Posted: Mon Feb 11, 2008 11:22 pm Post subject: LAKERS -at- BOBCATS -- 2/11 -- Thoughts and :-)) ratings
Almost Home... This is the kind of game we lose in the past couple of years. Just one of those nights where we don't bury the other team and it comes back to haunt you. Having Gasol out there changes the outcome.
Instead of struggling for every offensive possession, we're getting good looks and easy shots. Both Kobe and Pau had efficient scoring nights with 31 and 26 points, respectively. The two shot 64 percent while the rest of the team hit 40 percent of their makes.
We struggled to knock out the Bobcats, but the role players came up with some big plays down the stretch to secure the game and take the 106-97 win. No triple overtime loss in Charlotte this year, and the Lakers are almost done with their lengthy road trip.
"We're excited about how far we can take this thing weeks from now when (Gasol) becomes comfortable," Fisher said. Pau sure looks like he's been playing on this team all year.
Kobe -- -- The one-two punch continued to shine tonight. Kobe and Pau both had ultra efficient starts to the game. The two combined for 57 points on 28 shots. The team can really take advantage of Kobe and Gasol drawing fouls. They shot 34 FTs in the game, twice as many as the Bobcats. Kobe's got to appreciate someone else earning a dozen trips to the line. It also seems like the extra scoring punch Kobe has in Gasol is allowing him to crank up the D a little more. Let's see how that develops. The Stats: He scored 31 points on 9-17 shooting (4-7 from three, 9-9 from the line) to go with 5 assits, 2 boards, 4 steals, 2 blocks, 4 turnovers and 3 fouls in 41 minutes. The Action: He ran a little weave two-man sequence (looked kind of like a hockey play) with Gasol in transition and bounced to Pau for the dunk. He collapsed the D, kicked to Lamar who hit Gasol for the open jumper. He swished an open three. He threw a pass away trying to get it to Gasol. He drew a double and hit LO cutting for a layup. He threw a bounce pass away in transition. He drew an illegal D and hit the tech FT. He sank a wing three given room. He swished a two-for-one three from the other side of the court. He was 3-3 for 10 points with 3 assists after the first. He blocked a jumper and saved it back in bounds. He swished a baseline jumper off the Gasol pitch out. He dribbled a ball off his foot in transition. He split a double team and drew a foul with 1 on the shotclock, he made both FTs. He took the quick drop pass from Gasol and threw down with both hands. He missed a deep three trying to beat the shotclock, but Gasol cleaned it up (that was Kobe's first miss with 1:23 left in the half). He swiped the ball from Nazr at the top of the key and was fouled, he made both FTs. He missed a heave at the buzzer. He scored 18 points on 5-7 shooting to go with 4 steals in the first half. He worked the two-man game with Gasol and it led to two FTs for Pau. He airballed a three. He missed a reverse. He drew the foul on a swing through move, he made both FTs. He missed a bank. He worked weak to strong, got the pass and banked. He hit a frozen rope 19-footer trying to draw the And-1 foul. He had 24 points on 7-12 shooting after three quarters. He hit Sasha on a kickout for three. He hit a three with a man all over him. He missed a line-drive jumper. He attacked the lane and hit the runner taking some contact. He missed a pull-up jumper on the wing. He earned a couple FTs on the perimeter and made both.
Gasol -- -- He was battling a cold and even a small cut that wouldn't stop bleeding...not to mention whatever back issues may still be there. "Some days I feel a little better, some days I feel a little worse," Gasol said. None of that mattered. He played another one of those efficient and deadly effective offensive games. He was the driving force offensively to start each of the halves. Defensively, he's giving us just enough of an anchor to survive well...but we do miss the intimidation and size of Bynum back there. The Bobcats had enough speed at guard and size in the paint to give us some issues. The Stats: He scored 26 points on 9-11 shooting (8-12 from the line) to go with 6 boards (3 offensive), 6 assists, 2 blocks, 1 turnover and 2 fouls in 34 minutes. The Action: He pitched out to Vlad for an open jumper on the first possession. He dunked off the pass from Kobe in transition after Pau set a screen. He blocked JRich on the next D sequence, busted out and took the outlet for another dunk. He swished a short baseline jumper on a pass from Vlad. He sank a wide open baseline jumper on the other side of the floor on the next possession as Kobe collapsed the D. He sank a quick elbow jumper on his next touch. He had 10 of the Lakers first 12 before the Cats called timeout. He then took the lob from Fish and got a goaltend call on the next Laker score. He hit Kobe for the open catch-and-shoot three. He drew a double and hit Lamar cutting for the throwdown. Great first quarter with 12 points on 6-6 shooting and 3 assists. He pitched it out to Kobe for an easy jumper off the pinch post. Great timing on the quick backdoor dump pass to Kobe as he cut off Gasol and Kobe threw down. He took an offensive board off a Kobe miss and drew FTs, he made both. He took the high entry cutting with Kobe, missed (his first miss of the half with 35 seconds left), got it back and drew FTs, he made both. He had 16 points on 6-7 shooting and 5 assists in the first half. He drained the 8-footer on the two-man with Fish. He drew FTs after Kobe was doubled and threw it up to the rim to Pau, he made both. He drew FTs again working the two-man game with Kobe, he made one. He dunked off an interior feed from LO. He upfaked and attacked off the dribble and drew more FTs, he made one. He roofed Felton to get a stop. He was fouled pulling down a defensive board, he missed both FTs. He got caught in the air trying to pass off an attack and traveled. He had 24 points on 8-9 shooting after three. After a lengthy rest, excellent effort to slap back out a missed three and get us another possession with 4:40 left. He pointed to the sky, took a couple big strides and finished a lob from Lamar with 40 seconds left for his first score of the fourth.
Odom -- -- He is loving all the attention that Gasol and Kobe get, but he has to continually take advantage of it. He had a few sequences early on where he worked off their doubles for easy scores. Then, Lamar went into the Invisible Man role for extended time. He can't afford to sit out at three when they draw attention, he did that at times tonight. He needs to keep moving, and the other players need to watch his vacated perimeter spot when he leaves to do that. The 0 freethrow attempts from the line, show the lack of attack from LO. He started against Nazr defensively and had trouble with his size like most Lakers tonight. Late in the game, Lamar came up with some big plays on both ends. The Stats: He scored 8 points on 4-6 shooting, pulled down 10 boards, dished 5 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 2 turnovers and 4 fouls in 32 minutes. The Action: He grabbed the blocked shot by Pau, pushed out and quickly hit Gasol ahead of the pack for the dunk. He made the extra pass to Gasol for the open baseline jumper. He missed a 17-footer. He cut off the Kobe double and scored a layup with his right. He cut off the Gasol double and threw down. He missed a short leaner in the lane. He took an airball and no-looked to Gasol for the dunk. He got schooled by Dudley in the post for a layup. He kicked out for a three instead of hitting Gasol open under the hoop in transition. Next time down, he took the pass in the lane, attacked and scored the layup softly off the glass. He attacked and kicked out to Luke for an open baseline jumper. He jarred McInnis with a screen, who crumpled to the floor, Lamar went to help him for a sec then realized he was open, called for the ball under the hoop and dunked. He deflected a pass to prevent a hoop. He hit Gasol who had a head of steam trailing the play for the lob dunk with 40 seconds left.
DFish -- -- One of the reasons we struggled to get a big lead tonight was DFish's game. He couldn't hit anything on the offensive end and had his hands full defensively with the Cats speedy guards. He misses Bynum's ability to anchor as much as anyone. The Stats: He scored 6 points on 1-8 shooting (0-3 from three, 4-4 from the line) to go with 3 boards, 2 assists, 1 steal, 2 turnovers and 3 fouls in 31 minutes. The Action: He stripped Nazr on help D. He threw a pass away going behind his back. He missed a sideline jumper. He set up Gasol for a score with a lob. He missed a three. He attacked in transition and scored the layup. He missed a pull-up jumper at the FT line on the break. He drew FTs in the back court and made both. He set up Gasol for a short jumper off the two-man game. He missed a wide open three. He bricked an open three in transition with just over 5 minutes left. He missed another three a minute later trying to beat the shotclock. He drew a charge on Felton with under two minutes. He attacked off the dribble on the other end to earn FTs, he made both to ice it with 1:36 left.
Radmanovic -- -- He started against JRich defensively as the Bobcats put JRich at the SF. Not an easy match up for Vlad. Late in the game, Phil went to Luke at SF and that decision paid off. Vlad still managed to come up with some decent defensive plays and held his own better than you would expect. The Stats: He scored 8 points on 3-4 shooting (1-2 from three, 1-2 from the line) to go with 1 board, 2 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, 1 turnover and 1 foul in 24 minutes. The Action: He swished an easy open baseline jumper off a Gasol pitch out. He hit Gasol with an extra pass for the short jumper. He missed an open three. He picked off a pass at midcourt and took it in for the uncontested dunk. Another great steal as the lone man back on a two-on-one break and he prevented the easy score. He swished a wing three over his man. He gave up dribble penetration to Carroll and it led to a dunk. He missed an easy And-1 on the other end, he made one FT.
Walton -- -- Luke helped tighten up our D down the stretch to close out the Bobcats. Offensively, he also sank a key bucket on a kickout from Lamar in crunch time. He is stringing together some better games. Hopefully, he continues to improve his game from the self-described "bum" play. The Stats: He scored 2 points on 1-4 shooting, grabbed 4 boards, dished 3 assists, had 3 steals, 1 turnover and 1 foul in 21 minutes. The Action: He missed an open wing jumper. He bricked over Carroll in front of the rim. He stole a pass back on the other end. He worked the two-man game with Ronny and set him up with FTs on the return bounce pass. He set up Turiaf off the two-man game for a dunk. He missed a bank he should have had. He swiped a perimeter pass. He sank the open baseline jumper off an LO kickout late in the game, a key score down the stretch.
Farmar -- -- Much better offensive game from Farmar. We even went to him in the post for multiple possessions against Boykins with success to start the fourth. He didn't park himself beyond the three line and stay there this game. Defensively, he played very soft. Both of our PGs couldn't contain the Bobcats or even provide much help off the high screen roll. The Stats: He scored 10 points on 4-8 shooting (1-2 from three, 1-1 from the line) to go with 2 steals, 0 assists, 0 turnovers and 1 foul in 19 minutes. The Action: Horrible pass at the end of the first quarter not getting it over Boykins to Gasol...ouch. He attacked from the wing with speed and scored the And-1 high off the glass, he made the FT. He was rejected on another attack down the lane. He swiped the ball back on the other end. He missed a layup over a defender. He cut strong off Ronny in the post, took the pass and flipped in the layup. Nice pass deflection to get a stop at the end of the third. He posted up Boykins to start the fourth and hit the turnaround. He posted up Boykins again, drew the double and fed Ronny who was fouled. He nearly got a steal, but knocked over Felton trying to get to it. He missed an open 12 footer, fading. His man sagged off him and he swished the sideline three.
Turiaf -- -- Phil gave Ronny a brief stint across Gasol in this game, and also gave him some longer stints. Ronny played some solid minutes on both ends and gave us some scoring off the bench. He twisted his ankle in the game, but still played on it. Looked like a minor one that won't keep him out of any action. The Stats: He scored 10 points on 3-7 shooting (4-4 from the line) to go with 4 boards, 1 assist, 1 block and 1 foul in 15 minutes. The Action: He missed a point-blank layup, should have dunked it. He faced up and swished the short jumper from the right block. He served up a layup for Okafor to reject out of bounds. Same possession, he then stepped out to the elbow and hit a jumper, so he got the two points anyway. He worked the two-man game with Luke for FTs, he made both. He missed a 15-footer and twisted his ankle in the last few seconds of the first half, he hobbled into the locker room. He hit Farmar cutting down the lane for a layup. He rejected Dudley's drive attempt. He missed a 19-footer at the end of the third. He missed an easy And-1 attempt off a pass from Farmar, he made both FTs. He threw down a dunk off the Luke two-man game.
Vujacic -- -- Poor game from Sasha. His D was soft late in the game, and his shot was off. He gave up a couple 3-point plays that got him sidelined late. The Stats: He scored 5 points on 1-4 shooting (1-4 from three, 2-2 from the line) to go with 1 board, 1 turnover and 1 foul in 17 minutes. The Action: In the game and he quickly took and missed a three. He threw away a pass in transition. He missed a three on a kickout. He drew FTs on a hold by Felton 35 feet away from the hoop, he made both. He missed an open three. He swished a wide open three when Kobe kicked out to him at the top of the arc. He gave up a corner three to his man, sagging too far off. He then gave up an And-1 in transition to Carroll.
Mbenga -- -- DJ got his contract extended for the rest of the season. The combination of Mihm's bad wheel and DJ strong play in a couple of games, made the decision easier for the Lakers. Glad to see Mbenga get the paycheck. He came in during the second quarter as Phil went with a Ronny/Mbenga lineup. The Stats: He didn't score on 0-1 shooting, but grabbed 3 boards and had 1 turnover and 1 foul in 5 minutes. The Action: He was called for three seconds away from the action. He got dunked on badly by Okafor. He missed a one-hander in the lane.
Phil -- -- The Lakers ran a lot of offense through Gasol in the first quarter. They shot 13-20 and 3-6 from three. They were sloppy with the turnovers, however, with 6. Kobe and Gasol combined for 22 points on 9-9 shooting and 6 assists in that quarter... Phil got a long rest for Kobe and Gasol in the second quarter. The bench started to fade and Phil brought back in the starters with an 8-point lead with just over 5 minutes left... At the end of the half, Phil went to a Gasol, Ronny, Vlad, Kobe, Fish lineup. Gasol and Ronny in together... The Lakers had a 55-44 lead at the half, shooting 49 percent to the Bobcats 41 percent. Both teams had 10 turnovers at the half. The Lakers were 14-14 from the line... The coaches wanted the Lakers to clean up the turnovers in the second half... Gasol again started the half leading the Lakers on the offensive end. We got the Bobcats in the penalty quickly. The Lakers couldn't stop the high pick and roll and led just 77-69 going into the fourth... The Laker bench was just 4-17 for 13 points at this point. We went with Turiaf, Luke, Kobe, Sasha, Farmar lineup to start the fourth... We exploited Farmar over Boykins in the post to take Boykins out of the game to start the fourth. We pulled back out to a 13-point lead with the Kobe-led second unit and forced a Bobcat timeout... That didn't last long as the Bobcats hit a series of three's and an And-1 to cut the lead to just 3... Phil brought back in Lamar and Pau for Kobe and Sasha. Then, he later went with the starters, swapping out Luke for Vlad. The role players had a few big plays and closed the door defensively... Regardless of what happens in the next game, the Lakers had a successful road trip. Without the trade, I doubt we're saying that. We are once again holding our own in the standings...
Last edited by DancingBarry on Mon Feb 11, 2008 11:23 pm; edited 1 time in total
Something becoming a trend and a bit unsettling is Fisher's inconsistency with shooting the ball. It seems like he is either on or off, he rarely finishes with an average game with like 5-11 or 4-9 shooting. Its usually either something like 3-11 or 9-12. Farmar has gone into a funk recently so that spot has been somewhat vulnerable the last couple weeks. Hopefully both of them get it back together during the week break coming up.
I love the warm, fuzzy feeling that comes with Laker victories. _________________ "I like looking at a guy's face when he realizes that even his best moves aren't going to work on me all night. They look depressed." - Ron Artest
One point that you touched on is worth highlighting....our ability to get to the free throw line. That has residual effects (early penalty situations, foul trouble for the other team) and if you look at most of the top notch teams over history, they were usually in the Top 5 in FTAs. It used to only be Kobe that could do this effectively. Now it's Kobe, Gasol, Bynum, Ariza, and even Fish to a lesser extent. VERY important quality that this team possesses.
Joined: 24 Jun 2003 Posts: 3006 Location: Arcadia, CA
Posted: Tue Feb 12, 2008 12:22 am Post subject:
thanks db
did anyone see farmar get UP!?
that was ridiculous... _________________ In regards to a certain fan wanting to cut his wrists:
Orestes: "Guess that's one way to find out if you really bleed purple & gold."
Pau sure looks like he's been playing on this team all year.
It's good that you mentioned the upped D by Kobe. We really need that for this stretch of time without Bynum. The lob by Fish to Gasol really shows you the kind of jumper Bynum is. Surprised by Vlad's defensive intensity, especially on the trapping situations. Good game by Farmar offensively, didn't even know Boykins was still playing. I read in Kevin Ding's blog that Turiaf also had a sore left toe. I went back to the site to try and post the link on here, but looks like he took it off. Guess it's not that much of a concern or wrong information. Felton was very impressive tonight; never gave up on this game, great handles, blazing speed, smooth jumper, and finished at the basket.
Posted: Tue Feb 12, 2008 2:18 am Post subject: Re: LAKERS -at- BOBCATS -- 2/11 -- Thoughts and :-)) ratings
DancingBarry wrote:
Odom Lamar went into the Invisible Man role for extended time . . . He needs to keep moving, and the other players need to watch his vacated perimeter spot when he leaves to do that. The 0 freethrow attempts from the line, show the lack of attack from LO.
Thanks DB - iF LO supposely has a high basketball IQ, what is stopping him from knowing that if he camps out at the 3 point line - it is like 4 Lakers playing against 5 defenders since he is not a good 3 point shooter and he is the PF
I agree, DB, last year we don't win this game. I've always said that I'll take any W we can get on the road. I also agree that I don't think we'd be 6-2 if we had not made the trade for Gasol. We're still having a lot of problems with the high S/R. Felton really gave us problems last night. I also thought their size presented us problems. They got second opportunities to score. D-Fish really struggled from the perimeter. I wonder if it's because we were playing back to back games. All in all, we won back to back road games. We have one more game left and then our guys can go home and get a well deserved rest. Thanks, DB.
Joined: 23 Jun 2005 Posts: 12825 Location: Somewhere watching a Laker game
Posted: Tue Feb 12, 2008 5:06 am Post subject:
Thanks for your efforts DB.
Dribble penetration may end our playoff run prematurely if we don't get Fish/Farmar some help. Felton looked like Kevin Johnson out there last night. We are gonna face a DWill, Nash, CP3, JT - somebody better teach this team some sort of positional team defense.
Good game - glad Wallace didn't play. I'll take the W...
Joined: 27 Jun 2005 Posts: 29999 Location: Likely nowhere near you
Posted: Tue Feb 12, 2008 5:41 am Post subject:
Texas_Pete wrote:
Thanks for your efforts DB.
Dribble penetration may end our playoff run prematurely if we don't get Fish/Farmar some help. Felton looked like Kevin Johnson out there last night. We are gonna face a DWill, Nash, CP3, JT - somebody better teach this team some sort of positional team defense.
Good game - glad Wallace didn't play. I'll take the W...
The only thing that really stopped their PGs last night was foul trouble.
I thought Vlad played a decent game, coming up with some easy steals, but I don't watch the game with the same intensity as DB.
But the one player I have been disappointed in lately is Turiaf. He has been OK with the outside jumper, but otherwise he has been playing subpar lately. Is he taking the Kwame role by missing layups and dunks? Is his hip still a problem? Something else going on that would affect him? Maybe Phil's rotation system is having an adverse effect on him? _________________ Courage doesn't always roar.
Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying...'I will try again tomorrow.'
I was going to mention Turiaf's play and attitude too. He laid into Mbenga and I was thinking that if our franchise player had done that he would have been called out for it. Ronny says he will always bring heart but I am not feeling it lately. _________________ Hope for the best. Prepare for the worst.
Joined: 03 Jul 2004 Posts: 292 Location: Quartz Hill
Posted: Tue Feb 12, 2008 7:18 am Post subject:
Ronny was jawing at DJ quite a bit... But he looked to me like he was simply in a bad mood for whatever reason. Not many smiles as usual. Hopefully it was just a bad day and nothing else.
Joined: 17 Nov 2007 Posts: 67779 Location: In a world where admitting to not knowing something is considered a great way to learn.
Posted: Tue Feb 12, 2008 8:20 am Post subject:
LakersFan_73 wrote:
Ronny was jawing at DJ quite a bit... But he looked to me like he was simply in a bad mood for whatever reason. Not many smiles as usual. Hopefully it was just a bad day and nothing else.
Great recap, DB. Thanks buddy.
I noted that and was surprised. I don't think Turiaf has quite earned the position to berate publicly another player. I saw LO get on Luke also, he's been in the fold long enough to do it. I like the intensity shown by both. Kobe's toned down his correcting teammates on court. His demonstrative demeanor has become one that quietly teaches, a lot of hand movement and verbal instruction. I want to add, to many cooks spoil the broth. _________________ Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.
America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.
Last edited by jodeke on Tue Feb 12, 2008 8:48 am; edited 1 time in total
Gotta say, DB, that I thought Walton was KILLING US out there. It wasn't until one late sequence where he grabbed a steal and hit the kickout jumper that he made a positive impact.
IIRC, when they brought him in in the 4th, our lead went from 13 to 3 in a matter of a few moments. _________________ On Lakersground, a concern troll is someone who is a fan of another team, but pretends to be a Lakers fan with "concerns".
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-- He is loving all the attention that Gasol and Kobe get, but he has to continually take advantage of it. He had a few sequences early on where he worked off their doubles for easy scores. Then, Lamar went into the Invisible Man role for extended time. He can't afford to sit out at three when they draw attention, he did that at times tonight. He needs to keep moving, and the other players need to watch his vacated perimeter spot when he leaves to do that. The 0 freethrow attempts from the line, show the lack of attack from LO. He started against Nazr defensively and had trouble with his size like most Lakers tonight. Late in the game, Lamar came up with some big plays on both ends. 
-- One of the reasons we struggled to get a big lead tonight was DFish's game. He couldn't hit anything on the offensive end and had his hands full defensively with the Cats speedy guards. He misses Bynum's ability to anchor as much as anyone. 
-- He started against JRich defensively as the Bobcats put JRich at the SF. Not an easy match up for Vlad. Late in the game, Phil went to Luke at SF and that decision paid off. Vlad still managed to come up with some decent defensive plays and held his own better than you would expect. 
-- Luke helped tighten up our D down the stretch to close out the Bobcats. Offensively, he also sank a key bucket on a kickout from Lamar in crunch time. He is stringing together some better games. Hopefully, he continues to improve his game from the self-described "bum" play. 
-- Much better offensive game from Farmar. We even went to him in the post for multiple possessions against Boykins with success to start the fourth. He didn't park himself beyond the three line and stay there this game. Defensively, he played very soft. Both of our PGs couldn't contain the Bobcats or even provide much help off the high screen roll. 
-- Phil gave Ronny a brief stint across Gasol in this game, and also gave him some longer stints. Ronny played some solid minutes on both ends and gave us some scoring off the bench. He twisted his ankle in the game, but still played on it. Looked like a minor one that won't keep him out of any action. 
-- Poor game from Sasha. His D was soft late in the game, and his shot was off. He gave up a couple 3-point plays that got him sidelined late. 
-- DJ got his contract extended for the rest of the season. The combination of Mihm's bad wheel and DJ strong play in a couple of games, made the decision easier for the Lakers. Glad to see Mbenga get the paycheck. He came in during the second quarter as Phil went with a Ronny/Mbenga lineup. 
-- The Lakers ran a lot of offense through Gasol in the first quarter. They shot 13-20 and 3-6 from three. They were sloppy with the turnovers, however, with 6. Kobe and Gasol combined for 22 points on 9-9 shooting and 6 assists in that quarter... Phil got a long rest for Kobe and Gasol in the second quarter. The bench started to fade and Phil brought back in the starters with an 8-point lead with just over 5 minutes left... At the end of the half, Phil went to a Gasol, Ronny, Vlad, Kobe, Fish lineup. Gasol and Ronny in together... The Lakers had a 55-44 lead at the half, shooting 49 percent to the Bobcats 41 percent. Both teams had 10 turnovers at the half. The Lakers were 14-14 from the line... The coaches wanted the Lakers to clean up the turnovers in the second half... Gasol again started the half leading the Lakers on the offensive end. We got the Bobcats in the penalty quickly. The Lakers couldn't stop the high pick and roll and led just 77-69 going into the fourth... The Laker bench was just 4-17 for 13 points at this point. We went with Turiaf, Luke, Kobe, Sasha, Farmar lineup to start the fourth... We exploited Farmar over Boykins in the post to take Boykins out of the game to start the fourth. We pulled back out to a 13-point lead with the Kobe-led second unit and forced a Bobcat timeout... That didn't last long as the Bobcats hit a series of three's and an And-1 to cut the lead to just 3... Phil brought back in Lamar and Pau for Kobe and Sasha. Then, he later went with the starters, swapping out Luke for Vlad. The role players had a few big plays and closed the door defensively... Regardless of what happens in the next game, the Lakers had a successful road trip. Without the trade, I doubt we're saying that. We are once again holding our own in the standings...
= DB
