Alright welcome in to the full recap of the Lakers-Spurs game where the Lakers pull off their biggest win of the season so far, stunning the defending champion Spurs 112-110 in overtime in San Antonio. It was all thanks to Nick Young as he made an impossible three pointer that was the game winning shot.
Well some good news and some bad news. The good news, the Lakers won a really tough game. The bad news, Kobe Bryant didn't surpass Michael Jordan on 3rd all-time. The first three quarters, it looked like the Spurs were gonna pull away early, then the Lakers come out and it looked like they were gonna pull away. They retained a big lead in the 4th, but just too many errors down the stretch that almost cost the game. In OT, it was a classic grit and grind shootout, but the Lakers came out on top. We may not have a winning record, but this game almost made my heart drop because the Lakers were shooting themselves in the foot and letting the Spurs back in. You can't do that, but they won, so it didn't come back to bite them.
The Positives
Nick Young, 29 points, 9-14 shooting, 6-9 shooting from beyond the arc. If Kobe is the closest we've ever seen to Michael Jordan, then Nick Young is the closest we've seen to Kobe Bryant. Too soon? Yeah I guess a little too soon. But, I'll have what Swaggy P had because whatever he took before the game, he was playing out of his mind. A perfect 5-5 from 3 point land to start, the Spurs defense were shaking their head because most of those shot he made were impossible. However, in OT, that hail Mary 3 point shot with Ginobili in his face for the game winner? Kobe-Wan (Star Wars reference) has taught him well. That reminded me of that shot Kobe took when J.R. Smith was all in his grill during game 3 of the 2009 WCF. Overall, Nick Young was insane this game and his performance helped the Lakers greatly, like I said, there's a reason he comes off the bench because he's a spark plug.
Carlos Boozer, 14 points, 10 rebounds, 7-12 shooting. The last few games, Boozer has been more efficient coming off the bench. Byron Scott was up to something when he benched Boozer for the first time and it has worked. This game, he provided a lot of clutch baskets when Kobe was playing point. Every time Kobe got him the ball, Booze just comes through strong and giving the Lakers a much needed break when the Spurs were roaring back.
Jeremy Lin, 14 points, 8 assists, 6-14 shooting. I never understood why Byron Scott sat him down when the Spurs were cutting the deficit by providing huge runs, but Lin was having a solid game based on what I'm seeing. He's being aggressive, making shots, clamping down the Spurs' stout defense. It's understandable that Scott wanted Kobe to play point so the double team can draw to him and he'll find the open man, but at least put him in when it matters because the Lakers played out of control the last few minutes in the 4th quarter with the ball movement.
The Negatives
4th quarter turnovers. This is the negative that spoils the Lakers' upset over the Spurs. Credit where its due, Ginobili, Danny Green, and Cory Joseph are tenacious defenders. The Lakers had like a 101-92 lead, then those crucial turnovers, particularly on the out of bounds possessions. Those out of bounds reviews under 2 minutes are just killer. Three of those, it looked like the Spurs touched it last, two of those were overturned and gift-wrapped the Spurs with opportunity to pull it out and escape this "trap game." It almost costed the Lakers big time and lucky enough they didn't pay for it.
2nd chance points. The Lakers may have a 2 rebound advantage against the Spurs in offensive rebounding, but most of the Spurs' offensive rebounding lead to 2nd chance points. The definite killer out of those was Ginobili's 3 pointer to put the Spurs within 4. He missed a three previously, but an offensive rebound kept the Spurs alive and he didn't manage to miss the 2nd time. Overall, turnovers and giving the Spurs 2nd chance opportunities lead to a near Laker meltdown in San Antonio.
Conclusion
Looks like I'm just going to provide you guys with a quick recap on Kobe surpassing Jordan in Sunday's game at Minnesota. Despite with all "hoo hahs" that happened in the 4th quarter, you can't take away that the Lakers played an inspiring performance against the defending champs in their own house. It's tough to do that considering we are not that good and the Spurs just play beautiful basketball under Coach Pop. However, I'll take it. You know what they say, better to win ugly than to lose pretty and the Lakers won ugly. Anyway, the next Q-by-Q, Halftime Post, and Full Recap will be on December 19 when the Lakers take on a rejuvenated OKC Thunder team since the returns of Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook so expect quick recaps of the games in between. I'll see you guys for that game and I'll see you back on Sunday when the Raiders take on the Kansas City Chiefs.
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