Klay Thompson Single-Handedly Burns Lakers

Welcome in to the full recap of the Lakers' matchup vs. the Golden State Warriors as the NBA wraps up their MLK Day slate of games where the Lakers kept it close in the first half, but Klay Thompson's sensational 44-point game leads the Warriors to a 130-111 rout.

You know, the Warriors do show mercy when one of their star players goes off while the others take the night off. I'm going to be honest here, with Golden State at full strength and the Lakers missing their key playermakers, I didn't expect this to be a victory regardless of the outcome. I wouldn't count this as a total annihilation. Klay Thompson had the hot hand tonight and he helped balloon a 10 point lead into a 30-point lead. He had some help from KD and Curry, but they didn't have to do much tonight. I'm going to do just a quick rundown on this since I do have work early tomorrow.

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4th quarter garbage time. Steve Kerr had to take a few timeouts on this one. As I said, the Warriors were merciful enough to pull Klay Thompson out after he torched the Lakers in the third quarter with 10-11 shooting from 3-point range. The Lakers trimmed down the lead to make it look good. Yes, it wasn't close. We got to see extensive looks on Moe Wagner, Svi Mykhailiuk, and Isaac Bonga. We also had an Alex Caruso sighting as he's a two-way player in case the Lakers have injuries. They needed Caruso to fill out the lack of depth at the Point Guard position. Lakers got quality minutes from them. Surprisingly, JaVale McGee finished out the game. He made the most out of it by putting up more points to cap off his 10-point, 9-rebound game.

Michael Beasley, 15 points, 5 rebounds, 7-8 shooting. Once again, the Lakers received solid contribution from Beasley off the bench. People tend to forget he's a scoring machine when he's hot. I liked what I saw as he looked to kept attacking the Warrior defense. He was smart with his shot selection as well. He didn't take ill-advised shots. He just went to his sweet spot near the high post and connect on his mid range.

Ivica Zubac, 18 points, 4 rebounds, 7-8 shooting. Despite the Lakers lacking their 3 primary playmakers, Zubac still did work inside. Just remember, he destroyed the Warriors in the paint the last time they played each other. DeMarcus Cousins' presence is the only difference this time around, but Zubac still found ways to score in the paint. He has been spectacular off the bench the last few games and McGee and Chandler have done a lot of wonders for his development.

(-)

3rd quarter. Klay Thompson's madness this quarter was the headline. There's no question about that. Missed shots doomed the Lakers even more in this quarter. KCP, Ingram, Kuzma, they built a whole lot of bricks and it allowed the Warriors to get set in transition. When you do that against a team with a deadly offense and with a player who's on absolute pandemonium, bad things happen.

Kyle Kuzma, 16 points, 7-18 shooting. But wait, Kuz still made it double figures! The stats are not exactly up to standard on what KuzMania is capable of. Not to mention, he didn't hit a single three as he was 0-5 from beyond the arc.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, 4 points, 1-5 shooting. This is why I call KCP: "Kentavious Caldwell-Poop." He'll give out good scoring games, but overall this has been a terrible season for KCP's standard by far.

Free throw shooting. The Kryptonite reared its ugly head again as the Lakers shot 57% from the charity stripe. Not that it would've made a difference, but it would've minimized the margin of defeat.

MVP

Ivica Zubac, 18 points, 4 rebounds, 7-8 shooting 

There you go Zu, here's your MVP. Clearly Rondo was more valuable in the last meeting, but Zubac held his own against Boogie without a pure playmaker setting him up easy looks.






Conclusion

The NBA's Thanos only needed one Infinity Stone to beat a Lakers team who has half of its universe gone. People can say that the Golden State Warriors ruined NBA parity by signing Kevin Durant two offseasons ago and then signing DeMarcus Cousins two offseasons later. What's astonishing about this team is that they know how to keep egos in check with that much star power in hand. Just when you think drama is unfolding to put the franchise in shambles, they just throw it out the door and ball. The Golden State Warriors are the NBA's version of the New England Patriots. They have the perfect system and they have the right culture which many teams are so desperately trying to duplicate. As far as the Lakers, they have a lot more soul-searching to do. Even if LeBron and Rondo return and Lonzo later, this team have their backs against the wall right now. Forget they playoff talk, just win some games and build some consistency. They'll be at it again against the Timberwolves. I will see you guys for that game.

01/21: LAKERS vs. Warriors 2nd Half Open Thread

This is the 2nd half open thread of the Lakers-Warriors matchup as the NBA remembers MLK. As usual, leave a comment below and share your thoughts on the game.

Q4

GSW 130 LAL 111

Trim the 30-point deficit to just a 19-point deficit, fair enough. Garbage time always helps to minimize the damage a bit and make the scoreboard look good. Stay tuned for the full recap.

Q3

GSW 110 LAL 80

A merciful end to the quarter. I tell you when Klay Thompson is in a zone, he's in a zone. The guy went 9-9 from beyond the arc this quarter and the Lakers couldn't do anything, despite playing tough defense to deny Klay the ball. His shooting stroke is otherworldly tonight. This quarter was the worst case scenario for the shorthanded Lakers. Yet at the same time, it was expected considering the disparity of talent from both teams tonight. It also doesn't help that the Lakers were asinine on their shots. Too many bricks, which is why they trail by this much.

01/21: Remembering MLK: LAKERS vs. Warriors 1st Half Open Thread

Welcome in to the first half open thread of the Lakers-Warriors matchup as the NBA remembers Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Leave a comment below and share your thoughts on the game.

Q2

GSW 65 LAL 55

It would've been better if it was still down to single digits. The Warriors did try to put this game out of reach early. But, the Lakers as shorthanded as they are, trail by 10 points at the half. Michael Beasley and Ivica Zubac have provided some scoring punch off the bench with a combined 15 points. They were aggressive inside early. Zubac was unstoppable in the Christmas Day matchup. This time, he runs into a tougher matchup in Boogie. And so far? Nothing has fazed the Zupacalypse. Kyle Kuzma came alive just a little bit at the half. Ingram is running point and so far has been effective. What's keeping this from being a blowout is that only one player out of the Warriors' "Fab Five," Klay Thompson is already way into double figures. Durant just barely with 10 points. The rest haven't hit their groove, Curry especially. The biggest concern is allowing the Warriors' other players to go off. Alfonso McKinnie has hit a pair of threes to help balloon Golden State's lead. Like I said, the Lakers may not have enough firepower to pull this off against the Golden State Western All-Stars. But, if they can keep this game tight throughout the 2nd half without LeBron, Zo, and Rondo on the floor, it would be a moral victory. A win would be great though! The 2nd half will open up shortly.

Q1

GSW 29 LAL 24

Well, the Lakers get a crack at the NBA's Thanos and so far, not bad. The Warriors are more than capable of turning up the scoring, but they got off to a slow start, which benefits the Lakers a bit. It also helps that Boogie Cousins is in foul trouble. Can you believe that? Just his second game in and he's in foul trouble again. It's gonna be key to take out one of the "Infinity Stones" early on here and the Lakers gotta take advantage of Golden State's turnovers. They may lose this game, but it'll be a moral victory if they manage to keep this game close.

Lakers Drop Another Close One vs. Warriors

*Stats courtesy of NBA.com and Yahoo Sports*

Kyle Kuzma had another stellar game with a double-double, scoring 27 points and 14 rebounds, but the defending champion Warriors got the best of the Lakers again 106-113. Lonzo Ball followed up with 24 points including shooting 5-6 from beyond 3-point land. Brandon Ingram added 12 points and KCP rounded out the starters in double figures with 10 points. Julius Randle was the lone player in double-figures off the bench with 21 points.

Final Score: @ Golden State 106-113 [L]
Full article: http://www.nba.com/games/20171222/LALGSW#/recap

Next Game: vs. Portland (Tonight, 6:30 PM Pacific Time)

Highlights: *Courtesy of Ximo Pierto*

Including this game, the Lakers have taken the defending champions to the limit. You talk about two games in LA that went to overtime. And this game last night, the Lakers almost rallied, but the Warriors still found a way to win, which all great teams do regardless of their situation. Kevin Durant had a usual KD stat line, but Jordan Bell was the X-factor in this game with a double-double. Bell cashed in a lot of opportunities in the pain when the Laker defense had all its attention on Durant. Some of the positives from last night's game, of course Kyle Kuzma recording a double-double and a 20+ point performance. He was the MVP in the last game the Lakers played the Warriors and he continued to put up nice numbers against them. Kuz has had the hot hand as of late and that trend should continue with the way he's playing as of late. Julius Randle carried the 2nd unit. He played his style of bullying basketball last night. In some possessions, Randle came in like a freight train and just went strong to the hoop for emphatic dunks. He was really effective inside the post and brought over some good energy on the defensive side adding 2 steals and a block. The highlight outside of Kuzma's red hot performance was Lonzo Ball's 24 point performance and hitting 5-6 from the 3-point line. Looking at his highlights, the way he was shooting the ball was different. His original form is he brings the ball to the opposite side of his waist and shoots. It worked in UCLA, but it's ineffective in the NBA. Last night, Ball shot the ball (no pun intended) in a more formal and proper shooting form. Those threes that he made last night were all swishes, nothing but net. This game is an encouraging sign and his new form is going to be a work-in-progress. It'll get better with time as he becomes more consistent with it. Three tough losses against the Warriors though in three competitive games, the Lakers couldn't have a better opportunity than that. They play each other again in March, but that game is likely going to be less competitive than these three games with the Warriors making a playoff push at that point of the season. I wasn't even alive the last time the Warriors swept the Lakers in a regular season series. A majority of Warriors fans who started cheering on this team since 2014-15 weren't alive the last time that happened. The chances of the Warriors sweeping the Lakers in regular season head-to-head this season is likely building up. But, anything can happen between now and that next meeting in March.

Lakers Couldn't Flip the Script vs. Warriors on Kobe's Jersey Retirement Night

Welcome in to the full recap where the Lakers took it to the limit against the Warriors yet again in OT, but they couldn't flip the script from the first meeting as the defending champs prevailed again 116-114 behind a game-winner from Kevin Durant and a key defensive play from David West.

This loss is going to be a tough pill to swallow. In the first meeting, I wasn't even mad. The Lakers competed against a Warriors team at full strength. This meeting, the Warriors were ailing with all kinds of injuries. Kevin Durant struggled to shoot. Klay Thompson struggled and yet somehow, some way they still found a way to win. That is the mark of a great team though. They win by any means. Lakers were so close, yet they blew their opportunity to notch a victory against the defending NBA champs. Never take the Warriors to OT.

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Kobe Bryant's jersey retirement. That was an amazing tribute and homage to his "Dear Basketball" piece. This game right here was what it was all about. 20 years of Purple and Gold with the man, the myth, the legend himself. It was exceptionally coordinated that both his 8 and 24 jersey would sandwich Chick Hearn's mic in between. I tell ya, the Lakers could've used Kobe at the end of regulation this game. Game winding down to the final seconds, give it to Kobe and the rest is history make or miss.

Kyle Kuzma, 25 points, 6 rebounds, 10-16 shooting. Back to the present hour, the Lakers missed Kuzma's firepower in the first meeting against the Warriors. And even against the defending champs, he still had no fear playing his game: aggressive to the basket and knocking down threes. A lot of his three point shots came in down-to-the-wire moments where the Lakers needed buckets to keep within striking distance on the Warrior lead.

Brandon Ingram, 19 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists. Ingram's hard fall to the hardwood didn't look right. He'll probably be re-evaluated again for possible concussion symptoms, but he fell flat on his face after getting blocked during a layup attempt. It was very encouraging that he still managed to play. Ingram also took over in the 4th quarter on both ends. He held his own against Durant again and made some clutch jump shots to keep the game close.

Lonzo Ball, 16 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists. I especially liked what I saw during the overtime period. Zo dropped the nonchalant body language and took over scoring-wise. Again, being aggressive was the key here and Zo was aggressive during that overtime period. He also made a clutch three pointer to pull the Lakers within one. He doesn't need to change his shooting form, he just has to be confident with his shot. The three pointers he made this game were confident shots.

Julius Randle, 15 points, 11 rebounds. The double-double machine does it again. There's nothing else to say other than that Randle has been terrific on the bench. I liked the violent activity he had on both ends of the floor tonight. He even posterized Durant in this game! Both him and Nance baptized Durant tonight.

(-)

Free throws. We wouldn't be talking a Laker loss without mentioning either high turnovers or a low free throw percentage. The Lakers hit 62% of their free throws this game. If they bump that up by 20%, we'd be talking about a different outcome. Then again, if Durant and Klay didn't have a cold shooting night, we'd have a different outcome. But, a lot of the missed free throws came back to bite the Lakers. Ingram, though he finished 7-12 on the charity stripe, started 0-3. He was missing point blank to start. Randle missed some critical free throws. Chalk this up as another bad performance from the free throw line.

Luke Walton's coaching decisions in the final seconds. This was a philosophy taken from Phil Jackson. When your team has the ball in the final seconds, don't take the timeout. I've seen a lot of that as a Laker fan when Phil was still coaching. Those were veteran teams. This is a young team. The final possession in the 4th quarter was bad management on Luke's part. He has to take the timeout and design a play. Instead, he allows the Lakers to run it up the court and KCP has to rush a three point shot which resulted in an air ball. If Luke took the timeout and design a game winning play for KCP, he would've had a high percentage look. In OT, he wasted a timeout because Ingram couldn't adjust his shoe. He didn't need to take a timeout. Just sub Ingram out for one possession. Taking the final timeout in OT proved costly because Zo has to run it full court and David West timed his block right to prevent the game-tying layup. As a coach, Luke Walton still has to work on game management.

MVP

Kyle Kuzma, 25 points, 6 rebounds, 10-16 shooting

It wasn't even close who the MVP was. Kuz continues to impress as a draft day steal game by game. He was big in the three point game tonight and was especially effective in the 3rd quarter to keep the Lakers afloat.




Conclusion

That's two opportunities the Lakers had to get a win against the Warriors and they're out the window. It's going to be an entirely different when this regular season series shifts to Oracle Arena. Usually, the Lakers-Warriors matchup at Oracle wounds up in a Warriors rout. We'll see what happens from then because the Lakers are gonna battle the champs again on Friday on the road. As I said before, this week is the toughest stretch. They're facing pretty much the top two teams in the West in Houston and Golden State (x2). It's not going to be easy, especially since the Lakers are going to be on the road for a majority of the week. But, the silver lining is the Lakers are never out. They just gotta keep working on finishing. That's the most important part if they want to take the next step in the development process. I'll see you guys later.

12/18: LAKERS vs. Warriors 2nd Half Open Thread and Discussion

This is the 2nd half open thread of the Lakers-Warriors matchup on Kobe Bryant's jersey retirement night. As usual, leave a comment below and share your thoughts on the game.

OT

GSW 116 LAL 114

Gut-wrenching loss. 2nd time against this Warriors team. Like I said, this was very similar to the first meeting. Lakers had a chance to win at the end in regulation again, but they couldn't capitalize and Kevin Durant like Steph Curry did in the first meeting took this game over and willed the defending champs to victory. Stay tuned for the full recap.

Q4

GSW 102 LAL 102

Man, the Lakers almost had it! But, liked the way the Lakers rallied in the final stretch after being shutout by the Warriors for about five minutes into this quarter. So many missed opportunities here that the Lakers couldn't capitalize. The KCP airball for the win was one of them. Can't take it into OT with this Warriors team, even if they're short handed and Klay and KD are having off nights.

Q3

GSW 83 LAL 82

Strong finish to the quarter for the Lakers. Kyle Kuzma was pretty much the offense here in this 3rd quarter. The big 3 to end the half was critical. This quarter overall was a tightly contested one. Kevin Durant continues to have a rare off shooting-night, the Lakers can live with that. It's just that they're getting these other Warriors players involved. Omri Cassipi is quietly eating underneath the rim. That's just one of the few microcosms as to how the shorthanded Warriors are still miraculously winning.

12/18: Kobe Jersey Retirement Night! - LAKERS vs. Golden State Warriors 1st Half Open Thread and Discussion

Numbers 8 and 24 are gonna be hung on top of the Staples Center rafters tonight for the Black Mamba. This is a special open thread and discussion session in the Lakers' matchup vs. the defending champions. Leave a comment below and share your thoughts on the game.

Q2

GSW 57 LAL 53

Quite an entertaining way to end the half. The Lakers responded with a couple of runs of their own. I liked that they were aggressive on both ends of the floor. Their game in transition was more effective, getting shots from defense to offense. The free throws and the turnovers are hurting them of course. And they're allowing other Warriors outside of KD and Klay to get involved. They gotta find a way to contain the other players in the 2nd half and stick with the aggressive offensive gameplan to attack the basket.

Quick halftime post, now onto the main course. This is a great tribute video on Kobe. "Dear Basketball" is being narrated by Kobe with a cartoony sketch of his career from childhood to the NBA. Whoever did this cartoon, this is an amazing piece of work and a fitting tribute to a player who has dominated most of my tenure as a Laker fan. A lot of memories watching Kobe play. The 81 point game. 61 points in Madison Square Garden. The best Kobe memory I had is those six game-winners back in the 2009-10 season against the Heat, Bucks, Kings, Celtics, Raptors, and Grizzlies. Those were fun times where I would shout "KOBE!" Of course, the best memories are the championships. Three with Shaq. Two with Gasol. I wouldn't have witness five championship trophies as a Laker without no. 8 and later no. 24. And of course, the 60 point game in his final game against the Jazz. When it comes to compare the 8 Kobe to the 24 Kobe, 8 represented the athletic, afro Kobe. The swagger he had was amazing to watch as a kid. No. 24 solidified himself as the alpha dog, the killer. The origin of the Black Mamba who'll rip the hearts out of the team and their fans. It's always gonna be a debate on who the greatest Laker is between Magic and Kobe, but the most important thing is that he made a legacy of his own and put his own blueprint of the game. It's very rare to see a player have two jersey numbers retired by the same team. That's one more precedent Kobe Bryant set in Lakers history and above all, in the game itself. 20 years in purple and gold and I'm lucky to have witnessed 16 of those years as a Laker fan. I gotta shout this out one last time..."KOBE!" The 2nd half will open up shortly.

Q1

GSW 32 LAL 24

The Warriors figured out the blueprint and used it against the Lakers. To start, Lakers came out and attacked. They got Larry Nance Jr. going early. Brook Lopez is racking up points inside the paint, which is encouraging to see. Early on, the Lakers were dominating in pts in the paint. Then, the Warriors made the adjustments and started to use the same strategy. Kevin Durant was not shooting the ball well, so he dared the Laker defense to come at him, which lead to opportunity for other Warrior players to attack the basket.

Lakers Drop Game in OT to Dubs

*Stats courtesy of NBA.com and Yahoo Sports*

Brandon Ingram posted a career high with 32 points to go with 5 rebounds and 3 assists, but the Lakers let the defending champs hang around a little too long as they fell to the Warriors 127-123 in OT. KCP added 21 points and 7 rebounds and Lonzo Ball added a double-double with 15 points and 10 assists. Jordan Clarkson had a solid all-around game off the bench with 21 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists and Julius Randle racked up 20 points.

Final Score: vs. Golden State 127-123 (OT) [L]
Full article: http://www.nba.com/games/20171129/GSWLAL#/recap

Next Game: @ Denver (12/02)

Highlights: *Courtesy of Ximo Pierto*

Add this to the list games the Lakers let slip away this week. The Warriors were not sharp with their ball movement tonight and Curry was struggling from the field. This is the kind of stuff the Lakers needed to take advantage of while they can and just like the Clippers game, they couldn't close it out. But, we can't put aside their effort this game. They gave the Warriors all they could handle. Brandon Ingram had a monster game, posting a career high in points. B.I. had all three phases of his shot working: attacking the basket, midrange jumpshot, and the three-point range in which he connected on two from deep. Compare his stats with Kevin Durant this game, KD had 29 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, 1 block on 12-25 shooting. B.I. had 32 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, 2 blocks on 12-21 shooting. Those are near-identical numbers! B.I. is slowly creeping up to his Kevin Durant-esque ceiling in which everybody touted about during his draft day. Though, this whole game centered around Lonzo Ball and Steph Curry which was rooted in Lavar Ball's comments when Zo was still in the UCLA. Lavar said that Zo would be better than Steph Curry. Tonight, it was like a tale of two halves between the two. Zo had his three point shot falling and he was aggressive as a facilitator and at times, a scorer. Steph couldn't buy a bucket. Then later, Zo struggled to score and handle the ball and Curry rekindled his inhuman range from deep in OT. The Lakers' pretty much sealed their own fate by allowing this game to go to OT. It started by allowing Kevin Durant too much space for the game tying three after KCP made a three point play. By the way, KCP struggled to score early on, but he came alive in the fourth. Then on the final play of regulation, they elected to go to Ingram and have him attack the basket. I thought he got fouled on that play, but the referees, 99% of the time, are not going to decide the final seconds of the game with their whistle. In OT, Curry got hot and that was all that's needed. Lakers had a chance for another tie, but Clarkson tipped the ball so far off KCP was beaten by a step by Iguodala for the loose ball. This game overall exemplified a case of good teams finding ways to win and young teams finding ways not to finish right. The Warriors found a way to win. The Lakers fail to close out again this week with the lead.

Young Lakers Take It to the Super Warriors in Decisive Win

Welcome in to the full recap of the Lakers' big victory over the Golden State Warriors as the Lakers punch the bully in the mouth, gaining a monumental 97-117 upset over the Warriors.

Sorry if this postgame recap took too long to post because I've got my hands full over a couple of friends who are Warriors fans. Bragging rights is great! But, for sure, this game does not change the stance of the Warriors nor the Lakers. The Warriors are still a championship contender and the Lakers are in the process of grooming their young talent. But, like I said, great win. You can't ask for a better confidence builder by beating one of the best teams in the Western Conference, let alone in the NBA. This game is one of those barometer builder games and the Lakers answered the challenge, taking on the role of David in overcoming Goliath.

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The Bench Mob. Having a good bench is always a relief for a team. Throughout the 4-game road trip, the bench play was the strength for the Lakers and I finally saw it first hand. Lou Williams, Larry Nance Jr., Tarik Black, Jordan Clarkson, and Brandon Ingram, what a bench lineup. Sweet Lou as usual lead all bench players with 20 points. He's such a luxury to have with the way he draws contact and how he can hit from deep. When the Warriors had their run, Lou stepped his game up and did what he did best. Larry Nance Jr., 12 points, 9 rebounds. Get this man in the dunk contest NOW! Like I said in the 2nd quarter, his poster of David West is arguably the highlight of the game and pretty sums up how the Lakers threw down the gauntlet over the Warriors. Tarik Black played a decent game with 8 points, most of his points came from a couple of beautifully-executed alley oops. Clarkson had 9 points, he didn't need to do much. Brandon Ingram 12 points and 6 rebounds. The shots for Ingram will come, but he did a great job facilitating and getting to the free throw line.

Julius Randle, 20 points, 14 rebounds, 10-18 shooting. Lakers got the double-double machine rolling again. One thing we know about the Warriors is that even if they have Curry, Klay, KD, and Green, they are really undersized in the paint. I thought Randle did a great job exploiting their weakness. Talk about a wild 4th quarter for Randle! He went out there tipping everybody's missed shots for 2nd chance points. Don't sleep give up on Randle just yet. He's going to continue to develop into a beast.

D'Angelo Russell, 17 points, 5-11 shooting. D'Lo's first shot, which happened to be a 3-pointer, arguably set the tone this game. Russell didn't have to do too much since the bench was once again playing out of their minds. But, when the Warriors went on their run in the 2nd half, D'Lo hit a couple of big buckets to add more cushion to the lead. 

Nick Young, 12 points, 4-11 shooting. Yes, the woeful shooting stats will be there, but Swaggy P was a defensive menace out there. Okay, maybe that's too much, but I've been impressed with his improved defense that it offsets his poor shooting. Most of his shots were big. His only 3 pointer of the game in the 3rd quarter helped the Lakers build their lead back up. Stats don't show it, but he lived up to the Swaggy P nickname. Might as well convert it to "Swaggy D" because of his improved defense.

Breaking Curry's 3-point streak. Man, it felt like an eternity where Curry has not missed a 3-point shot. Overall, the Lakers held the Warriors to 4-24 shooting, but truth be told, they were missing some good look 3-pointers that they routinely make. But, this game, the Lakers proved that Steph Curry is human, even from beyond the arc. 10 3-point attempts and he missed all of them. 

(-)

I couldn't pinpoint any negatives because this was too fun of a game watch. But, if anything, I would say the 2nd half effort. I thought the Lakers took a step back after a brilliant first half and started allowing the Warriors to storm right back into the game. Some of it though were due to brilliant adjustments by Steve Kerr, particularly on the defensive end. But overall, the Lakers pumped the brakes a little bit in the 2nd half.

MVP

Lou Williams, 20 points, 7-14 shooting

Some will say Julius Randle deserves MVP honors and there's no wrong in that. Personally, I thought Lou Williams deserves this honor. He managed to keep the team together when the Warriors were coming back. Sweet Lou stepped in and put the team on his back to add more cushion to the Lakers' lead whether it's deep 3's, driving to the hoop, or drawing contact from defenders.

Conclusion

Well, the bad news is that the Lakers will meet the Warriors again this month twice in the same week. So, definitely the Warriors will be looking for blood the next time around. This was the golden opportunity since they were coming off an emotional win over the Thunder for Kevin Durant and the Lakers capitalized on the Warriors' back-to-back stretch. But, like I said, this is a great win to gauge the barometer for this team. This Lakers team, as young as they are, they will not bow down or lay down to anyone. Luke Walton has this team competing for a full 48 minutes and it's great to see that progress is being made early on into the season. Nothing more needs to be said. Laker Nation, let's enjoy this win because these come once in a blue moon. But like I said, it's the sound of progression and hopefully the process continues to go the right way for this young team.  As a reminder, I don't cover all 82 games, only the ones that are nationally televised. Every other game that's exclusive to local TV will be condensed into a quick recap/fact check. I'll see you guys for the next nationally televised Lakers game, whenever that is.

11/04: Challenge - LAKERS vs. Golden State Warriors 2nd Half Open Thread and Discussion

The 2nd half of the Lakers-Warriors Friday night matchup. As usual, leave a comment below the post on your thoughts on the game.

Q4

GSW 97 LAL 117

Wow, what an impressive win! Like I said, for 48 minutes, the Lakers have to go out there and compete regardless of the outcome. And wow, I am impressed. Yes the Warriors were off back-to-back nights, but talk about being dominated here late in the 4th. The Lakers hand the Warriors their 2nd loss. Curry's 3-point streak is over. This is a great win for the young Lakers squad. Stay tuned for the full recap.

Q3

GSW 82 LAL 93

We all know the Warriors are capable of making a run regardless if the team has an off shooting night. But, I absolutely love the fight the Lakers are giving them. Every time it seems that Golden State has the moment, the young Lakers regroup and start answering the bell. They've made some critical buckets down the stretch to give the lead a little cushion after the Warriors' run. It's now a matter of keeping up the energy on both ends of the floor and finishing this game strong in the 4th quarter. 

11/04: Challenge - LAKERS vs. Golden State Warriors 1st Half Open Thread and Discussion

Welcome to the first half of the game where the young Lakers face a daunting challenge ahead of them against the surging Golden State Warriors superteam. Leave a comment below the post on your thoughts on the game.

Q2

GSW 49 LAL 65

On opening night of the NBA season, I had a conversation with my friend Stillmattic, who's a die-hard Warriors fan and I noted that the weakness the Warriors have right now is a lack of a true inside presence. That continues because Julius Randle is out hustling Draymond Green for 2nd chance opportunities during the final stretch of this quarter. But overall, great half for the Lakers to open up this game. D'Angelo Russell started things off with a three and the Lakers continue to pound away against a Warriors team that can be pretty much get hot and come back at any moment. But, I love the energy on both sides of the ball despite a couple of lapses. Bench play has been impressive lately as evident in the road games and they are as good as advertised. Last stat I recall, they combined for 32 points. Tarik Black was a beast out there and how about Larry Nance Jr.? That guy needs to follow in his father's footsteps and compete in the dunk contest! His dunk over David West is arguably the highlight of this game so far. Lakers are doing a solid job taking advantage of the Warriors on back-to-back nights. Obviously, the field goal percentage has to be a lot better and they have to keep the energy up on defense. Keys to the 2nd half is that the Lakers need to continue putting pressure on the ball and creating more turnovers and hope that Curry, Thompson, and Durant's shooting woes continue. The 2nd half open thread will open up shortly.

Q1

GSW 15 LAL 24

Well, the Warriors needed that big bucket from Iggy. But, the Lakers got the Warriors where they got them, going back-to-back nights after last night's game vs. OKC. They're creating turnovers and did a good job catching the Warriors off guard. The ball movement was great too. However, there is a lot of points left to be desired out there on the floor. Despite the Warriors' misses, the Lakers couldn't capitalize on making shots of their own, which could've ballooned this lead more. Still, good effort on the Lakers part to come out swinging from the start.