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.