and the Lakers had a chance to tie or take the lead and what happened? One missed shot after another and when the Lakers finally had it going, it was already too little too late as the Grizzlies were hitting their stride offensively to close this game out. Kobe tried to play hero ball, Lin tried to play hero ball, Nick Young also, our scorers didn't get nothing, nada and they let that opportunity slip away.
Conclusion
Well, looks like the Lakers are 2-3 since Nick Young returned to the lineup. I mean it was a competitive game don't get me wrong, the Lakers did everything in their power to take advantage of the Grizzlies grit and grind style of play by playing at a much higher pace than them, but the Grizzlies were able to make the necessary adjustments, there's an absolute reason why they're currently the best team in the West. Anyway, the Lakers remain home for the rest of the month against Minnesota and the best team in the East in the Raptors, then for the first week of December they go on a three game road trip like the one they had last week. Unfortunately none of those games will be nationally televised, the next game is not until Friday when the Lakers take on the Spurs in San Antonio. Anyway, I hope you guys have a wonderful Thanksgiving and I'll see you guys back on Sunday when the Raiders take on the Rams in St. Louis.
Another miscellaneous announcement, my collaboration with Stillmattic on his blog is just starting to take form. We started on Monday with our first matchup and tonight with the 2nd matchup. It's all-star battle between Video Game Female characters vs. Anime Female characters so hop onto his blog at bleachzealot.blogspot.com to come check out our recent collaboration.
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