RAPTORS -at- LAKERS - 3-10-23 - Thoughts and :-)) Ratings

[DancingBarry]

Momentum Shifts... This game had some serious up and down shifts between the starters and the bench.

Some sloppy ball on both ends to start the game. Midway through the first quarter, the Lakers were down 25-10. That’s when the Lakers went to their bench. That crew helped restore order with better D, quickly tearing off a 12-2 run. They’d finish the first quarter down just 35-31.

They’d take the lead back two minutes into the second quarter. Vando led the way early on with a couple of threes and a few scores around the rim.

It wasn’t until D’Angelo Russell started feeling it off the dribble that the Lakers found themselves in that second quarter. They’d close on a 13-2 run as he and Rui sparked them with a relentless Laker attack. They led 70-62 at the half after trailing by 15.

But once again, the starters came out flat, giving up a 9-0 run to start the second half and Ham called a timeout. Ham stuck with the lineup (AD/Vando/Brown/Beasley/Russell) as they fell back by 7 -- a 17-2 start to the half before he finally brought the bench in, momentum had flipped completely to the Raptors favor.

The bench started to hold the line and the Lakers switched up to some zone. They trailed 90-85 -- an awful 15-point third quarter.

Austin Reaves ignited the crowd again with back-to-back scores in the fourth, including one that dropped a defender to the floor. The momentum was starting to shift when Schröder hit a three to take a 1-point lead.

As Reaves got the crowd fired up, Russell carried the attack to the Raptors burying multiple threes, feeding off the energy. They had the Raptors staggering. A few more big shots from the Laker guards and they had them down for good, taking the 122-112 win. The Russell/Reaves/Schröder trio scored 33 of the Lakers 37 points in the fourth quarter.


Davis -- -- A lot of fronting by the D as well as staying with him on the screen actions. Guys tried forcing it to him a little just trying to make sure he got some touches. But the team was able to drop 122 with only 8 points from AD and, of course, no LeBron. They didn’t bring him back until midway through the second quarter because the Lakers were able to shift momentum without him. But once he came back, that interior presence on D made a big difference. HE had 4 blocks on the night (saved the zone multiple times with his work under the hoop challenging shots). If the dagger wasn’t already thrown by the Laker guards, AD buried the Raptors for good with a long step-back with 46 seconds left. The Stats: He scored 8 points on 4-7 shooting to go with 9 boards (3 offensive), 4 assists, 4 blocks, 1 turnover and 3 fouls in 32 minutes. He was a -11.

Russell -- -- “They lucky I sprained my ankle. Simple as that. I was ready to crazy,” Russell said. Now he’s back. Flat out balled in the fourth quarter with 16 of his 28, going 5-5. He was hitting pull-up threes in transition. They called his number on a deceptive double-drag setup out of a timeout (see key moment below) and he buried that three. He was an assassin in that fourth. Early on, some excellent work with the handles. He throws in ball-fakes and look-offs to freeze the help defenders after getting around the initial D. He had an inside-out dribble that nailed his defender to the floor, then ball-faked the help D to gain an extra step as he took it for a layup. He and Reaves have that tricky IQ game to them that is going to drive teams crazy. DLo’s passing really sparked the team late in that second quarter. He was finding guys (7 first half assists) and the team started to get into a rhythm as a result. Some contagious passing at times, also some forces trying to get it to AD. Can’t wait for the continued reps with these guys as they build more chemistry. So glad we have him back, not just from the ankle but on the team again. This team is so much more fun to watch and he’s got such positive energy with the team. He mentioned how the fans are ready to explode for this team and he just wants to get that going late in the games. It’s a brand new team, and the results are showing even with the injuries. The Stats: He scored 28 points on 10-17 shooting (5-8 from three, 3-3 from the line) to go with 5 boards, 9 assists, 1 steal, 4 turnovers and no fouls in 31 minutes. He was a +4.

Beasley -- -- Oof. Man, that start to the game from Beasley, then we followed that up with an awful start to the second half. You just did not trust the Beasley/Russell combination defensively. But the team also couldn’t score, either. A team-low -21 for Beasley in a 10-point win. That probably says it all. He made one three and missed his other shots. You couldn’t wait for him to sit in this one and it felt like it took forever for that to happen. The Stats: He scored 4 points on 1-6 shooting (1-5 from three, 1-1 from the line) to go with 4 boards and 3 turnovers in 21 minutes. He was a -21.

Vanderbilt -- -- He led the Lakers with 14 points in the first half, sinking a couple of corner threes as the strong side defenders left him to help on Dennis a couple of times. He had a couple of scores set up, finding him under the hoop. But he took care of business himself on a pushout, where he crossed over and attacked down the lane for the layup. After he missed a couple of open corner threes to start the half, they moved him to setting screens up top, forcing the D to stay attached. There was a great defensive play in the second half where he was stuck defending two guys along the sideline. He couldn’t have played it better. He was close enough to the initial man that it made him think he’d be challenged, yet position into the passing lane area where he was then able to deflect the pass and save it inbounds to a teammate. That ignited a break that resulted in a three and a timeout. The Stats: He scored 16 points on 5-7 shooting (2-4 from three, 4-4 from the line) to go with 4 boards, 1 assist, 2 steals, 3 turnovers and 2 fouls in 30 minutes. He was a -10.

Brown -- -- Quiet night for Brown as we found the trio of Russell/Reaves/Schroder were killing it. He sank a wing three early on and also scored a layup on a sideline inbounds. The Stats: He scored 5 point son 2-4 shooting (1-3 from three) to go with 3 boards, 1 steal and 1 foul in 24 minutes. He was a -10.

Reaves -- -- There was a synergy going on between Reaves and Russell. It worked its way through the energy of the fans. Reaves got the crowd going. The crowd got Russell going and that changed the tide of the game. There were a lot of guys that played well, but that energy exchange got everyone hyped and made the difference. Asked about the energy and if it made a difference, Russell said, “For sure. Shout out to everybody on our team. Everybody played a major role. Austin Reaves is special. Rui is special. Dennis Schröder is special. All these guys are coming in and trying to make up for Bron and what we’re missing from him.” The game changed every time we went to our bench. For Reaves part of that, his craftiness had Crypto buzzing again. He had a stop and go, where he felt the reach, made sure the contact was known as he pulled up and banked in the And-1 to start the fourth. Next possession, he made his Trent Jr. touch the floor as he changed directions off the catch and hit the pull-up. Crowd roared. Shortly later, he hustled in transition to strip a ball off Trent Jr. to get a stop. While this was going on, Russell was starting to get amped up. After a Raptor timeout because of that, Reaves caught a pas sin transition, attacked a lane and hammered a dunk. Sometimes two points are not just two points. Reaves dunk and some of his other plays, changed the momentum completely. Kid is blowing up with more touches now. The Stats: He scored 18 points on 6-10 shooting (0-2 from three, 6-6 from the line) to go with 2 boards, 5 assists, 2 block, 1 turnover and 3 fouls in 32 minutes. He was a +26.

Hachimura -- -- Great stretch in the second quarter. Usually, he’s the quiet assassin, but he had a couple of plays that had the crowd going (a reverse attacking off the three line and another dunk in transition). He and Russell had some flashes of chemistry. Really, the first time I think we’ve seen that with any of our playmakers and Rui. (Westbrook had a couple of moments having played with him previously, but this felt like Rui was integrated into the flow.) He’d knockd down a couple more midrange shots in the second half. He just feels automatic anytime he pulls up inside the paint on shots, and the more coverage the better, it seems. The Stats: He scored 16 points on 7-9 shooting (1-2 from three, 1-1 from the line) to go with 3 boards, 1 assist, 2 turnovers and no fouls in 20 minutes. He was a +21.

Schröder -- -- Reaves mentioned the defensive effort by Dennis in the second half out of a timeout. He put some full-court pressure on, stole the ball at midcourt (missed the layup, unfortunately), but Reaves mentioned just the fight in Dennis on D helped elevate the team’s effort. A lot of turnovers by Dennis tonight (6), but it felt like he stole a couple of those back (4 steals), hustling back in D and being his usual pest and annoyance on that end of the floor. So the guy is giving you that hard work on D, but he’s also dropping 23 on offense. Two-way ball that resulted in a team-high +32 in 33 minutes. He had 10 points in the fourth quarter, including a big three with a minute left in the fourth. The bench outscored the Raptors 61-12 tonight. Dennis may have been moved to the bench, but just a huge impact, and despite the move, he led the team in minutes with 33. Great job not skipping a beat. DLo’s return also slid Lonnie out of the rotation, which is for the best. You’ve got to have as much two-way ball on the floor as possible. The Stats: He scored 23 points on 8-17 shooting (3-6 from three, 4-4 from the line) to go with 1 board, 7 assists, 4 steals, 6 turnovers and no fouls in 33 minutes. He was a +32.

Gabriel -- -- Big effort from Wenyen tonight to man the middle while AD sat. We went to zone which got the Raptors a little out of sync and managed to hold the line. Wenyen with 3 blocks tonight. Love that. HIs two scores, we got him going downhill off the two-man actions. One from Reaves and nother from DLo that Wenyen had to finish with the off hand against a challenge. With new that Mo is out for a month, Gabriel needs to step up. Lakers could use another big body, for sure, and will need to improve on that zone to help our C spot. The Stats: He scored 4 points on 2-3 shooting to go with 4 boards, 2 assists, 3 blocks and 1 foul in 15 minutes. He was a +19.

Ham -- -- Key Moment: When we finally brought in the bench in the third, it took a while to turn the tide. To start the fourth, great job to finally get that momentum back. There was a key shot that allowed them to keep that momentum. There was a timeout, score 112:106 with 3:35 left. Ham drew up a play where we put the ball in Dennis’ hands, but he pitched it to DLo and immediately set a screen to turn it into a double drag for DLo. The D was caught off guard and Russell was able to get a clean look behind an AD screen with a hot hand. Money. Great call and a gut punch to the Raptors.

Key Substitution: Really, just anytime we finally got out of that starting lineup. It misses LeBron, for sure, but this was an awkwardly bad starting unit matchup for the Lakers tonight. Ham let the Raptors go 17-2 to start the third before making a sub to change the energy. Painful. Great job by the bench as seen in the stats below.

Key Stats: The Lakers bench had a 29-10 advantage in the first half. But 33-2 in the second half. Dominant.

[Lakers#1Team]

First! Thanks DB!

[slavavov]

Thanks DB, as usual!

This new-look Lakers team is made of different stuff than the squad they had last season or even earlier this season when they played well. It isn't just that they're deeper, more talented and have more balance, but the mood and energy of this team just seem so much better.

When they fall behind, they don't mope or quit anymore. They make unselfish plays for one another, and they're finally playing good defense.

I'm starting to build some confidence and trust in this team's ability to win close games and erase deficits. We haven't had that feeling about the Lakers since the championship season.

[TooMuchMajicBuss]

Thanks DB!! AWESOME GAME TONIGHT!!

DLO, Reaves, Schroeder - what a combo! Awesome game for all 3!! AD played a great game considering he was triple teamed, and Toronto's focus on him played right into our hands.

Vanderbilt was great as well doing the dirty work, and Rui stepped up when needed as well.

Really love the chemistry I'm seeing out there. Still just giddy about this new lineup. What an improvement at the trade deadline. We've been winning games at the rate title contenders win ever since.

[mad55557777]

I don’t remember the last time lakers put a team away by making pull up 3s and went 19/19 from the FT line.

[sonic the laker]

Thanks, DB! Great win by the Lakers, made only the better by losses to the Wolves and Blazers!

Loved our whole squad, tonight. Did NOT like the start to the game, with all the horrible turnovers. Cleaned it up in the second, only to renew the turnover effort, in the 3rd. Can't win games when you give away chances to score, while at the same time giving your opponent extra chances to do so.

But, most of my admonishments are reserved for Ham, and Beasley. More Ham, though. Beasley was bad this game, and has been bad for a long stretch now. I don't blame Beasley for that, because he's legitimately trying. He's just not hitting. And, a shooter who can't hit shots...and plays no defense...is a liability. It's having your team play 4 on 5, at both ends of the court. People constantly bring up the gravity that Beasley provides. But, if that "gravity" isn't producing enough to offset the negatives...what then?

But, Ham is mostly to blame, because he has viable options to go to, in Walker and Christie. Yes, Walker is as bad at defense as Beasley. But, he's a more diverse scorer, who can both shoot, and comfortably attack the basket off the dribble. Christie, while still a rookie, has shown himself to be an excellent perimeter defender, for a rookie, and a capable spot up shooter. At some point, Ham has to go with his famous "Facts of Feelings" mantra. His decisions are making things harder for the team than they need to be, imo.

All that said, love the fight, love the win! Lakers!
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ZOOM!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Bron2AD]

Best fun game ever

[mad55557777]

5 players with 16+ points and none of them named Anthony Davis
scary team

[Hanging from Rafters]

Thanks DB! Your T&Rs are a must read these days!!!

I want to see better pre-game prep so we don’t fall behind and better half time adjustments so we don’t have to make up for poor 3rd quarters and better at limiting turnovers…but wow…it’s good to see the team can win in a game like this where AD was game planned out of production offensively.

A 3 guard line up won it for the Lakers!!! I guess it just has to be the right 3 guards lol!
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“When it looks as if it is a realistic possibility, I want to focus on winning a ship like it’s a goal that can’t be denied. I didn’t see that this off season.”

[1995Lakers]

I think Dennis is playing so well and with so much heart that even our resident Dennis username guy might actually appreciate him.

[joeblow]

[Startrout]

Every time DLO would pull up for a long 3 on a break or early in the shot clock I was screaming Nooooo at the screen. Of course, then he’d make it and I’m like great shot DLO! They were very risky shots at that point in the game. I guess he really does have “ice in his veins”.

[Startrout]

Dennis was great again tonight. He really made things happen on both ends. He was credited with 4 steals, but he deflected passes and disrupted the Raptors offense all game long.

Reeves is such a smart player and so much fun to watch. We need to buy him a helmet or face mask though.

DLO had issues at times in the game, but when paired with Dennis and/or Reeves he really shined.

I’m really loving our new team. Props again to Rob and the rest of the front office.

[DrDent]

Great write up DB

I am absolutely floored with how much better the team looks with a pg who is savvy with a perimeter shot. D’lo has really - thus far - surprised me. If he remains consistent, goodness….a steal in the russ trade.

I dont want to get too amped. But I will say d’lo was just blowing me away with his decision making and play in that 4th.
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"One thing I admire about Kuzma is his unwavering confidence. He truly has no idea that he’s not as good as he thinks." - Killer_Z

[A Mad Chinaman]

Great work DB, must be much more fun to cover this team!!!!

Schroeder had 6 TOs and was +/- +31!!

As Stu Lantz shared, if opposing teams are aggresively defending - one must always move with purpose and going North/South not East/West. Seems like DS is very uncomfortahble when opposing are allowed to set up their defensive schemes that allowed them to be in DS's face. Hopefully DS will be able to incorporate some counters to this type of pressure

This new team actually plays for each other and with passion, hence exciting to watch.

3th Place Grizzs are 39-27 (played 66 games) / Morant/Adams/Clarke out
4th Place Suns are 37-29 (played 66 games) / KD is out
-
5th Place Clippers are 35-33 (played 68 games) / Inconsistent + Westbrook
6th Place Mavs are 34-33 (played 67 games) / Luka is out, along w/Kyrie
7th Place Dubs are 34-33 (playes 67 games) / Jekyll and Hyde team
8th Place TWolves are 34-34 (played 68 games) / KAT is out
9th Place Lakers are 33-34 (played 67 games)

Wild Wild Wild West Where Anything Can Happen

[PenG_]

Having fun again.

[danzag]

Man, I love this squad

[justsomelakerfan]

[Laker7]

Thanks DB!

In the fourth quarter, Ham went with the three guard lineup of Dennis, Russell and Reaves. My first thought was "Here we go again!" But those three put together a really good fourth quarter. Would not have won the game without those three on the court together.
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Darvin Ham is an idiot!

[deal]

Too many turnovers and back n forth but we got lucky for
the win. Dennis pounds at the ball sometimes until he's picked,
what's up with that?


Getting this win was important, thanks DB !!!
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Lakers need to build a freaking team !

[LakerDYnasty72]

The talent on this team is far superior than before Feb.9th. The major difference is having a few two-way players. The ones to keep like Schroder, Vanderbilt, Russell, Reaves, etc., are making their presence felt big time.

However, the two players who are making their cases to not return are Walker IV & Beasley. No steals. No deflections, and not enough basketball iq or defensive physicality to compensate when their shots are not falling.

They standout when their shots are falling, but they seem to disappear when their shots are not falling.

The more two-way players we have the more balanced the roster.

Thanks DB!

[Hammett]

Biggest trade impact since Gasol. This team is going to rock next season if we keep the right pieces.
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Lakers. Built different.

[Dr. Laker]

Thanks, DB!

We might want to cut Beasley's minutes until he finds his game again.
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On Lakersground, a concern troll is someone who is a fan of another team, but pretends to be a Lakers fan with "concerns".

[LakerSD]

[DancingBarry]