Score: CLE 57 LAL 61
Alright welcome in to the halftime post of the Lakers' matchup vs. the Cavaliers where Kobe Bryant's Lakers have a 57-61 edge over LeBron James' Cavs in a classic battle between two future HOFs.
The Positives
Jordan Hill, 12 points, 6-8 shooting. The last few games, Jordan Hill has been getting that sweet shooting stroke back. That has to be done on a consistent basis for Hill to be a heck of a player. He's thriving with Kobe giving him the ball early on and hopefully he can stay hot in the 2nd half.
Kobe Bryant, 12 points, 10 assists, 5-9 shooting. Kobe Bryant haters be like "Kobe doesn't pass." Tuesday night's game against Miami shooting-wise was something to forget about and this game, he's starting to get that mid-range game back. He's done a great job this game so far balancing the scoring and facilitating and Hill, Davis, and Boozer are thriving when Kobe's facilitating the ball and when offense is needed, he'll score if necessary.
Bench. Laker bench 23, Cavs bench 3. That's a football score, perhaps the main difference as to why the Lakers are leading right now. It's been like that, the Lakers bench is good when Boozer, Lin, and Young are getting it going. David Blatt's decision to put J.R. Smith in the starting lineup is beyond me since he provides a lot of scoring on the bench when he gets going and so far, we can live with that decision.
The Negatives
Nick Young, 6 points, 2-6 shooting. Nick Young is not having that swagger in the Swaggy P nickname as he's been cold the last few games. He made some good plays this game such as his step back behind the 3 point line and his 3 point play, but he's gotta get back to living up to his nickname and catch fire to lead the bench is scoring and this game in prime time should be the right time for him to get off the poor shooting funk.
Bottom Line
The Lakers need to stick to this formula: Kobe facilitating, Hill, Boozer, and Davis getting the ball inside for easy shots. They'll double team him every time out of respect. Outside of Mozgov, the Cavs' frontcourt is not intimidating and they need to continue with that and play good defense. Kobe vs. LeBron 2nd half, we'll see who has the edge.
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