LAKERS -at- TWOLVES - 3/1 - Thoughts and :-)) Ratings

[DancingBarry]

Bermuda Triangle... When you get two teams that defend the Triangle offense every day in practice, perhaps that's not the best recipe for a pretty offensive game.

Both the TWolves and Lakers failed to reach 40 percent shooting on the night.

Still, the Lakers are putting teams into the grinder. Tonight, it was the TWolves turn as L.A. held them to just 34 points in the second half of the Lakers 90-79 road win.

It's not too often you can shoot a poor 37.5 percent and still get the W.

"We did what it took," Phil said. "We weren't shooting the ball very well, so we had to get second shots and offensive rebounds. We're capable of doing that."

Phil said their halftime adjustments have been the reason for the recent lockdown second halves. They needed it tonight as Kobe and Pau had combined for just 7 points in the first half.

"You play good defense in any sport, it gives you a chance to win," Lamar said.

Their five-game win streak will now be on the line against their bizarro nemesis - the Charlotte Bobcats.

"They was talking crazy and everything," Shannon Brown said of the Bobcats recent win over them, "so it's going to be a good one."


Kobe -- -- It wasn't pretty, but when the Lakers can grind out games on the defensive side, they won't always need a pretty offensive game. Kobe was stone cold early on. When he finally warmed up a little, the Lakers started to turn things around. Wesley Johnson, who had 20 points, was going in the opposite direction. He scored with ease when no one could early on and was given space to do it. He cooled down as the game went on. Kobe scored 20 of his points in the second half. Given the way the reffing on the road has gone for Kobe, it wasn't a surprise that he didn't have any FTs until the 31st minute of the game. Phil has started to comment about some of these no-call games. With Kobe's tech situation, he'll need to be a little more vocal. The Stats: He scored 24 points on 8-18 shooting (1-4 from three, 7-8 from the line) to go with 4 boards, 3 assists, 3 turnovers and 2 fouls in 32 minutes. He was a +4. The Action: He missed a baseline jumper after pumpfaking a man into the air. He charged on a drive in the paint, no reason to do that when the man was set up forever there. He missed a long wing jumper. He missed a baseline jumper. He missed a wing three. He finally sank a face-up wing jumper after his fifth attempt. He found Fish open for a three. He missed an open sideline jumper. He sank a 17-footer straight away on a catch and shoot out of a timeout. He missed a step-back jumper in the paint on the next trip down. He had just 4 points on 2-8 shooting in the first half. Second Half: He lost the handle trying to create, turnover. He missed a wing three on the next possession. He hit Pau for the And-1 layup on the break. He was hit with no call on a drive, but scored anyway. He missed a chuck from three, points the other way. He missed a runner on the next possession. He lost his man with a cross-over, elevated and hit the wing jumper. His pass was picked off for a dunk the other way. He wasn't given continuation on an And-1 but got FTs for his first trip to the line with 5 minutes left in the third, he made just one. He caught the TWolves sleeping when we gained possession as a shotclock horn went off, he spun to lose the only defender in his path and slammed with both hands. He drained a pull-up wing jumper off the high screen. He drained a three behind a screen on his next touch. He faced up and then jump passed to Lamar under the hoop for a layup. He thought he was getting a whistle and missed a way off-balance fallaway. He drew FTs on a post-up, he made both. He sank a wing pull-up jumper on iso. He was smacked on the perimeter for more FTs, he made both. Intentional foul for more FTs, he made both.

Gasol -- -- The ball wasn't getting into the post nor were we really doing a great job of fighting for low position. Pau settled too often for perimeter jumpers throughout the game. Still, he got after it on the boards to help the Lakers overcome some of their shortcomings on the offensive end. That's how you still take advantage of your length when you aren't working the ball down low consistently. The Lakers were able to handle Love by keeping a body on him. Whether via switches or rotations or just fighting, their goal was to always stay with him. The Stats: He scored 12 points on 3-10 shooting (6-7 from the line) to go with 17 boards (5 offensive), 1 assist, 1 turnover and 3 fouls in 37 minutes. He was a +5. The Action: He was called for a foul when Love held his arm on a rebound. He missed a short jumper in the lane. He missed a long wing jumper. He sank a face-up elbow jumper. He created in the post and drew a whistle in the paint, he made one FT. Poor help challenge on Beasley. He biffed a point-blank tip in. He had just 3 points on 1-4 shooting, but 11 boards. Second Half: He grabbed the offensive board and drew FTs (wasn't getting any post entries), he made both. He made an And-1 reverse on the break and the FT. He bricked a bank shot badly. He settled for a long jumper and missed. He hit a turnaround from 14 feet with the shotclock low. He had 7 points and 5 boards in the third. He drew FTs on a swing-through move, he made both. He was swatted by Beasley on a soft layup attempt. He got tapped on a jumphook.

Bynum -- -- Drew established his presence early on both ends. He was challenging shots, anchoring the D on one end and going after offensive boards on the other. When he got the ball in the low post, he did a good job for the most part of powering up. The Lakers should have taken advantage of some of the mismatches he had, particularly with Anthony Randolph. Drew also vacated the post too much to set screens instead of getting after it down low. That could have been a sign of fatigue. The Stats: He scored 14 points on 5-10 shooting (4-4 from the line) to go with 7 boards (5 offensive), 2 assists, 2 blocks, 4 turnovers and 3 fouls in 28 minutes. He was a +2. The Action: He was stripped in the post, careless first possession. He rejected Love out of bounds on help D. He got two offensive boards on one trip down court, the second one he powered in for the Lakers first score. Some great challenges on Darko on several stands. He missed a lob at the front of the rim. He tipped in a Kobe miss from behind Love. He swatted Ridnour on help D. He missed a layup on the two-man game, got it back and drew FTs and made both. He forced Randolph into an airball. He sealed his man, took the corner entry and dunked. Finally another post touch, easy drop-step slam by Drew over Randolph. Weak moving screen call, turnover. He missed a jumphook in the paint. He faded away from the rim instead of powering up and missed a jumphook (Lamar cleaned it up). Too hard of a bump on Randolph trying to establish post position and he had to sit with 3 fouls midway through the second quarter. He had 10 points on 4-8 shooting and 4 boards. Second Half: He powered up on the low block and drew FTs, he made both. Simple ball, he sealed Randolph, took the corner entry and powered up for a dunk. Tired looking possession next time down not fighting for position, but he eventually got the ball and hit Shannon for three. He was mugged on a layup, stayed with it and eventually drew the foul, but no FTs.

Artest -- -- He hounded Beasley to just 6-18 shooting and 3 turnovers. Phil made sure the two matched up throughout the game to keep him in check. Beasley's 14 points were 5 under his average. Offensively, Ron struggled to hit from outside. He started out a little hesitant and never got on track. The only good thing he really was able to do on the offensive end was crash the glass. The Stats: He scored 6 points on 2-10 shooting (0-3 from three, 2-2 from the line) to go with 6 boards (3 offensive), 1 assist, 3 steals, 2 turnover and 2 fouls in 35 minutes. He had a +/- of 0. The Action: Hesitation with the shotclock and it led to a 3-second call. He missed a long wing jumper. He drew FTs on a quick post attack and made both. He got tapped on a wing jumper. He was stripped in the high post. He missed a layup, then picked Beasley's pocket from behind to get it back and score a layup (he wanted the And-1). He crashed the glass and scored a putback on Lamar's missed three. He missed an open sideline three. He missed another wide open three from the sideline. Second Half: He stripped Beasley to ignite a breakaway. He missed a forced sideline three with 10 on the shotclock. Dared to shoot, he missed an open three. He grabbed an offensive board, but then threw it away trying to get it to Pau.

Fisher -- -- Although, he didn't shoot efficiently, it wasn't a bad game from DFish. His second stints of each half seemed to be better than the first. He gave the team a lift in the first half with a couple of makes in a row when the team was struggling. In his fourth quarter stint, he also got a couple of stops and manufactured some FTs. None of the Minny PGs did much in this game. The Stats: He scored 9 points on 2-9 shooting (1-2 from three, 4-4 from the line) to go with 1 board, 1 steal and 3 fouls in 30 minutes. He was a +2. The Action: He missed a corner three. He missed a pull-up jumper straight away. He missed a sideline jumper. He was hit on a baseline jumper and drew FTs, he made both. He swished a wide open sideline three next time down to tie things up. He swished a pull-up, 18-footer from the left side on his next touch. Second Half: He choked a nice step-through move in the post (never seen him try that). He bricked a long wing jumper. He drew a moving pick call. He pushed out the break, got to the rim and bricked. Back in after a long rest and he manufactured FTs taking contact after faking a guard into the air, he made both. He stripped Ridnour from behind.

Lamar -- -- He led the team with a +15. The Laker front court dominated on the offensive glass (an 18-10 advantage). The second-chance opportunities were the difference in this one. Lamar did a good job cleaning up off some of those misses or keeping balls alive. His perimeter game wasn't quite on track (like everyone else), but they kept Love from weaking havoc inside and controlling the glass. Taking him out, the TWolves were left with just jumpers or transition points. The Stats: He scored 12 points on 5-12 shooting (0-2 from three, 2-2 from the line) to go with 11 boards (4 offensive), 2 assists, 1 turnover and 1 foul in 31 minutes. He was a +15. The Action: He missed a wing jumper. He attacked a lane and drew FTs, he made both. He tipped a Pau missed FT to Luke to regain a possession. He missed a layup on a drive left. He cleaned up a missed jumphook by Drew. He missed a wing three. He missed another standing on the three line. He missed a 16-footer left open. Second Half: Kobe found him with a jump pass for a layup. He missed a pull-up from the wing with the shotclock low. He spotted Shannon making a strong cut from the corner for a layup. He sank a 21-footer out of a timeout. He crashed the glass to grab Pau's rejected shot and put it back in. He attacked left on two long strides, stretched out and scored a layup. He missed a three.

Blake -- -- Solid minutes by the second unit tonight. Blake was relatively quiet, aside from his lone attempt from three. He is steady, however, which helps team to not take a step back. In fact, the second unit extended some leads tonight. Winning those first few minutes of the fourth set the tone for the final quarter. The Stats: He scored 3 points on 1-2 shooting (1-1 from there) to go with 2 boards, 1 assist, 1 turnover and 3 fouls in 18 minutes. He was a +9. The Action: He drained a sideline three on a kickout from Ron. He attacked the paint but threw it away (shoot that). He kicked out to Shannon for three. Second Half: He missed a two-for-one sideline pull-up jumper.

Brown -- -- He struggled to get into the flow at the start -- shooting when he should drive, driving when he should shoot and other mistakes -- but he got on track as the game went along. When he settles into the game, reacting to the D instead of trying to impose himself on it or making up his mind before hand about what he's going to do, then he's a better player. He can't do the Kobe thing, which is what seems to get him into trouble. He needs to settle into that off-ball role. The Stats: He scored 8 points on 3-7 shooting (2-3 from three) to go with 1 board, 2 steals, 1 turnover and no fouls in 16 minutes. He was a +7. The Action: He missed a wing jumper on the break, should have attacked. When he did attack next, he went right into a crowd and was blocked. He stalled the ball, then bricked from the corner. He was stripped from behind on the break (Blake was wide open, give it up). He gambled and lost, it led to a score. He drained a three on a kickout from Blake. Second Half: He sank a three off the kickout from Drew. Next possession, he cut from the weakside along the baseline, took the feed and scored a layup. He missed a three from the top of the arc. He swiped a horrible cross-court pass, pushed it up, but pulled it out to set up the offense.

Walton -- -- The Lakers worked the ball to Bynum off corner sequences twice in this game for dunks. Luke was the assist man on both of those. He tried to make sure the bigs got the ball and ran those plays well. They could do without the 3 turnovers in 13 minutes. A couple of those were when teammates tried to find him cutting off ball. He did a good job with the reads, but wasn't quite Barnes out there. Note to Phil: Free Ebanks for some quality minutes. The Stats: He scored 2 points on 1-2 shooting to go with 4 boards, 2 assists, 3 turnovers and no fouls in 13 minutes. He was a +11. The Action: He missed a baseline floater at the first quarter buzzer. He hit Bynum on the corner entry for a dunk. He was stripped in the paint, layup the other way. Second Half: He tapped out an offensive board to get an extra possession at the end of the third. He then hit an elbow jumper off the Pau kickout. He hit Drew for another dunk off the corner entry sequence. He tried to thread the needle to Bynum and it was picked off. He was out of bounds when Drew spotted him under the hoop for what should have been a layup.

Phil -- -- The Lakers didn't get their first score until more than 4 minutes in. Just an ugly start by both teams and a sign of things to come... The Lakers were 2-11, but kept the Wolves to 3-15 after 6 minutes... They trailed 15-10 with 3:17 left in the first when another timeout came. Phil went to Lamar for Bynum and Blake and Brown for the stone cold Kobe and Fisher. They tied it up a minute later... The Lakers trailed 21-18 after the first. Phil started a Bynum, Lamar, Luke, Brown, Blake unit... They were slower to get the ball in the post than they should have to take advatage of the Bynum/Randolph matchup. Got to abuse that... Phil brought in Artest to cover Beasley after 5 minutes of rest... A 7-0 run for the TWolves to break a 27-27 tie... Phil went to a the Pau, Lamar, Artest, Kobe, Fisher unit with Bynum in foul trouble... They tied it back up again behind some DFish/Artest scoring... They finally got their first lead of the game, 40-38 with 2 minutes left in the half on a jumper set up for Kobe out of a timeout... A minute later, they trailed by 5 again after another 7-0 Minny run... The Lakers trailed 45-40 at the half. The Lakers shot just 30 percent, but had a 22-4 advantage on second-chance points (13-5 on the offensive boards). The TWolves shot 46 percent. Kobe and Pau combined for just 7 points in the first half... Coaches told them to get the ball inside instead of flinging up jumpshots... They flung jumpshots and the bigs didn't fight for low position well to start the second half. They trailed by 4 midway through the quarter when the timeout came. (They went to the post out of the timeout)... They tied it up when Kobe finally started to score and the TWolves took a timeout... Phil went to Blake for Fisher and Luke for Artest... A 13-3 run for the Lakers to get their biggest lead of the game... The Lakers led 65-61 heading into the fourth... Phil started a Bynum, Lamar, Luke, Brown, Blake unit... They forced a timeout after pushing to a 9-point lead... The offense started to sputter and Phil called a timeout midway through the quarter. He made a wholesale change to go with Pau, Lamar, Artest, Kobe and Fisher. They were able to manufacture some FTs while warming back up... They cruised in the final few minutes to the win...

[hoopschick29]

First?
_________________
So glad we gave you your flowers while you were here, Kobe.

[OregonLakerGuy]

Thanks DB.

[TooMuchMajicBuss]

Thanks DB. Hard fought win and again it's good to see the Laker defense totally stifle a team in the second half. I'm hoping this is a preview of what the playoff Lakers will have to offer, at least defensively.

Here come the trash-talking Bobcats. Here's hoping we also see the return of Matt Barnes!! It's Pack Back Time!!!

[Freddie Buckets]

Great job as always, DB. Nice win tonight. Now let's beat Charlotte, I'm sick of losing to them.

[GoldenThroat]

They need to burn this game tape up and shoot the ashes into outerspace. Man, was that ugly.

[Arbitrary]

Thanks DB!

Let's keep on winning.

[limchrc]

thanks

[BigE32]

I've been very impressed with our second half D the past two road games. We've allowed a total of 65 points. That's all that needs to be said. Thanks as always, DB. I always enjoy reading your write-ups.

[prisma8slg]

Thanks DB.

ugly game, but a win's a win
_________________
"I define success by championships, by winning..." Kobe Bryant

"I've seen it all. Sasha dunked on somebody," Kobe Bryant said. "I'm ready to retire now."

[RVCdesigns]

Thanks DB.

[lakerfn4lfe]

Lately, it appears the second team is out playing the starters. They are running the triangle much better, and working at the inside/out game. When Shannon isn't trying to lead the team in three point attempts, and when Blake is actually looking to score and not just get an assist, they perform at their best. Also, Lamar played very aggresively and out played Kevin Love once again.

All in all, a very good game by our bench.
_________________
LeBron is going to get 48 minutes of Hell in next year's Finals. Artest-Barnes tag team.

[babyskyhook]

[Lakersneuron]

[Tanlentueux]