LAKERS -at- KINGS - 11/3 - Thoughts and :-)) Ratings

[DancingBarry]

37,493... Not Kareem, not Jerry West, Elgin, Magic nor Worthy. No one has spent more minutes in the golden armor of the Los Angeles Lakers than Kobe Bryant.

With his 37,493rd minute in the purple and gold, Kobe passed Kareem for the all-time franchise record for minutes played. The only jersey in the rafters right now with more time as a Laker is Chick Hearn. (No one is going to beat Chicky!)

Some day, Kobe's jersey will hang up there with the other greats. Until then, enjoy the show.

Kobe surpassed Cap's mark in terrific form -- 30 points, 12 assists and 10 boards -- an artist at work in the 112-100 victory over the Sacramento Kings.

"His shot's on, he's got leg strength," Phil Jackson said. "I still want to see him run freely. But he played a great game."

The Lakers were clicking offensively to start, but couldn't get a stop. In the second quarter, both teams went on dry spells. The Kings slump lasted longer (0-16 during one stretch) and the Lakers pulled ahead by 9 at the half. They wouldn't relinquish the lead.

They took command with an 18-4 run in the third. But the Kings wouldn't go away. They chipped at the lead. The Lakers sputtered in the fourth quarter until DFish took over.

"You just gotta do whatever you gotta do to get the win," Fisher said. He manufactured some freethrows, hit a corner three and stole the ball for an And-1 layup. That broke the Kings back.

The Lakers continue to have their way with the Kings, winning 8 of their last 9 in Sacramento, and 13 of 15 overall.

Asked what the emphasis was for the team after going 5-0, DFish said, "Defense, defense, defense."


Kobe -- -- Two minutes in and he became the Lakers all-time franchise leader in minutes played. Brilliant game from Kobe. He set the table for his teammates and scored with perfect harmony. When you have as many weapons as he does these days, that balance is a whole lot easier to find. Kobe was seeing the court beautifully tonight. He was in the flow, anticipating where teammates would be, moving opponents where he wanted them and orchestrating the offense like a maestro. The Lakers hit a hitch in the flow in the fourth when they started to play iso ball too much with their stars. The triple-double was Kobe's 17th of his career. "I think he's playing better than I thought he could possibly play this time of the year," Jackson said. The Stats: He scored 30 points on 9-22 shooting (3-6 from three, 9-10 from the line) to go with 10 boards, 12 assists, 1 steal, 1 turnover and 2 fouls in 36 minutes. He was a +23. The Action: He drained a face-up three from the sideline to start the Laker scoring. He missed a three from the wing. Could have had a short jumper, but made the extra pass in the interior to Pau for the layup. He drained a wing three with the shotclock buzzer going off. He kicked to Fish for the open three. He couldn't finish a reverse. He found Pau weakside for an alley oop. He poked a ball loose on one end and tipped it in on the other. He drew a double team and found Blake wide open for the three. He no-looked in transition and hit Barnes for the reverse. Quick attack and he drew FTs, he made both. He got tapped on a runner. He had 10 points on 3-6 shooting, 6 assists and 4 boards in the first quarter. Back in and he swished an And-1 wing three, he made the FT. He missed a wing three. He was handchecked a couple times by Evans until finally drawing a whistle on a reach, he made one FT. He hit Lamar on the high-post, back-screen lob for a dunk. He fumbled the give-and-go, got it back and hooked over a bigger man. He slammed off a weakside backdoor lob pass from Barnes. He worked Evans over, pounding the dribble before finally drawing FTs on the turnaround, he made both. Sweet, full-court outlet to Barnes off a rebound, just over a Kings defender and Barnes scored at the halftime buzzer. He had 21 points on 6-10 shooting, 8 assists and 6 boards at the half. Second Half: He missed a short, running baseline fade that he usually hits. He missed a jumper from the top of the arc. He hit Artest trailing the break for a layup. He ball-faked then kicked out to Lamar for the wing three. He probed, saw the help vacate the lane and attacked for FTs, he made both. He got tapped off a hesitation dribble and drive to the rim. Next time down he banked in a layup after stepping on the gas. Pretty, underhanded scoop pass to Pau, who was fouled on a near And-1. He couldn't finish off the glass after freeing himself on the behind-the-back dribble. Magic-like no-looker to Lamar on the break for the slam. He attacked and kicked to Ron for three. He had 4 points on 1-5 shooting, 4 assists and 3 boards in the third. He posted up a smaller man and banked easily. He missed a flat-footed jumper trying to shoot over Head. He airballed next time down in the post and wanted the foul. He lost the ball on a tough post entry, but was fouled during the scramble and things got a little chippy. He missed a long post fallaway out of a timeout (poor shot). He missed another turnaround closer in on the baseline trying to take advantage of Head. He pump-faked Head into the air and hit an And-1 wing jumper on him, he made the FT. He ran clock and missed a three.

Gasol -- -- Pau has been looking like the team MVP while Kobe has been getting back to health. Tonight, the one-two punch looked a little more like their familiar roles. Kobe was the engine from the perimeter, Pau the post. Pau even saw some brief minutes at the PF again with Ratliff on the floor. Nothing came real easy for Pau, except when Laker passing would expose the Kings defense. The two struggled at times in the fourth trying to take advantage of their men on iso. Defensively, the Lakers didn't control the boards and size advantage like they usually do. They also has some occasional issues trying to anchor the D and control the interior. Despite their problems, they were talking and communicating on where they needed to be. Their focus on improvement is in the right area. The Stats: He scored 22 points on 7-15 shooting (8-10 from the line) to go with 11 boards, 2 assists, 2 blocks, 1 turnover and 4 fouls. He was a +13. The Action: Off with the lefty hook on his first attempt. He scored a layup when Kobe fed him on the interior. He faced up and swished a wing jumper. He blew past Cousins and finger rolled in a layup. He dunked off the oop pass from Kobe. He missed a wing jumper. He spun baseline and drew FTs, he missed both. He tried drawing a foul, but airballed the jumper with no call. He sealed Cousins, took the post entry off the corner sequence and scored the easy layup. He swatted Cousins twice on a battle in the paint. Working the two-man with Kobe, Pau hit Lamar under the hoop for a layup. He drew a charge on Cousins in the post. He drew FTs working the two-man game with Kobe, he made both. He had 12 points on 5-8 shooting and 6 boards. Second Half: He swished a short jumper off the Lamar pass across the lane. His jumphook was winged. He couldn't finish a near And-1 layup off the sweet Kobe scoop pass, he made both FTs. He missed a tough off-balance jumphook. He drew FTs attacking across the lane, he made both. He had 6 points on 1-3 shooting and no boards in the third. He missed a wing pull-up jumper. He attacked Dalembert on iso for a score. He was blocked next time down. He let Head power up and score a layup (swat that, Pau). He missed a lefty jumphook. He drew FTs on the perimeter, he made both.

Lamar -- -- Midway through the third, Lamar tweaked the wrapped thumb on his left hand. He bent over in pain and the Lakers called a timeout. With Bynum out and with how well Lamar has been balling, the whole of Laker fans held their collective breath. The team is leaning heavily on Lamar in the first several weeks of the season and he has been delivering. After a timeout, Lamar had a smile on his face and all was good in Laker land once again. He then hit a sick, between-the-legs, step-back three in front of the Kings bench. They had been barking back and forth all game. Lamar stuck the nasty three and had the last words in that conversation. The Stats: He scored 18 points on 8-12 shooting (2-2 from three) to go with 8 boards, 2 assists, 1 block, 1 turnover and 4 fouls in 35 minutes. He was a +12. The Action: He finished a lob from Ron, left wide open. He cut weak to strong, took contact and banked with no call. Poor recovery and his bad angle on D gave up a layup. Poor pass on the perimeter, easily picked off. He missed a pull-up jumper. He pushed out the break and scored the layup at high speed. He scored a layup off the Kobe/Pau two-man game. He slammed down a back-screen lob pass from Kobe out of a timeout. He had 10 points on 5-7 shooting and 3 boards. Second Half: He drained a wing three on a Kobe kickout. He roofed Landry without leaving the ground, he then won the jumpball. He threw down while filling the lane next to Kobe on the break. He missed a drive out of a timeout called when he banged his thumb. He missed a jumper. He drained a step-back three going between his legs on the dribble (thumb looks fine, he also told the Kings bench to quiet down). He had 8 points on 3-5 shooting and 5 boards in the third.

Artest -- -- We highlighted Ron's poor shooting to start the season in the last game. He began to improve on that in this game, sinking 3-4 from three and providing some nice production in limited minutes. When he's squaring up, he's look good. When he's off balance, he's not hitting much anything. He had a few easy scores around the rim. He needs a few more of those. He started defensively on Tyreke and covered all game. He did a good job in the first quarter, but picked up 2 fouls on the offensive end and had to sit. Evans struggled with foul trouble all game, too, but Ron did a pretty good job keeping him out of rhythm. Not a clean game defensively, but solid enough in a tough match up for our power SF. The Stats: He scored 17 points on 7-11 shooting (3-4 from three) to go with 1 board, 4 assists, 2 steals, 1 turnover and 4 fouls in 25 minutes. He was a +18. The Action: He hit LO who was wide open for a lob. He drained an open sideline three. He sealed, his man gambled, lost and Ron scored the layup. He missed a layup in transition, should have been a foul. He was called for two offensive fouls, one while getting a board, the other trying to seal his man. He and Fish hit the floor for a loose ball and Ron tied up Cousins. He picked up his third foul on a reach on Landry that gave up FTs, he had to sit with 4 minutes left. Second Half: He worked the post and scored a layup around his man. He reached to poke the ball from Evans, then scored a layup on the break with Kobe. He missed a wing three, fading slightly. He drained a wing three behind a screen, squaring up nicely on this one. He missed an off-balance elbow jumper next time down. He drained a sideline three off the Kobe kickout. He missed another off-balance wing jumper. Great reach to poke a ball from Evans, who then fouled Blake (fifth foul). He had 10 points in the third. He gave up an And-1 to Evans (Lakers protecting the three line as a team, but Ron shouldn't have been so tight on Evans with no one behind him). He swished a step-back, fallaway from the wing.

Fisher -- -- We mentioned that Fisher hasn't had to log much fourth-quarter time this season. When asked to return in this game, he answered the call. A huge fourth quarter for DFish after the Lakers were sputtering offensively. He drew a couple FTs on the break, hit a corner three, then stole the ball and scored an And-1 layup. That series of scores in crunch time was the dagger that killed the opponent. He led the team down the stretch and also ended up leading them with a +27. The Stats: He scored 11 points on 3-5 shooting (2-3 from three, 3-5 from the line) to go with 4 boards, 2 assists, 1 steal and 3 fouls in 31 minutes. The Action: He swished an open sideline three. He bricked a runner badly. Nice hustle to dive for a loose ball, then he also regained the jumpball after it was tipped to a King. He got drilled in the nose after stripping a big under the paint, he made one FT. Second Half: He grabbed a rebound and bulldogged his way to FTs on a one-man break, he made just one, got it back and missed quick three. He drained a corner three next time down with 3:35 left. On the other end, he picked Landry clean, pushed it up and scored the And-1 layup with his right hand, he made the FT. He deflected a pass out of bounds to help get a stop on a great rotation.

Blake -- -- Both Blake and Brown didn't bring their usual spark to the game. Blake was able to score, but the second units didn't have the smoothness to their game that we have seen. Still with all the talent Phil has at his disposal, the team seems to be able to reshuffle the deck and hold the line. Phil sat Blake and brought in Fish for his first real close of the season in the fourth. Wished we could have seen a little more of Blake working the screen-roll with his bigs in this one. "I'm not happy that our bench didn't get involved in the game the way I wanted," Jackson said. "We had some slippage in terms of the types of shots we were getting." The Stats: He scored 5 points on 1-5 shooting (1-4 from three, 2-2 from the line) to go with 1 turnover and 1 foul in 12 minutes. He was a -14. The Action: He swished a wide open three when Kobe drew the double. He missed a long three trying to beat the shotclock. He missed a baseline jumper. Second Half: He scooped up a loose ball and was hit by Evans for a FTs, he made both. He missed a corner three. He missed a three from the top of the arc.

Barnes -- -- Twice in the first half, Artest had picked up fouls and had to sit for Barnes. It's good to see Phil can go to a backup SF without hesitation. The two combined for 26 points, 7 boards and 6 assists. Strong production from what used to be one of our weaker positions offensively. Barnes seemed to be a hair off or not quite where the ball would bounce in this game. He did have some very good triangle sequences, however. Both he and Artest had to cover Tyreke during stretches of the game. Kobe seems to be getting closer to himself defensively by the game. The Stats: He scored 9 points on 4-9 shooting (0-1 from three, 1-1 from the line) to go with 6 boards, 2 assists, 1 turnover and 2 fouls in 24 minutes. He was a -8. The Action: He missed a wing three. He reversed on the break when Kobe found him. He was stripped, got it back and scooped in an And-1 layup in crowd, he made the FT. He couldn't finish a layup on the break, didn't hit rim. Perfect lob to Kobe who cut weakside for the dunk. He missed a baseline jumper. Great job finishing a long outlet that was just out of the reach of a King and Barnes scored a layup at the buzzer. Second Half: He kept an offensive board alive and it led to Pau FTs shortly later. He was swatted after pulling down a board and trying to go back up. He flashed quickly to the post, took the pass and hit over his man without hesitation. He took a pass, drew contact with no call, then picked up a frustration foul (Phil sat him as Evans entered and he wanted to match up Artest). He wasn't ready for a Kobe pass and it went out of bounds.

Brown -- -- He entered the game in the second quarter and quickly picked up a couple of fouls and sat. That lack of action may have had him cold by the time the next stint came along. This was the first real non-impact game he's had this season. He didn't have much free space to work and the Lakers didn't orchestrate their offense as smoothly as they had been. On the road, it can be tough for young bench players. That's where consistency is the hardest to find. The Stats: He didn't score on 0-3 shooting (0-1 from three) and had 2 boards and 2 fouls in 10 minutes. He was a -12. The Action: He was whistled for a couple fouls and sat after 2 minutes. Second Half: He was blocked out of bounds trying to drive past Dalembert. He missed a wing jumper. He missed a long wing jumper with the shotclock low.

Ratliff -- -- He saw some time across Pau and that combo looked somewhat uncomfortable. He had little impact in this game other than just a warm body. No blocks or too many strong challenges. Phil staggered the minutes a little better so that the team kept Lamar or Pau out there with him. The Stats: He didn't shoot or score, had 1 board and no fouls in 6 minutes. He was a -5. The Action: Nothing to report. Second Half: Nothing to report.

Caracter -- -- He came in for Lamar at the end of the half at the PF spot for a minute. Not a lot of time to do much then, but he blocked a shot. I wouldn't have minded seeing him spend a little time against Cousins. He played him well in the summer. The Stats: He had 1 block in 1 minute. He was a +2. The Action: He saved a hoop with a block from behind on a bigman. Second Half: Nothing to report.

Ebanks -- -- He started the second quarter across Barnes as our SF/PF combo. He missed a couple of shots and sat after 2 minutes. Not much action for him in this one. The Stats: He didn't score on 0-2 shooting. He was a -2. The Action: He missed a 14-footer straight away. He attacked baseline, hung, but couldn't finish the layup. Second Half: He did not play in the second half.

Phil -- -- Quick timeout for the Kings as the Lakers went up 10-3... The Lakers were up by 4 when Phil when to Ratliff, Lamar, Barnes, Kobe, Blake. The Lakers trailed a few seconds later... The Lakers led 35-33 after the first. The Lakers made 14-21 shots, the Kings 14-24... Phil started a Pau, EBanks, Barnes, Brown, Blake unit... He sat Ebanks at the 9:37 mark for Lamar... The Lakers were outscored 10-3 after 4 minutes and they were in the penalty early... Phil went to the starters with Barnes instead of Artest... With a couple of backdoor lobs out of a timeout, the Lakers stretched out to a 7-point lead when the Kings went 0-16... The Lakers led 62-53 at the half. The Lakers shot 56 percent (23-41, 6-10 from three) with 16 assists. The Kings shot 41 percent (20-49), but they had 9 offensive boards. Lakers had just 3 offensive boards... Coaches liked the Laker offense, but didn't like giving up as many points around the rim... They stretched out to a 20-point lead... Up 15, Phil sat Kobe and Fish for Blake and Brown with 3 minutes left. He brought in Barnes for Artest, then Ratliff for Pau shortly later... The lead got trimmed down further until a Lamar three... The Lakers led 92-78 heading into the fourth... Phil started a Ratliff, Pau, Barnes, Brown, Blake unit in the fourth.. The lead was trimmed to 10 after 3 minutes. Phil brought back in Kobe and Lamar for Brown and Ratliff... He sat Blake for Fish midway through the fourth, up by 10. The Lakers had just 6 points after 6 minutes. Too much iso ball... DFish sparked the team back to life with a series of scores and the Lakers took a 13-point lead with 3:14 left... The Lakers won the first three quarters, but lost the last one 22-20. They'll take the W... The shot 11-21 from three, looking very good beyond the arc the past few games... They had 24 assists, good number, but just 8 in the second half...

[dino]

1st!

[dino]

missed the game, looking forward to this the whole afternoon (manila time)...

thanks db...

[dmlakerfan01]

Kobe pretty much (bleep) around & got a triple double .

[circlefong]

Thanks DB.

I like to see how Steve will manage his 3s. Of course, as far as the starters are happy their 3 bombs everywhere, Steve can save it for the other games.

[lounger]

Another good all around performance by Kobe. Pau was great but he did have some difficulties today.

DB, Fish did well to close the game but what are your thoughts if Phil left Blake instead?

As always, thanks!

[prisma8slg]

thanks DB.

I missed the first quarter because of the earlier game...I didn't realize Kobe became the franchise leader in minutes played.
_________________
"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."

[Dr. Laker]

Thanks, DB!
_________________
On Lakersground, a concern troll is someone who is a fan of another team, but pretends to be a Lakers fan with "concerns".

[RCS926]

Thanks DB.

- Great games from all our starters.

- The histrionics from Cousins and Garcia really annoyed. Like Stu said, act like you've made a basket before.

- Good to see Ron with a bounce-back game.

- Shannon looked a bit frustrated out there last night. He didn't chuck up a lot of shots, but there were a couple of times where he ignored teammates in the post and opted for ill-advised lefty drives.

- It was good to see our team respond to the challenge against a team that was looking to make a name for itself with a signature win. The bench didn't play that well, but it was great to see that the work they put in the previous night allowed the starters to dominate last night.

[RVCdesigns]

Thanks DB. Gasol was great as always, Lamar will make the all-star team and Kobe now looks like he is the 2011 MVP.

[Klone_dd]

Funny that it's the bench that faltered in playing a back-to-back. Maybe that's a result of them logging in so many minutes in the first game blowout.

Kobe @ 100% = a scary, scary man. He could've had his 3x2 by mid-3Q. In this game, he showed more Magic than MJ. Total floor game and complete control (although I agree, a little too much iso in the 4th.)

LO's 8/12 means he shot better than his unbelievable 71% FGs in the other 4 games.

DFish should just play the last 6 minutes of a game. I'd be curious to see his 4thQ stats over a season. It's uncanny how many big plays he makes in crunch time.

Wasn't Luther Head, at one time, known as an outside shooter? Ugliest shot I've seen in a while.

[DancingBarry]

[DancingBarry]

[Laker's Fan]

Phil is going to have the task of making sure the bench players know their roles and stay ready if he's going to play musical chairs, especially with the guards. Trying to accomodate regular minutes for 5 guards is tough and he won't be able to steal too many minutes from SF with Artest and Barnes already filling that role. What we didn't see from Blake last night was his taking over the 2nd unit and being the brain for them. That can only happen with steady minutes in the rotation for him and the players around him.

Bryant, Fisher and Blake should eat up 75-80mpg. That leaves around 20mpg for Brown, Sasha & potentially Ebanks. In the early going Phil has tried to get Ebanks some minutes at PF which is a stretch. You heard him say he cut Blake's minutes to get Sasha in a game. Brown has been playing well but what happens when he slumps and sees his minutes shorten? He'll begin to press which isn't good. Alternatively what happens when one of the other guards is stuck to the pine while Jackson gives rope to Brown (the better strategy imo but still with it's problems). Sasha is in a contract year and Ebanks doesn't seem content throwing away a year (which is great). It's a nice problem to have but a problem none the less.
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Austin Reaves keeps his game tight, like Kobe Bryant on game night.

[GoldenThroat]

[LakerEric]

Great win!!
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Do you believe it now, Trinity? - Morpheous

[LakerLanny]

[Texas_Pete]

Thanks DB.

The bench hit a bump in the road last night. It happens. Kobe looks like an MVP. Glad to see him gaining some strength in his knee. Jumper looks silky smooth.

LO is out there killing it. I think he is leading the league in FG% too.

I hope that Blake can continue to keep Fisher's minutes low all year. Fish came into the 4th qtr fresh and does what he normally does: hit big shots.

Bynum is on his way back. This is a scary thought for the rest of the league.

Can we fast forward to June already?

[ThreePointBomber]

Wheres the Vujacic rating?
_________________
The most important shot in basketball.

[DancingBarry]

[lounger]