Woeful Shooting Dooms Lakers vs. Celtics

Welcome in to the full recap of the Lakers' matchup against their old nemesis in the Boston Celtics. The Lakers couldn't buy a three-point bucket until late in the game as they fall to the Celtics 107-113 engineered by Isaiah Thomas' 38 point performance.

Celtics gotta 1-up the Lakers all the time. They lead by one more in terms of most NBA titles and they lead by one more after this game in terms of all-time regular season victories over the Lakers. Disdain for the Celtics runs deep. But, I gotta question the logic here. The Lakers have gone ice cold in 3-pointers since the 2nd quarter, but they heat up in the 4th quarter when the game is out of reach. I'll go more in depth in that category, but that was really frustrating to watch.

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Larry Nance, Jr., 18 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals. Talk about a breakout game for Jr. He was all energy tonight on both ends of the floor. When Luke Walton inserted the 3-guard lineup with Ingram and Nance at the Power Forward and Center spot, respectively, that's when Nance started to eat. He was the main driver for the Lakers' 2nd chance opportunities tonight, cleaning up the boards, muscling his way to the paint for easy points. He's starting to get back the feel of the rotation since coming off of injury.

Brandon Ingram, 14 points, 6 rebounds. We need to see more of this Brandon Ingram this month. We saw the progress of his jump shot on full display tonight. That was his game when the Lakers drafted him out of Duke. Tonight I saw a Brandon Ingram who not only brought back the assertiveness to get to the basket from January, but I saw him look pretty confident with his offensive game and shooting stroke. We'd like to see him build off of this game.

D'Angelo Russell, 20 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists. That "Kobe-esque" shooting though, 8-20 from the field. I'd like to see D'Lo post up more rather than settle for three's like he did tonight along with other Laker players. Isaiah Thomas posed a big time mismatch for D'Lo and when he settled to post up and score, it worked. That should be D'Lo's main strength, attacking the basket and taking full advantage of mismatch opportunities given his size to play point. Also, he took better care of the ball tonight after committing 7 turnovers last night at Washington. Those turnovers were courtesy of good defense by Marcus Smart.

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3-point shooting. My goodness, was the 3-point shooting horrendous tonight. Nick Young, D'Lo, and Sweet Lou hit a couple of threes late to curve the final shooting percentage, which was around 37% from beyond the arc (courtesy of Yahoo Sports). However, that doesn't change the fact that this was a big time dent in the Lakers' game tonight. Too many times tonight, players were settling for three's when the Lakers put themselves in 2nd chance opportunities. Two possessions in particular. They had the ball three times in the 2nd quarter and they couldn't connect on a 3-point shot. Late in the 4th, when the Lakers made a push, Larry Nance hustled through every rebound and the Lakers missed on all four of their 3-point attempts in the 2nd chance opportunities. I was yelling at the T.V. "attack the basket!" They were down 7. There was a lot of time left for the Lakers to come back and make stops if they cut the deficit to five. But they wasted it because they kept jacking up threes! When they started to hit the 3-pointers in the final seconds in the 4th, I was like "wow." I don't understand the logic of going ice cold behind the 3-point line for a majority of the game and heating up at the same spot when the game's out of reach. 

Jordan Clarkson, 2 points, 1-7 shooting. It was a tough game for Clarkson overall. He had a solid game last night in Washington, putting up 20 points, but aside from the nice reverse layup in the first half, JC got blanked out by the Celtics. Clarkson will have those games, but he's not wildly inconsistent.

MVP

Larry Nance Jr., 18 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals

Larry Nance is 100% hustle and energy. That was on full display tonight in a losing effort vs. the Celtics. It's too bad most of his effort tonight were in vain because of the high amount of 3-point bricks.

Conclusion

And here we go again. I don't want to beat a dead horse, but the Lakers are gonna have to learn to win on the road at some point in the season. The woeful starts in the first quarter are getting ridiculous to see. Also, it's a hot-cold game in terms of the Lakers' shooting in these games. Tonight was an example that they were not hitting their 3's and they should've done more to attack the basket and draw contact, which is what brought them back late in the game. The Lakers are currently 0-2 in this 5-game road trip. It will be a huge disappointment if they don't snatch at least one game. They have their work cut out. Monday's Lakers-Knicks game was supposed to air on TNT, but I think they flexed out of that game. So, expect a Quick Fact Check on that one instead along with the rest of the games that are shown exclusive to the local T.V. market. I'll see you guys later for the next nationally televised game. 

02/03: Rivalry Renewed - LAKERS @ Celtics 2nd Half Open Thread and Discussion

The 2nd half of the latest chapter of one of the NBA's most storied rivalries. As usual, leave a comment below and share your thoughts on the game.

Q4

LAL 107 BOS 113

Go ice cold in three-point game all game long, but heat up when it's too little too late. Great logic. Yet another loss on the road. Stay tuned for the full recap. 

Q3

LAL 74 BOS 82

Well, I was about to post up a picture of a brick wall because the Lakers continued to miss shots. But, they did get something going late in this quarter. That should've been the game plan from the very beginning of the third quarter. The Lakers couldn't hang with the Celtics 3-point shooting. Why not take it to them in the paint? But, they did miss some shots inside. D'Lo figured out that his three-point game is not going, so he's resorting to posting up, which worked. Ingram continues to play solid tonight. Sweet Lou is starting to get going. All of a sudden, the Lakers have brought themselves back late after a lifeless start this quarter. They still have an uphill battle to climb. 

02/03: Rivalry Renewed - LAKERS @ Boston Celtics 1st Half Open Thread and Discussion

Lakers, Celtics, enough said. Welcome in to the first half open thread and discussion. Leave a comment below and share your thoughts on the game.

Q2

LAL 51 BOS 62

Lakers were ice cold and the Celtics were red hot this quarter. Best summary I can come up with after the first half. In terms of three-point shooting, the Celtics have the definite edge. The Lakers tried to fight fire with fire in that category and it's not working out. Well it did work out to start. Nick Young and D'Angelo Russell had the hot start in the first quarter, but in the 2nd quarter? Where were they? D'Lo had that questionable 3-pointer from deep midway through the quarter. Celtics dominated this quarter with their defense and their three-point shooting. And the worse part about that was that Isaiah Thomas didn't play that much until down the stretch. The Lakers are not playing with a lot of energy. Back-to-back road trips are definitely going to do that to a team. There's miscommunication, which lead to a lot of turnovers. Too many questionable shot selections. The only silver lining in this quarter is that Brandon Ingram contributed 9 points off the bench on 3-4 shooting. He's found spurts were he's being aggressive and getting his jump shot going. I'd love to see Ingram rekindle his play in early-mid January. I think that'll be beneficial to his confidence and development. But overall, the Celtics fired on all cylinders this quarter and if Isaiah Thomas gets hot like he has the last few games, the Lakers are in a lot of trouble. They have to regroup and start over from scratch in terms of game plan adjustments. The 2nd half will be up shortly. 

Q1

LAL 30 BOS 29

That's not a way to close out after Terry Rozier knocks down a buzzer beating three for the Celtics. Lakers being down big to start and getting it going down the stretch in road games has been routine this season I guess. Al Horford got off to a quick start and Isaiah Thomas pulling up for a three had all kinds of writings on the wall that this could get ugly. But, D'Lo and Swaggy P got the offense rolling and are part of the reason why the Lakers hold on to a one point lead. I liked the aggressiveness by D'Lo to start. We gotta see more of that as he started to cool down just a little bit down the stretch. They gotta watch out for Marcus Smart. Underrated player on defense and his defensive play lead the Celtics to a couple of fast break points. Gotta clean that up and take better care of the ball.

Lakers' Losing Streak Against the Blazers Continues

Welcome in to the full recap of the Lakers road matchup vs. the Portland Trail Blazers in a back-to-back set where the Lakers had a chance to rain on the parade of 40th anniversary of the Blazers' lone championship season and snap their 10-game losing streak against the franchise. But, they found a way to lose again, falling to the Blazers 98-105.

Too many blown opportunities in that fourth quarter. Honestly, the Lakers have to be completely sick to their stomach losing to the Trail Blazers yet again. The Lakers had momentum when Lou Williams drained three straight 3-pointers. Then again when Nick Young hit back-to-back three pointers for the tie and the brief lead. But, they couldn't score two! They couldn't score two! Are you kidding me? Too many chances they could've ballooned the three point lead, but they missed a lot of shots down the stretch. A better effort than Sunday's outing against the Mavs, but this is more frustrating because the Lakers still couldn't figure out a way to close out on the road.

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Lou Williams, 31 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, 10-20 shooting. Just another day in the office for Sweet Lou. His fast start in the first quarter was the needed spark to put the Lakers back in the game when it looked like Portland was about to blow them out. In the fourth quarter again, it looked like the Blazers were gonna blow out the Lakers, but Sweet Lou drains three straight 3-pointers to bring momentum back to the Lakers. He missed a couple of key shots for the Lakers take the lead, but scoring-wise, he carried the scoring load for the team all night long with the exception of Clarkson because the starters weren't doing anything.

Jordan Clarkson, 22 points, 3 rebounds, 8-15 shooting. Some nights, Clarkson will settle for outside shots. Some nights, he'll attack the paint. When he finds a balance, that's when JC's at his best. That was on display tonight. Clarkson hit a pair of threes and found open lanes to drive towards the basket. This was one of Clarkson's better games this month.

Nick Young, 15 points, 5-10 shooting. The only starter who did anything. It was a relatively quiet game for Swaggy P tonight. He got off to a good start in the first quarter, hitting his first two shots. He didn't show up until the fourth quarter where he drained two straight 3-pointers for the tie at 91 and to put the Lakers up 94-91 before the team folded late in the fourth.

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Julius Randle, 8 points, 5 rebounds, 4-9 shooting. All you had to do was make a few layups Jules. I'm one of the few who defends Randle's game because of his potential, but I won't deny he's a living enigma. Tonight he resorted back to the out of control Randle we know. He seriously has to improve on his ball handling. Randle's 4th quarter showing tonight exemplified boneheadedness on his part.

The rest of the starters (except Nick Young). Timofey Mozgov, 0 points. Jose Calderon, 0 points and a potential spot on Shaqtin' a Fool for passing the ball to the side referee. Luol Deng, 4 points, 2-7 shooting in his return. Garbage. There's no other way around it.

Brandon Ingram, 0 points, 0-5 shooting. My goodness, Ingram came crashing down hard this week. He's been playing well this month. I don't know if it's because Deng returned to the lineup, but not the way for Ingram to close out the month of January with two bad performances.

MVP

Lou Williams, 31 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, 10-20 shooting

At this rate, Sweet Lou is going to get all the MVP honors for every Laker game I cover that's on National TV. This guy deserves Sixth Man of the Year honors.




Conclusion

An embarrassing blowout loss on Sunday. A frustrating loss tonight. I don't know how tomorrow's game @ Utah is gonna unfold. But, closing out on the road seriously needs to be a point of emphasis for the Lakers at this point of the season. It's a young team, there's growing pains. However, I'm looking at the veterans on this roster who know what it takes to close a game out on the road to step up and show the young players the ropes on how to win in a hostile environment. I don't know the Lakers' current road record, but the struggles are evident. They have to learn and the veterans need to take charge. They get another shot tomorrow in Utah. The Jazz have dropped a pair of games lately, but they're always a tough outing on their home floor. I'll see you guys tomorrow night for that game.

01/25: LAKERS @ Portland Trail Blazers 2nd Half Open Thread and Discussion

The 2nd Half of the Lakers-Blazers matchup. As usual, leave a comment below and share your thoughts on the half.

Q4

LAL 98 POR 105

The quarter down the stretch got me like...

Stay tuned for the full recap.

Q3

LAL 75 POR 83

Well, luckily that last basket by McCollum did not go in. The Lakers are down eight, but there was not much to take away from this quarter. This quarter was all Blazers not just scoring-wise, but they kept the Lakers in check defensively. In the official box score, the Lakers only put up 17 points this quarter. However, the margin is surmountable. Let's see if the Lakers can put out a better effort to close the game out. 

01/25: LAKERS @ Portland Trail Blazers 1st Half Open Thread and Discussion

Welcome to the first half open thread and discussion of the Lakers' road matchup vs. the Portland Trail Blazers. Will the Lakers finally snap the losing streak against the Blazers? Leave a comment below and share your thoughts on the half.

Q2

LAL 58 POR 59

Now, that was a better half than the garbage in Dallas. Although, there were some glimpses in this half where it looked like the Blazers were going to pull away behind Lillard and McCollum, but the Lakers found ways to respond and keep themselves within striking distance. Mr. Dependable, Lou Williams is carrying this team once again, leading all scorers with 16 points. An aggressive Sweet Lou to start is a big time benefit for the Lakers. He went full throttle in the first half to get the Lakers some points to get back into the game. The bench as a whole outscored the starting unit. Jordan Clarkson is in double figures with 11 points. Ivica Zubac is almost in double figures with 8 points. The bench players were the game changers to keep this from being a blowout. Lillard and McCollum, there's no stopping them, but if the Lakers neutralize every other player, they have a chance. In the last game in Portland, Allen Crabbe stepped in and provided that extra scoring power for the Blazers. The Lakers did a nice job containing every other player. The closest scorer tonight among Lillard and McCollum is Evan Turner and Mason Plumlee is following closely. The Lakers can't afford to let any Trail Blazer not named Lillard and McCollum go off in scoring like they did earlier when Crabbe went off for 20 points off the bench. Overall, nice way for the Lakers to bounce back from an embarrassing performance on Sunday, but there's still 24 more minutes to go. The 2nd half open thread will open up shortly.

Q1

LAL 31 POR 30

Sweet Lou putting the team on his back early on. When the score was 16-24, I'm sure we had the sentiments of "oh, here we go again." Because that's where the part the Blazers just make a run. Then, the bench comes in. Tarik Black showed his hustle energy to finish the quarter. Lou Williams did his thing in providing the scoring off the bench. The bench pretty much took over the quarter to provide the spark to bring the Lakers back into the game and for the lead to end the quarter. You never know what we're gonna get out of this Laker team. Here's hoping they stay consistent through the next three quarters.

Lakers End Skid with Win over Pacers

Welcome in to the full recap of the Lakers' home matchup vs. the Indiana Pacers where the Lakers notched a much-needed win beating the Pacers 96-108 to snap their current losing skid.

Great way to end the home stand on a high note. In the Lakers' recent skid, they've been lacking in some effort during those last few games and half of those games resulted in blowouts. Tonight, they played a very solid game with great effort on both sides of the ball against Paul George and the Pacers. 

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Lou Williams, 27 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 7-15 shooting. There's no denying, Lou Williams is the best player and the best scorer on the team. He had a couple of three pointers that almost went in, but didn't to put him at the 30 point mark. Sweet Lou did what he did best tonight: shooting threes, drawing contact, driving to the basket. He should be in the conversation for Sixth Man of the Year by the time this season ends.

Brandon Ingram, 15 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals. I said it in the Portland game last Thursday, Ingram is doing a great job being more assertive to NBA play. I'm very impressed with the way he's playing this month. He's being more aggressive. His 3-point game is slowly, but surely beginning to connect. I personally think with the way Ingram played in place of Luol Deng this month, he should get a shot at starting from here on out because he's been producing the last few games since being inserted into the starting lineup. He filled the stat sheet again tonight.

Julius Randle, 16 points, 5 rebounds, 7-13 shooting. During the skid, I keep seeing Randle being held to single digit. Even though I don't react much with the Quick Fact Checks, I was concern about Julius' recent slump. I was like "this guy should be stuffing the stat sheet." I liked Randle's energy and effort tonight to shake off the slump. I liked the aggressiveness and hustle that he displayed tonight. It's a matter of consistency for Randle. He's more than capable of double-doubling every single game.

Nick Young, 15 points, 5-13 shooting. I was sure that when Nick Young landed awkwardly on his foot, he was questionable to return. It's a good thing I'm no doctor. Swaggy P was raining threes all game alongside Sweet Lou and I thought he did a great job containing Paul George defensively. PG13 was relatively quiet until he stat padded when the game was well out of reach with 21 points. I gotta credit Clarkson as well. Both him and Young did well defending PG13.

Tarik Black, 8 points, 13 rebounds. I really like Black's effort. This dates back to last year, but Byron Scott didn't want to give him playing time. He's making the most out of it with the playing time. He was known for cutting and dunking and rebounding, but he showed more than that tonight with the jump hooks and the facilitation of the basketball.

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There was really not much I can complain about here. The Lakers did a fine job negating mistakes tonight against a good Pacers team.

MVP

Lou Williams, 27 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 7-15 shooting

Sweet Lou has been nothing short of amazing since coming to the Lakers. It was another day in the scoring office for him tonight against the Pacers.




Conclusion

Overall, great win from the Lakers, especially to snap the losing streak. The Lakers wrap up a 3-game home stand. Now, they face a 3-game road stand after this. Road games for the Lakers have been relatively unfriendly to them this season. This road stretch ahead is no joke. They play at Dallas on Sunday and play at Portland and at Utah on back-to-back sets. The Mavs, Blazers, and Jazz have the Lakers' number this season. Tough outing, but if the Lakers repeat this effort from tonight, anything can happen. Of course, D'Angelo Russell's status needs to be updated. Again, it's reported he has a mild MCL sprain, so it's likely he'll miss this road stretch. The Lakers need to be at full strength. That means Larry Nance, Jr. has to come back and hopefully, D'Lo makes a speedy recovery. It's a fight to the finish for that 8th seed for the playoffs in the West, but we're more focused that the Lakers finish strong by season's end. But again, great win against the Pacers. Gotta see if the Lakers can build some consistency as they take on a 3-game road stretch. The back-to-back against the Blazers and Jazz are gonna be televised on ESPN and  TNT. So I'll see you guys on Wednesday and Thursday for those games.

01/20: LAKERS vs. Indiana Pacers 2nd Half Open Thread and Discussion

The 2nd half of the Lakers-Pacers matchup. As usual, leave a comment below the post to share your thoughts on the half.

Q4

IND 96 LAL 108

Losing skid is over! The Lakers played with more effort and energy out there than the Pacers did. Pretty much, this whole 2nd half, the Lakers took this game over. They allowed Indiana to get back in for a bit, but they mustered enough to get the win. Players getting injured early on, but they endured. Stay tuned for the full recap. 

Q3

IND 75 LAL 86

Didn't like the way the Lakers ended that 3rd quarter. The team was playing sloppy ball and forcing up shots when they built up a huge lead, but luckily Nick Young's three quelled that talk for a bit. Overall, solid quarter for the Lakers. Solid quarter for Brandon Ingram especially. 10 points this quarter from him to go with 15 points. Sweet Lou, Young, Clarkson, Black, and Randle contributed as well to give the Lakers some cushion against this Pacers team. Like I said though, they allowed the Pacers to creep back in down the stretch. They have to clean that up to close this game out.

01/20: LAKERS vs. Indiana Pacers 1st Half Open Thread and Discussion

Welcome to the 1st half open thread and discussion of the Lakers' matchup vs. the Indiana Pacers. Leave a comment below and share your thoughts on the game.

Q2

IND 53 LAL 51

Down by two against a red hot Pacers team? Not too shabby. Although the Pacers did gain some life in this quarter and it looked like they were about to pull away, but good job on the part of the Lakers to hang around. In this first half alone, Julius Randle has put up more numbers than the last few games. He's been relatively quiet in the Lakers' recent skid, but he's gaining that aggressiveness back tonight. It's the consistency that needs to be addressed in Randle's game. Of course, the big negative here, D'Angelo Russell and Nick Young go down. Russell's foot got caught with Randle and his knee bent awkwardly. ESPN reports that it's a sprain MCL. So, most likely he's not going back to the game. Nick Young landed awkwardly on his foot as he was about to shoot before the shot clock expired. He went down for a bit and no question he's questionable to return. But, like I said, the Lakers are hanging around despite the injuries. You never know if that's going to take its toll late in the game with the losses of both D'Lo and Swaggy P. But the fact of the matter, they have to keep up with this effort that they put up so far. For sure, this is probably the closest they've trailed in this recent skid and they have to keep competing and try to make PG13, Al Jefferson, and the Pacers miss shots. The 2nd half will open up shortly.

Q1

IND 24 LAL 27

Well, the last thing the Lakers want to start off is two players going down. D'Angelo Russell accidentally contacts Julius Randle and his knee lands awkwardly. They said that it's a possible MCL sprain, which makes him questionable to return. Then Mozgov gets shaken up midway through the first, which is why Tarik Black and Ivica Zubac saw action earlier than expected. Despite all that, the Lakers are still competing. The Pacers turned the ball over a couple of times, which was opportune for the Lakers. Julius Randle got to a fast start and Nick Young and Lou Williams drained a couple of threes. Brandon Ingram continues to make good use starting. He's been terrific lately. Overall, encouraging quarter to see despite the early injuries. 

Lakers Run L.A. on Christmas Day with Win Over Clippers

Welcome in to the full recap of the Lakers' hallway matchup with the Clippers where the Lakers weathered their 4th quarter woes in blowing big leads as they hold on to beat the Clippers 102-111.

As usual, I would like to start off by saying Merry Christmas to the Laker Nation. I hope you guys had a good time with your family and unwrapping gifts under the tree while enjoying some NBA games. Now onto this game, I've seen it live on why this has been such a down month for the Lakers. Don't get me wrong, I'll take the win, but they gotta take that next step in protecting a big lead. This team is young and yes, this is part of the growing pains. But, I loved the effort in the first three quarters, especially the third quarter. The Lakers took it to the Clippers and that was probably their best output in this month on both ends of the floor. What matters the most is that the Lakers snapped a 3-game losing streak on Christmas Day and reminded the Clippers that L.A. is, was, and always will be Laker town.

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Timofey Mozgov, 19 points, 8-11 shooting. I'd have to recheck, this must be Mozgov's best game of the season offensively. He had the shooting touch. Most of his shots were mid-range jumpers this game and I can hear nothing but the sound of the net splashing whenever he took those shots. DeAndre Jordan was daring him so shoot and he kept knocking them down. Way to go Mozzy.

Luol Deng, 13 points, 12 rebounds. I gotta say, Deng is playing a little better during this month. He has a knack for going off and then disappearing in the next game, but his performance is getting much better. This game was one example. Deng mustered some solid offense, but he was a beast on the boards. He managed to take full advantage of the Clippers not having Blake Griffin and kept a lot of possessions alive for the Lakers. 5 of his rebounds were on the offensive side and he lead the team in that category tonight.

Nick Young, 19 points, 6-9 shooting. Nick Young continues to play with a chip on his shoulder on both sides of the ball. 5-7 from beyond the arc and most of the three pointers he took were timely buckets that the Lakers needed. The Clippers were making a run, Swaggy P hits a three. Another run, another three to provide much needed cushion. He played a solid game on this win.

Julius Randle, 13 points, 7 rebounds, 8 assists. Congrats on the new baby big man! Every game, Randle has shown he can be a double-double machine, sometimes a triple-double machine. The defensive deficiencies are still there that make Randle a liability, but he was aggressive when needed to be and he's making the offense stagnant. It's unbelievable he didn't commit a single turnover this game! This is a Clippers team that has a knack for generating turnovers defensively. We need more games like these where Randle plays with more control of the ball.

(-)

Bench play. The 2nd unit has been good all season long, but I'd say this was one of their subpar games. Lou Williams had 14 points and Brandon Ingram with 10 points, but this unit allowed the Clippers to get back into the game after the starters put up a clinic. The offense of the 2nd unit was stagnant throughout the 4th quarter. They were missing shots and tried to be a little fancy with the ball movement. The unit as a whole accounted for 8 of the teams' 13 turnovers. Clarkson had an off game with 5 points on 2-9 shooting. Of course, Larry Nance, Jr. is out for a couple of weeks so the team is going to have to rely on Thomas Robinson to step up. It wasn't the best performance from the bench, but the silver lining, they did enough in critical moments as the starters got back into the game to finish it off.

MVP

Luol Deng, 13 points, 12 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks

Like I said, he's playing better and this was possibly his best game as a Laker. He was doing it on both ends on the floor and grabbed key offensive rebounds to give the Lakers 2nd chances against this Clippers team.





Conclusion

Certainly, this was a month to forget about as the Lakers just kept losing game after game. Most of the games, they were up big and they blow it eventually in the 2nd half. But, this win on Christmas Day is like a breath of fresh air. This is all part of the process in the development of this young team. They'll eventually figure out to put the game out of reach when they build up a humongous lead like tonight when they put up 34 points in the 3rd quarter and lead as many as 15 points. This was certainly a bounce back game that the Lakers needed in order to regain their swagger and confidence back that they could compete with anyone. It's a process, we have to remind ourselves that. The wins will come and will boost the growth of this team. Trust the process. Merry Christmas guys and I'll see you guys on the next nationally televised game.

12/25: Christmas Day - LAKERS vs. Clippers 2nd Half Open Thread and Discussion

The 2nd half of the Lakers-Clippers battle for L.A. on Christmas Night. As usual, leave a comment below to share your thoughts on the game.

Q4

LAC 102 LAL 111

This is a month to forget about, but this is a great victory against a good team. My only gripe is that they almost blew a big time lead again. The Clippers made this a game this quarter, but clutch shots by Lou Williams, Nick Young, and D'Angelo Russell ultimately sealed this game. Meltdown averted on this Christmas night and the Lakers snap the Clippers' win streak in head-to-head meetings. Stay tuned for the full recap. 

Q3

LAC 74 LAL 89

Where was this effort during this December skid? If I remember, the Lakers would start fast in the first half and then fizzle out. Complete opposite this quarter. Mozgov is getting buckets. Deng and Randle are attacking the boards. This is the kind of effort we want out of the Lakers during their tough sledding in this month. They should keep this up in the 4th quarter. Starters are doing their job, but the bench has to step up. That means Sweet Lou and JC have to go for the knockout blow in the 4th.

12/25: Christmas Day - LAKERS vs. Clippers 1st Half Open Thread and Discussion

Welcome to the first half of the Christmas Day battle for L.A. as the Lakers take on the Clippers. Leave a comment below to share your thoughts on the game.

Q2

LAC 58 LAL 55

Lakers are hanging around out there. Entertaining quarter to say the least as both teams exchanged baskets. Offensively, the Lakers picked it up late in the 1st quarter. Lou Williams made a couple of buckets to spark plug the offense. As usual, the Lakers can always rely on Sweet Lou to come off the bench and provide scoring when needed. Hopefully, he starts to heat it up in the 2nd half considering the way this game is going. Brandon Ingram continues to struggle with his outside shot, but I liked how aggressive he was in this quarter and that's encouraging to see. We know Ingram is a smart player for his age and we want to see Ingram to be more aggressive to the hoop. He made some spurts as I said and he's almost in double-figure point totals. Nick Young leads the team in scoring with 11 points. All of his shots were from deep and considering the defense cannot stop the Clippers offense, as long as Swaggy P hits his 3-point shots, the Lakers have a chance. Defensively, they're displaying the same problems they've probably shown in their December slump. J.J. Redick and the Clippers are having their way and that's a scary thought since the Clippers are playing without Griffin or CP3. Luckily, the Lakers are only down 3. They have to continue to move the ball and strive for high percentage shots. Defensively, I don't know what to say. They need to have someone other than J.J. Redick to take a shot for the Clippers. The 2nd half open thread will open shortly.

Q1

LAC 31 LAL 27

Clippers playing without Chris Paul and Blake Griffin? This should be a lot less difficult. Not the case that first quarter. But, the Lakers are making a run as the quarter winded down. Of course, I see with my own eyes that the defense continues to be an issue. There's a reason why the Lakers have been slumping this month because they couldn't concentrate their energy on the defensive of the ball. The start was rough here as the Clippers offense were having their way. J.J. Redick was hot early to balloon the Clipper lead. Laker offense was a little stagnant midway through the quarter, but they've picked it up late to cut this deficit to four.

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. 

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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. 

Lakers Rally to Beat Rockets in Shootout On Opening Night

Welcome in to the full recap of the Lakers' first game of the season vs. the Houston Rockets where the young Lakers take over the 4th quarter behind Jordan Clarkson' 25 point explosion to beat the Rockets 114-120, reeling in the first win in the post-Kobe Bryant era.

We're going all the way baby! Okay, I'll pump the brakes on that. But, what a game. Not a great game if you're a defensive-minded guy, but like I said both these teams want to run the floor. And this game was exactly just that. The Lakers, as much as they've been down the whole game, they kept that win-mentality throughout the game. It goes to show that the young players took a page out of Kobe. But, that took a lot of will to rally in a shootout like that and even if there's 81 games left now, this win is a huge confidence booster as this team develops over the season.

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Jordan Clarkson, 25 points, 8-12 shooting. Whether he's starting or off the bench, we all know JC's a beast. He got off to a cold start this game, only managing 3 points on 1 field goal, but did he turn on the jets in the 2nd half. 22 points to account for the Lakers' 57 total points in that half. This guy continues to put the work in and I'm glad the Lakers brought him back.

D'Angelo Russell, 20 points, 7-16 shooting. The ice in the veins were there in the first quarter. Offensively, the Lakers could not get anything going to start the game. However, D'Lo asserted the fact that the Lakers are now his team and took over, making a couple of three pointers and drawing a 4-point play. He got cold in the 2nd half, but still made a couple of shots and key defensive plays. He had that one turnover late in the 4th that could've blow up the Lakers' victory plans, but he'll learn from in. Like I said, there'll be growing pains with D'Lo since he has control of the offense.

Timofey Mozgov, 12 points, 8 rebounds. For those criticizing the Mozgov addition, apologize right now!  Mozgov had quite a first half himself. He was shooting a near perfect percentage, before missing his last 4 shots. In addition with rebounds, Mozgov had a pretty solid outing and he's proving his worth on that $64 million deal.

Julius Randle, 18 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 9-11 shooting. We've been clamoring for Randle to go strong to the rim and pass to the open man when trapped. I don't think he committed a single turnover this game. I have to re-check the stats sheet on that. Going back to Randle, this man shows he can be a double-double machine and he stepped up his game as a facilitator tonight. This game is a step in the right direction in developing Randle into an all-around player.

(-)

Defense. Big time negative, but it can be cleaned up. Like I said, in the halftime post, if felt like the players were just jogging back and allowing the Rockets a lot of easy shots. We all know, James Harden will have his way, but most of the Laker players were either sleeping  or clamped down defensively this game. But, it was expected when facing a high-scoring team like the Rockets. The Lakers have emphasized on the defensive end all off-season and they have to make the necessary adjustments to communicate better and display more energy on that side of the floor.

Nick Young, 8 points, 3-12 shooting. I was impressed with Nick Young's valiant efforts on defense. I'll give him that. Offensively though, he stunk up the joint. I think this is some foreshadowing that Young is going to be a little inconsistent with his shot. Sometimes, he will live up to the Swaggy P nickname and sometimes he won't. Young had a poor shooting night and I wouldn't be surprised if we see a lot of these cold shooting nights.

MVP

Jordan Clarkson, 25 points, 8-12 shooting

Clarkson came off the bench and provided a much-needed spark to out-shoot the Rockets when it mattered the most. He's continuing to go out there and improve from his previous two years and we're glad he's back with the team.

Conclusion

Now we look at the big picture, there are now 81 games left. The Lakers get that 1st win and now it's just a matter of building up from that win. They're young and there'll be times where they won't perform up to standards. But, like I said before, the team took a big step tonight getting this victory. They needed this win to cast out the shadow of Kobe Bryant and make a name for themselves. There are a lot of things to clean up and it's important for this team to take it one game at a time. Continue to develop, build the confidence, and build that chemistry. But, as always, a win is a plus, going 1-0 is a bigger plus. The Lakers won't be home until November 4 when they take on the Warriors. They open up a 4-game road trip after this game and they open up against Utah on Friday. Just to remind everyone I won't be providing open threads and full recaps for all 82 games of the Lakers, I will only do that when the game is nationally televised. But, I will continue to provide quick recaps on who's the top performer, who's in double figures, who recorded double/triple-doubles, etc. Stay tuned for those. Other than that, I'll see you guys in November for the much-anticipated Warriors matchup.

10/25: Opening Night - LAKERS vs. Houston Rockets 2nd Half Open Thread and Discussion

The 2nd half of the Lakers-Rockets opening night matchup. As usual, leave a comment below the post to share your thoughts on the game.

Q4

HOU 114 LAL 120

How about we open up the post-Kobe era with a W? The young guns have made major strides tonight! What a rally in an offensive shootout. The Lakers trailed the majority of the game, but Jordan Clarkson got hot at the right time and was a key cog in that run. Defense was not great, but they did just enough to disrupt the Rockets' push to get the lead back. But, I'm happy for this team. I'm happy for Luke Walton. A great way to usher in the new Laker era. Stay tuned for the full recap.

Q3

HOU 96 LAL 90

I would say, there's some improvement defensively in the 3rd quarter, but there's still a lot of work to do. That was great on Luke's part to put MWP in to provide a spark defensively, but Harden is still killing it out there. As I said in the 1st half post, Nick Young and Jordan Clarkson have to step up. One of them is and Clarkson is answering the bell. Nick Young hit a three early, but he's still struggling. Luckily, the Lakers are down 6 points. They have to do more on both sides of the floor to rally and close this game out.

10/25: Opening Night - LAKERS vs. Houston Rockets 1st Half Open Thread and Discussion

Welcome in to the inaugural open thread and discussion of the NBA season for the Los Angeles Lakers on the blog as the Lakers take on the Houston Rockets on opening night. This will be separated into two posts with the respective posts the first half and second half. Leave some comments below this posts to share your thoughts on the game as it progresses. 

Q2

HOU 71 LAL 63

134 combined points from these teams. Well as expected from teams that like to run the floor. But, there is no question the Lakers have to do a much better job defensively. I'm going to quote Stephen A. Smith from what I just saw in the first half defensively: it was "HARRIBLE (horrible)!" The Lakers look like they're just jogging back on D. There's absolutely no energy on the defensive side of the ball. That's the only thing I could point out about this first half. Let's look at some positives then. We all need to write letters of apology to Timofey Mozgov. He's showing that he's worth the $64 million contract. 12 points, 6-8 shooting, 5 rebounds, the big man should continue to keep it up. D'Angelo Russell is starting to assert himself as the new face for the Lakers. He was on fire in the 1st quarter, hitting a couple of threes and nailing a 4-point play. So far, 12 points in the game for Russell. Randle looked good with 12 points and Ingram looked good in his first regular season action with 7 points off the bench. Some other negatives to point besides defense: Nick Young has to step up his game and so does Clarkson. Young especially is struggling with his shot and jacked up a couple of threes. Overall, the Lakers are good offensively, could be a lot better, but Luke Walton has to address something about that defense in the first half. Hopefully, there's some adjustments in the 2nd half. The 2nd half post will open up shortly.

Q1

HOU 38 LAL 38

Nice finish for the quarter with a three by Sweet Lou! My only gripe about this quarter is where is the energy on defense?  The Lakers got off to a slow start, but offensively they picked it up and D'Angelo Russell had one heck of a first quarter. I liked that. But, there's no defense being played by this team. They are giving up way to many shots for the Rockets and James Harden already has a double-double from what I heard. Offense is there, but the Lakers have to pick it up on where they've emphasize the most on this offseason, on defense!