LAKERS -at- HEAT - 12/13 - Thoughts and :-)) Ratings

 
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PostPosted: Fri Dec 13, 2019 9:50 pm    Post subject: LAKERS -at- HEAT - 12/13 - Thoughts and :-)) Ratings

23-3 Midway Through December... Something had to give tonight. The Lakers streak of 12 straight wins on the road or the Miami Heat’s perfect 11-0 home record.

The Heat pulled out to a 14-point first half lead as the Lakers coughed the ball up again and again. It was a sloppy first half from the Lakers, and LeBron led the way with 7 turnovers in the half.

“I had to get on him tonight,” Davis said. “He was thinking too much and playing a little timid for me. I told him, ‘Man, we’re going to ride with you.’”

LeBron turned it on in the third quarter to help the Lakers turn a 10-point hole in that quarter to an 11-point lead - a 21-point turnaround.

The Heat weren’t going away. Confident they could come back and defend their home court, they kept the game close.

There were plenty of big plays by the Laker role players, but it was the superstars that imposed the Laker will on the Heat in crunch time. Anthony Davis came up with multiple big plays in the final couple of minutes on both ends (blocks, challenges, a big three, offensive board). It came down to the wire.

The Lakers could have iced the game from the line, but KCP couldn’t hit in the final seconds. Davis proved to be enough of a distraction on a Jimmy Butler three and L.A. held on to the tough 113-110 road win, giving Miami their first loss at home for the season.

The Lakers have some tough ones in December, but they’ve been passing the test so far.


LeBron -- -- The highs and lows for LeBron in this game were pretty extreme. He had 7 of the Lakers 11 first half turnovers. The stretch to start the second quarter was awful as he couldn’t do anything right. Then he started the second half with another turnover for a Heat dunk. (He’d finish the night with 12 assists and 8 turnovers...threatening a quadruple-double with those turnovers.) He was actually lucky not to have double-digit turnovers as he threw a pass to Green who was out of bounds and another late-game dribble off his heel that was nearly a turnover. Defensively in that first half he even had some lazy moments, looking tired and not hustling. He regrouped, though, after that initial minute to start the second half. He’d get into the paint and dunk a couple of times. He’d sink a three coming off a pindown on the weakside for an inbounds pass (we run this play a lot). He then executed some excellent passes off our stagger screen actions. He’d hit a three over the zone and then another to start the fourth. Whether he was tired in that first half or just not aggressive, he got after it in the second half. We were down by 10 after that first possession of the half, but we had it tied up 3 minutes later because LeBron was flat out balling. We don’t take this tough road game without him rallying like he did. Good job staying out of foul trouble, as well, as he picked up two in the first quarter and finished with two. The Stats: He scored 28 points on 11-22 shooting (4-8 from three, 2-4 from the line) to go with 9 boards, 12 assists, 1 steal, 8 turnovers and 2 fouls in 37 minutes. He was a +9.

Davis -- -- He tied a career high with four threes tonight in nine attempts. That’s a (bleep) ton of three shooting from AD. But he looked like a three shooter. They were calling his number on those on a number of set plays. He had 15 points, 5 boards and 2 blocks at the half and got on LeBron to get aggressive in the second half. Good to see him able to call out LBJ. This team is strong in leadership. Where his value has been sensational this season is in the final minutes. He seems to throttle up his energy and always seems to be in the mix on both ends. He had multiple plays where he altered or denied shots at the rim down the stretch. He even had to deal with Butler on that final possession defensively as LeBron went down on a collision. Combine that with some of the clutch plays on the offensive end. He hit a big three behind a screen with 1:40 left (that should have been an And-1). He also had an offensive board with 1:01 that he was fouled on for FTs. And, he and Green were in on the offensive glass on a KCP missed freethrow in the final seconds to help the Lakers regain a key possession. The highlight reel will have a number of AD plays on it tonight (that length-of-court pass from LeBron in the second quarter for the And-1? Or the play I will put as the key moment down below. His stamp was all over the close of this one. Once again. The Stats: He scored 33 points on 11-20 shooting (4-9 from three, 7-9 from the line) to go with 10 boards, 1 assist, 3 blocks, 1 turnover and 3 fouls in 38 minutes. He was a +11.

Green -- -- He didn’t protect the three line with 10 seconds left, backing up behind the three line to give up a look and the three. Good game defensively. He and Caruso largely had the Butler assignment and he didn’t do anything crazy (23 points on 9-20 shooting, going 0-5 from three). I suppose he made up for it a little with AD as they kept a KCP missed freethrow alive on the other end shortly later. He sank a couple threes tonight and was fouled another attempt. Is anyone else as nervous as I am any time he puts the ball on the floor and tries to create? (He was picked in the first half trying to do that and late in the game missed on the midrange.) Catch and shoot, don’t try to do too much. The Stats: He scored 9 points on 2-7 shooting (2-6 from three, 3-3 from the line) to go with 2 boards, 1 assist, 1 block, 2 turnovers and 1 foul in 27 minutes. He was a +2.

McGee -- -- Really strong game from McGee. Active start, he was battling on the glass, getting putbacks and even hit the floor to steal a pass. In the second half, he had back-to-back defensive stands where denied his man on iso, not biting on fakes, then blocking the shots. That third quarter was huge. He’d finish with 5 blocks in his 17 minutes (along with 10 boards). Hard to say he shouldn’t have returned in this game with how well he was playing. Having his energy back on the floor with AD and how hard he was going? That would have been tough to deal with, but Vogel is thinking if it’s not broke, don’t fix it. Just excellent energy from McGee tonight. The Stats: He scored 9 points on 4-5 shooting (1-3 from the line) to go with 10 boards (3 offensive), 1 assist, 1 steal, 5 blocks and 3 fouls in 17 minutes. He was a +11.

Caldwell-Pope -- -- Painful at the line in the final seconds. He made one, missed the second and thankfully we kept it alive to him and he was fouled again. But again, he split the freethrows when he could have iced it this time. Still, he had another big three with 4:45 from the corner in front of the Heat bench. I’ll take 15 points on 6-9 with 4 assists every night. Good overall game. He does well when he’s comfortable, knows the plays and doesn’t have to think too much. The Lakers run a series of stagger screen actions where KCP is the typical shooter coming from the corner off of those. They mix that up with a screen-the-screener variation where KCP splits the stagger screen and then sets a backscreen for a big. McGee came off that for an And-1 lob dunk (we’ve run this before). On the next variation of this shortly later, McGee set the screen on AD’s man and AD popped out for the wing three. They executed those to perfection in that third quarter run they had tonight and it helped them turn the game around. Good job on the offensive glass, he even had a putback score. Defensively, really nice on a challenge on Butler in the final minute to force a miss. The Stats: He scored 15 points on 6-9 shooting (1-3 from three, 2-4 from the line) to go with 3 offensive boards, 4 assists, 2 turnovers and 2 fouls in 30 minutes. He was a +5.

Bradley -- -- AB looked much more comfortable and in sync out there with the rest of the team tonight. He had the midrange jumper working. It seemed like he was feeling confident (one score he attacked, slammed on the brakes and hit the midrange step-back). He couldn’t sink a three, but anything around that 15 foot range was going down. He and KCP might be dueling for that starting spot. Bradley’s minutes were under 20 again as they are easing him back. Still, if we get a combined 25 from from Bradley and KCP like we did tonight, we’re good. The Stats: He scored 10 points on 5-9 shooting (0-3 form three) to go with 3 boards, 1 turnover and 3 fouls in 19 minutes. He was a -3.

Howard -- -- Good work on the offensive glass. The Lakers killed the Heat with a 14-5 advantage on the offensive boards. They needed those second chances and extra possessions because of the turnover situation (Lakers with 19 compared to 9 from the Heat). Dwight scored off a couple of putbacks. His hands sometimes have the occasional Kwami moment. Some of that tonight out there. Pretty big difference in the +/- between McGee and Dwight tonight. The Stats: He scored 4 points on 2-3 shooting to go with 8 boards (4 offensive), 2 turnovers and 3 fouls in 19 minutes. He was -9.

Caruso -- -- Not a great game from AC tonight. As mentioned, he and Green had the Butler assignment. Mixed result there from AC. He had some good challenges, but Butler was also able to get around him at times. Still, Caruso was a +6 on the night. AC’s only points were on an attack form the wing for a layup. He’d miss a three straight away, getting a little rushed on it. One of those rare games where Vogel kept Caruso’s minutes short. The Stats: He scored 2 points on 1-2 shooting (0-1 from three) to go with 1 board, 1 turnover and 1 foul in 11 minutes. He was a +6.

Rondo -- -- Oof. He was shooting blanks from three, left wide open in the first half. The Lakers went 3-14 from three in the half and Rondo had a bunch of good looks. I realized tonight I was expecting Rondo to hit those looks. He’s been that good all season and every three he put up I was expecting it to drop. Not tonight. The D contracted a bit as a result. In the fourth, he had a travel not wanting to take a three and trying to attack. Defensively, he’s in lineups right now with Caruso and Bradley for stretches, which should help on that end of the floor. Not sure how the chemistry will work out offensively. Rondo had some moments of his own defensively, though. He helped force a couple of turnovers to start the fourth quarter, blindsiding a man for one and then harassing his man into throwing a bad pass on the other. We need his minutes to help take the load off LeBron. LeBron was looking tired first half, but was able to finish strong. The Stats: He didn’t score on 0-5 shooting (0-4 from three) to go with 2 boards, 4 assists, 1 steal, 2 turnovers and 3 fouls in 25 minutes. He was a -10.

Dudley -- -- Some great moments from Dudley in the second half. He sank a big corner three early in the fourth when LeBron found him cross court after drawing attention. That was his only bucket. It’s a little sketchy when he’s attacking off the dribble. He got swatted once, but he also had a couple of nice plays off that. One was feeding it to Bradley on a dive for a runner. Another, Dudley missed the drive, but the dribble penetration allowed for an easy putback for Dwight. A few nice defensive plays from Dudley, as well. He had a great steal jumping a passing lane in the corner in the fourth. The Lakers were up 5 when he sat with 7 minutes left as AD returned. We were able to hold steady at that PF spot. The Stats: He scored 3 points on 1-5 shooting (1-3 from three) to go with 2 boards, 3 assists, 2 steals and 2 fouls in 17 minutes. He was a -7.

Vogel -- -- Key moment: Can you imagine passing up this coaching gig because it was a three year contract and not longer? You’ve got LeBron James and Anthony Davis! These guys will make you look good. Vogel certainly had some nice plays calls in the third that helped the team take the lead. He’s done an excellent job getting the team to play D and is now filling out the playbook. He’s getting the most out of a lot of role players this seaosn. We saw all of that tonight. But the key moment was just his superstars doing what they do. Late in the fourth, AD had a series of defensive plays, but there was a huge sequence where the Laker superpowers were just too much for the Heat. AD rotated over to deny dribble penetration, going up with both hands for the stuff. He hustled down court in transition, where we missed a transition three but LeBron tapped an offensive board to AD for the dunk and the roar. You could pick a few key moments in this game, but that was just the Lakers big guns getting it done.

Key Substitution: Strong game from Bradley tonight, but Dudley’s fourth quarter minutes at the PF spot while AD rested were critical. We extended the lead from 3 to 7 by the time AD returned for him. He’d hit a big three, come up with a big steal, force another turner, find LeBron for a three, and played his usual smart ball defensively. He didn’t have a strong first half, but he stepped up when the pressure was on. Dudley had come in when LeBron sat in the third. At that point, the Lakers starters had 72 of the teams 82 points. The wheels could have fallen off, but the bench was able to hold the line till LeBron returned.

Key Stats: The Lakers had 11 first half turnovers that the Heat turned into 18 points. Meanwhile, the Heat had just 3 turnovers that the Lakers scored just 2 points off of. They trailed by 8 at the half as a result. We started the second half with another turnover and dunk to trail by 10. How do you combat that? Win the battle on the glass. The Lakers owned the offensive glass on the night (14-5) and finished with a 50-34 advantage on the boards.
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drae
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PostPosted: Fri Dec 13, 2019 9:56 pm    Post subject:

First!

Great write up
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PostPosted: Fri Dec 13, 2019 11:11 pm    Post subject:

They looked hung-over to start (LeBron in particular was hard to watch), but when they started to turn in around you just knew they had this one in the bag. Shoudln't have been as close once they were up 8 with a 3 minutes to play, but this is one resillient Heat team. Another win on the road, let's keep it rolling, boys.

Go Lakers!
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PostPosted: Fri Dec 13, 2019 11:43 pm    Post subject:

Thanks DB!

Happy to see the Lakers escape with that win.
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lounger
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PostPosted: Sat Dec 14, 2019 12:07 am    Post subject:

Thanks, DB! It was a wild, gutsy win. I like this just for the fact that it tells them keep working hard and grind out the win.
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PostPosted: Sat Dec 14, 2019 12:16 am    Post subject:

Thanks, DB!
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PostPosted: Sat Dec 14, 2019 3:18 am    Post subject:

Thanks DB!

I will have to finish watching the game this morning. Lakers need to keep winning and improving.
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PostPosted: Sat Dec 14, 2019 3:49 am    Post subject:

Thanks DB.

There was a 3rd quarter defensive sequence whereas LBJ was guarding his man and he just pointed towards the baseline. Then Dwight moved to that area. LBJ didn't even look a 2nd time because he knew Dwight would be where he was supposed to be. That's trusting your teammates will have your back. Result: the Lakers got a critical stop while they were mounting their comeback.

I think Vogel's scheme is coach Thibbsesque and very much sustainable. This is a defensive team that has Bron and AD leading the offense in a way that is, dare I say, just like a modern day Shaq and Kobe.

Even when the 11-0 at home Heat went up 14, I was ticked, but have learned that this truly is a 2nd half team. Very refreshing to have a coaching staff make in game and especially halftime adjustments. Gives me confidence that it can figure teams out and put them in positions to succeed, say, in a 7-game playoff series.
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PostPosted: Sat Dec 14, 2019 5:18 am    Post subject:

THANKS DB !!
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PostPosted: Sat Dec 14, 2019 5:36 am    Post subject:

Team numbers

Points 113 (+3 Lakers)
FGs 43-87 +4 Lakers)
3pointers 12-37 (+2 Lakers)
Rebounds 50 (+17 Lakers)
Points in the Paint 50 (=)
Fastbreak points 13 (-1)
Assists 26 (+2 Lakers)
Turnovers 19 (+11 Lakers)

You look at those numbers even, it is evident that we did not play a very good game. High TOs. Could not dominate the paint match up. Rebounds were the one area where we killed the Heat.

This is a game where you can really see how good the Lakers are vs the rest of the contenders. Against a very good Heat team that has beaten Milwaukee at home, we played an average game and won.
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PostPosted: Sat Dec 14, 2019 5:43 am    Post subject:

Lebron played an awful first half. So did Dwight. The Lakers did not defend particularly well in the 1st either. They were pretty much out of it, only AD was looking dominant and McGee seemed to be imposing his size. Then 2nd half rolls in, and we switch the game around. Lebron plays very different, Lakers play more defense, get some fortune with Heat 3 pointer misses and when Dwight comes in for his 2nd shift of the game, the defense with Dwight/AD/Lebron was just Closed out the game not so great, thought Frank should have let Dwight/AD/Lebron close it out, they were really giving Miami so many problems in that 4th, on both ends.

When AD is hitting his 3s, IMO Frank should close with AD at the 4. McGee was also beasting in this one, and I thought when our bigs guy have that advantage you give McGee some more PT. I understand the advantages of having AD at the 5, especially on rotations to 3 point shooters and for our own offensive spacing. Dudley was a -7. On nights like this, I don't think it's a must that we play small wit the 2nd unit and go with a stretch 4 (be it Kuzma or Dudz).

Not being cocky or anything, but if Lebron plays a good 2 halves and Frank uses more size lineups, we beat this Miami team by 15 points.
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danzag
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PostPosted: Sat Dec 14, 2019 5:56 am    Post subject:

Thanks, DB!
It's good to see this team winning like this. They don't give up.
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PostPosted: Sat Dec 14, 2019 6:19 am    Post subject:

Thanks DB!
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PostPosted: Sat Dec 14, 2019 8:28 am    Post subject:

Maybe it’s just me, but I thought LeBron has looked more tired during and after the last couple games than I ever remember seeing him. I know how much we are relying on him so that is the reason, but I worry about him being that worn out. He seemed much more bouncing and lively (even after games) previous to the last couple games. Hopefully, he can get his second wind again soon (before the Bucks game).
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PostPosted: Sat Dec 14, 2019 9:42 am    Post subject:

We need a designated scorer off the bench. Lebron and AD are having to spend too much energy rallying back from the second unit. Reserves only scored 10 points in the first half. Kuzma was supposed to fill that role but it has not worked out yet.
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PostPosted: Sat Dec 14, 2019 10:00 am    Post subject:

Friday the 13th turned out to be unlucky for the Heat. Also for Nebraska who played my Hoosiers last night in Blooomington. Hah! I love it when my college and NBA teams both win on the same day.
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PostPosted: Sat Dec 14, 2019 10:07 am    Post subject:

wolfpaclaker wrote:
Lebron played an awful first half. So did Dwight. The Lakers did not defend particularly well in the 1st either. They were pretty much out of it, only AD was looking dominant and McGee seemed to be imposing his size. Then 2nd half rolls in, and we switch the game around. Lebron plays very different, Lakers play more defense, get some fortune with Heat 3 pointer misses and when Dwight comes in for his 2nd shift of the game, the defense with Dwight/AD/Lebron was just Closed out the game not so great, thought Frank should have let Dwight/AD/Lebron close it out, they were really giving Miami so many problems in that 4th, on both ends.

When AD is hitting his 3s, IMO Frank should close with AD at the 4. McGee was also beasting in this one, and I thought when our bigs guy have that advantage you give McGee some more PT. I understand the advantages of having AD at the 5, especially on rotations to 3 point shooters and for our own offensive spacing. Dudley was a -7. On nights like this, I don't think it's a must that we play small wit the 2nd unit and go with a stretch 4 (be it Kuzma or Dudz).

Not being (bleep) or anything, but if Lebron plays a good 2 halves and Frank uses more size lineups, we beat this Miami team by 15 points.



I would have gone back to McGee. Like you said AD was floor spacing, McGee’s length and energy was killing it. They killed it to start the half. They had another stint in them like that.
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PostPosted: Sat Dec 14, 2019 10:10 am    Post subject:

Startrout wrote:
Maybe it’s just me, but I thought LeBron has looked more tired during and after the last couple games than I ever remember seeing him. I know how much we are relying on him so that is the reason, but I worry about him being that worn out. He seemed much more bouncing and lively (even after games) previous to the last couple games. Hopefully, he can get his second wind again soon (before the Bucks game).


He looked tired to me. I think this is why Rondo got so many minutes despite not having his shot. Even late in the game we had Danny Green bring it up a couple of times for LeBron.
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PostPosted: Sat Dec 14, 2019 10:58 am    Post subject:

As far as LeBron's minutes, Vogel is definitely watching them. He's rarely played more than 38. I think if it's a close one and lebron is already at 38,Vogel might decide to rest him and risk throwing the game. It's a marathon, not a sprint. Dantoni would have run him into the ground by now.

But yeah, Danny has to get his ish together. We need more scoring from him! Same with kuz. Get it together man!

We need one more scorer. Like wade coming out of retirement... A 6 year younger Crawford. Oh yeah, and iggy 😉

Kudos for trusting Dwight... But Melo sounds pretty good coming off the bench right now.
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PostPosted: Sat Dec 14, 2019 11:20 pm    Post subject:

Was travelling this week, thank you for the amazing recaps.

I figured the Heat circled this one on their calendar and I was not gonna be surprised if they won. The last time they played the Lakers really run rough shod over them for most of the game. This time they really played a high level of basketball for most of the game vs the Lakers...its just the Lakers have shown an ability to hit an extra gear for spurts that make a difference.

What I found pretty compelling is the Heat lost a strongly contested fight vs the Lakers and now went on a back to back (where they have lost every game so far this year) vs the Mavericks...and won. In that game they jumped out to a 23 point half-time lead (but had to win in OT). I believe part of the reason they jumped out to such a big lead was having played vs a high level basketball team (the Lakers), the Heat were just in a different zone for alot of the game allowing them to take a big lead initially.

Lakers now have at least a 5 game edge in loss column vs every Western Conference team. LBJ may not play vs the Hawks, tho, so loss #4 may come. Doesnt matter, would rather LBJ get the rest if he needs it.
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