HORNETS -at- LAKERS - 12-23-22 - Thoughts and :-(( Ratings

 
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DancingBarry
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PostPosted: Fri Dec 23, 2022 11:10 pm    Post subject: HORNETS -at- LAKERS - 12-23-22 - Thoughts and :-(( Ratings

Consistently Disappointing... Losing games like this just bury you.

The Lakers led by 9 early. Things going as you think they ought to against a poor Charlotte Hornets team. The Lakers, however, fell back by double digits in the second quarter with some foul-prone, turnover-prone ball. Still, they scratched their way back into it even things up.

After tying it 67-67 at halftime (giving up another 40-point second quarter), it was another horrible start to the third quarter.

Two turnovers led to threes and it was a 20-2 advantage on points off turnovers for the Hornets only a couple minutes into the half. They were quickly down by 8. Out of the timeout, another turnover and they were down by 10.

The Hornets poured it on with a 21-5 start to the second half as the Lakers played sloppy, uninspired ball on both ends.

Ham went to his bench in Reaves, Russ and Gabriel out of another timeout and their energy helped the Lakers rattle off an 11-0 run.

In the fourth quarter, LeBron got going. He was getting to the rim for scores and imposing his will. It was a strong close and the Lakers came back from down 12 to tie it up 130-130 after Bron scored on the break with 42 seconds left.

For a team that struggled to get stops, they nearly won this game by turning defense into offense. Pat Bev and Reaves came up with a steal on the perimeter. As Reaves pushed it out on the break, Russ and Bev got bunched up a bit in transition. The pass from Reaves bounced off Bev’s hands and instead of taking the lead, it was turnover number 17.

The Hornets would get a bucket on the other end on a close goaltend call that LeBron nearly blocked.

Down 2 with 6 seconds left, L.A. called a timeout. As we inbounded to LeBron, his shoe came off on a drive off some contact. Before going to the floor, he still managed to kick it out to Schröder for a wide open corner three and a chance to win it.

Nope. Shot missed and the Lakers would fall 134-130.


LeBron -- -- He had a strong kick to close this one. He had 14 points on 6-11 shooting and 5 assists in the first half. Then a really slow start to the second half. He wasn’t scoring. He had a huge turnover with 7:27 left trying to go into his spin move in transition. That could have cut it to 5 if he got to his layup, instead they trailed by 10 as the Hornets hit a three on the other end. The points off the turnovers were killing the Lakers. But he started to go to work after that, muscling his way to layups. After one, we cut the lead down to 3. He’d knock down a three, score on a lob, spin on a baseline drive for a layup, keeping it close. He’d come up with a big charge on a rotation, then hit Reaves on the other end slipping a screen for a layup to cut it to 2 with a minute left. Finally, he’d tie it up with 42 seconds left on the next possession getting out on the break for a layup. On our final possession, he took an inbounds and might have gotten tripped up as he threw a shoe. No call, but he kicked it to Dennis before going down and Schröder missed the wide open corner three. LeBron would have 18 points in that fourth quarter. Defensively, it felt like he had his finger tips on multiple steals, but came up empty on the gambles. The Stats: He scored 34 points on 15-23 shooting (4-8 from three, 0-2 from the line) to go with 2 boards, 8 assists, 1 steal, 3 turnovers and 2 fouls in 34 minutes. He was a -6.

Walker IV -- -- Some really poor D at times. He’d hit a big And-1 three in the fourth that helped the Lakers get some momentum. He’d chuck up a quick-fire three shortly after that off a handoff from LeBron. I think Bron wanted something else on that play, but Walker sat after that. He just seemed out of sync and not really close to defending tonight at the level they needed. Not sure where the sense of urgency was. The Stats: He scored 15 points on 4-13 shooting (3-9 from three, 4-5 from the line) to go with 3 boards, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 turnover and 1 foul in 27 minutes. He was a +8.

Schröder -- -- He had a chance to win this game on the final play. Missed the wide open corner three. Typical Laker let down this season. He had a good stretch in the first half when LeBron sat where he sank a couple of pull-up 15-footers and then knocked down a three on three straight possessions. In the fourth in our final push, he had a pull-up elbow jumper and another key lob pass to Bron backdoor. Just couldn’t knock down the game winner. The Stats: He scored 9 points on 4-10 shooting (1-5 from three) to go with 4 boards, 5 assists, 2 turnovers and 4 fouls in 27 minutes. He was a -8.

Bryant -- -- Late in the game, he was stripped rolling to the hoop and immediately grabbed his right shoulder in pain (should have been a foul). The Lakers had to go small. They can’t afford to lose another big, but they played well going small. I think Bryant seemed to feel okay after a while and moving the shoulder around a bit. Hopefully, not serious because that three ball has been looking good. He’d knock down a couple in this one. He also was on the receiving end of a behind-the-back pass from Bron that went between the legs of a defender to Bryant for the score. Defensively, pretty good job on the glass. But he really doesn’t provide much anchoring in the paint. He had a team high +/-. The Stats: He scored 8 points on 3-8 shooting (2-3 from three) to go with 13 boards, 1 assist, 2 turnovers and 2 fouls in 33 minutes. He was a +11.

Beverley -- -- The shot was looking good. He swished a three on his first attempt. He’d knock down another off a jab step later. He’d also get a score off a drive across the lane, ball faking into a hook shot. Late in the game after the Hornets hit a huge three, Pat Bev answered with a big three on the other end. Defensively, he had a nice steal in the backcourt and found Lonnie for a three. He came up with a huge steal with Reaves in the final minute with some defense on the perimeter. This looked like it was going to be a play of the game, but then Bev couldn’t hang onto a return pass from Reaves in transition. I’m not sure if he wasn’t ready for it or thought it was going to Russ. That one hurt. The Stats: He scored 11 points on 4-5 shooting (3-3 from three) to go with 6 boards, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 turnover and 2 fouls in 30 minutes. He was a -8.

Westbrook -- -- The bench played with good energy tonight. A lot of that starts with Russ pushing pace and playing with some force. Good job getting to the rim, even if he didn’t finish well at times. The dribble penetration led to some putbacks by Gabriel. So some chemistry there. Russ and Reaves also had some chemistry at times and seemed to find a good groove playing together. Russ finding Reaves for a short jumper on one play that forced a timeout. Russ also made an extra pass on the perimeter to Reaves for a three instead of taking it himself. Late in the game, Russ knocked down a key corner three on a kickout from Bev. He also pushed out the break and hit LeBron for a layup. I thought Reaves was going to hit Russ on the break for that score late that turned into a miscue. Not sure exactly what happened there, but they were too close together. Defensively, I think Russ has been a bit too lax on perimeter shooters. The Stats: He scored 17 points on 6-12 shooting (2-4 from three, 3-4 from the line) to go with 5 boards, 7 assists, 1 steal, 3 turnovers and 2 fouls in 25 minutes. He was a +8.

Reaves -- -- Balling. He was part of a big miscue in the final minute, but that shouldn’t overshadow just how well he’s balling. He starting to play like he’s got the green light. Not that he doesn’t have it, it’s just that he’s playing like he’s one of the other stars on the team. The confidence and aggressiveness to elevate his game to the next level was there tonight. He had a 4-point play in the second quarter, sinking a corner three on a kickout while Ball stepped under him and tweaking Reaves’ ankle a little. Thankfully, it didn’t seem to bad. He’d finish the half with 10 points on 3-5 shooting. He’d knock down three threes tonight. Late in the game, he’d slip a screen on the two-man game with Bron and score a layup to cut it to 2. He’d finish with 20 on 10 attempts. He’d miss a couple of FTs tonight, which isn’t a thing he does. We could have used those. Love some of the things he does to get to the line. One of those, he put Hayward in jail and set him up for an And-1 type of pull-up in the lane. We also could have used better execution on the break late in the game, but his teammates were also filling lanes weirdly and Reaves pass bounced off Bev’s hands for a key turnover. The Stats: He scored 20 points on 6-10 shooting (3-6 from three, 5-7 from the line) to go with 2 boards, 2 assists, 1 steal, 3 turnovers and no fouls in 29 minutes. He was a +3.

Gabriel -- -- Excellent energy tonight. He was turning that into rebounds and putbacks. Playing with Russ he was able to get to the front of the rim and clean up the dribble penetration misses a couple of times. He also tipped in a Russ brick in the post. Proper kind of energy and sense of urgency that we needed to see from a few more guys. Hopefully, Bryant can go. Otherwise, we’re in trouble with our bigs despite Gabriel’s effort. The Stats: He scored 13 points on 5-5 shooting (3-4 from the line) to go with 7 boards (5 offensive), 1 block and 1 turnover and 3 fouls in 16 minutes. He was a -6.

Christie -- -- Kind of a nothing game. He didn’t score, missing his only three. He had a turnover getting stripped or fumbling away the ball in the middle of the paint. The Stats: He didn’t score on 0-1 shooting from three to go with 1 turnover and 1 foul in 10 minutes. He was a -11.

Brown -- -- Just 1-5 from three. Five three attempts in just 9 minutes. His only make was on a nice play by Reaves to make something out of nothing on a possession. He’s another guy, who we really need to show up more right now. No other stats out there. Grab some boards, get a steal, block a shot. Do something else to make an impact. The Stats: He scored 3 points on 1-5 shooting from three to go with 2 fouls in 9 minutes. He was a -11.

Ham -- -- Key Moment: So many in this game. Part of our defensive issues were offensive miscues in this game. We had some big ones in the fourth. There was the LeBron turnover earlier in the quarter that was a 5-point switch. But the Reaves-to-Bev-or-Russ botched breakaway in the final minute was huge. They came up with a big steal and had a chance for an easy score on the break and just blew it. The game was in balance right then and slipped through our fingers. The final play for the Lakers, they actually got a wide open corner three for Dennis to win it. Another big miss. I hate to focus on the offensive end in a game they gave up 134, but they had a chance to get over and could close the deal.

Key Substitution: I liked the energy from Reaves, Gabriel and Russ in that third quarter. That trio came in and changed the tone of the game after a horrid start. They helped rattled off an 11-0 run.

Key Stats: How about 134 points. The Laker defense is nonexistent and it’s troubling watching a few players that just go through the motions at times. You’ve got to play with a sense of urgency on every play. Better effort could have meant just getting a couple more stops, a few more breaks and a W.
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venturalakersfan
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PostPosted: Fri Dec 23, 2022 11:14 pm    Post subject:

134 points to one of the worst teams in the league. Enough said.
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PostPosted: Fri Dec 23, 2022 11:19 pm    Post subject:

These three and four-guard lineups are killing us. They prevent us from getting stops in the paint, closing out on 3-point shooters and getting defensive rebounds, which prevents us from fast-breaking, which is the one thing we do really well.

As long as AD is out, when Bryant is on the bench, Damian Jones should be at the 5. No LeBron or Wenyen at the 5, please. And maybe Wenyen should play more minutes. I know he's limited, but at least he plays like he cares.
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PostPosted: Fri Dec 23, 2022 11:40 pm    Post subject:

venturalakersfan wrote:
134 points to one of the worst teams in the league. Enough said.


So much for the improved defense. These recent games are similar to last year's squad.
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PostPosted: Fri Dec 23, 2022 11:41 pm    Post subject:

Thanks DB

My interest in watching this team has significantly decreased, but it is still far greater than the FO's desire to actually improve the roster.
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PostPosted: Fri Dec 23, 2022 11:47 pm    Post subject:

Thanks DB.

Reaves has been an incredible bright spot. Has really grown, even during this season. He averages over 10ppg on near 50/40/90 splits while being a plus defender. I think another offseason of training and he could be a high level starter.
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PostPosted: Sat Dec 24, 2022 12:00 am    Post subject:

DrDent wrote:
venturalakersfan wrote:
134 points to one of the worst teams in the league. Enough said.


So much for the improved defense. These recent games are similar to last year's squad.


The Schro/Bev combo have been a double digit negative since Ham decided to go with them as starters.
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PostPosted: Sat Dec 24, 2022 1:34 am    Post subject:

Team is good at finding ways to lose to teams they should not - especially at home

Seems like the Lakers are very careless on inbounding the ball leading to immediate two points for the opposition and every NBA team knows this

Every game, seems like LBJ shoots a ball off one foot like he is playing in a neighborhood gym

LBJ took some gambles on defense and placed the D in scrambled mode - guess he is not confident in his Team D

Our PG can only go East West, where Westbrook is going North South creating pressure on the opposition’s defense

Team doesn’t seem to value every possession.

Maybe Ham should do a “Pop” - sub in 5 players (TD, TO, Manu + 2) if the ones on the court on not meeting the minimum standards - something Ham alluded to in his interview
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Bron2AD
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PostPosted: Sat Dec 24, 2022 2:05 am    Post subject:

I don't even watch games anymore and waste my time.

I just read this and I am proud of my decision after every game
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PostPosted: Sat Dec 24, 2022 4:40 am    Post subject:

Can’t even beat the hornets, back to 7 games under 0.500, merry Xmas y’all
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TMG
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PostPosted: Sat Dec 24, 2022 5:58 am    Post subject:

Should have traded AD when his value was at it's highest this season
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PostPosted: Sat Dec 24, 2022 7:15 am    Post subject:

If you told me that we'd score 130 points playing against the worst offense in the league, I'd assume it's a W 10/10 times.

Amazing...
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PostPosted: Sat Dec 24, 2022 7:39 am    Post subject:

I can’t remember the last time I missed a game, but I might just look the other way on Xmas.
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PostPosted: Sat Dec 24, 2022 10:17 am    Post subject:

I finished activities and got back to my bro's house just in time for the Fake Comeback ™️ . Good times.

Thanks DB
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PostPosted: Sat Dec 24, 2022 10:44 am    Post subject:

yup, this game solidified the lakers are not worth watching. i'll keep track of developments, but i think i'd rather have root canal at this point...
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PostPosted: Sat Dec 24, 2022 11:27 am    Post subject:

The only good thing out of this horrific loss is that it provides further evidence that the FO should not focus on improving the team's offense if they want a chance at salvaging the season when AD returns.

27 other teams in the league played last night, and the Lakers outscored all of them except the one they lost to. Defense, defense, a thousand times: defense.
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