BLAZERS -at- LAKERS - 11-12-23 - Thoughts and :-)) Ratings

[DancingBarry]

Next Man Up... With no LeBron, the Lakers threw Rui in the starting lineup and managed to win a first quarter 31-28.

Cam Reddish picked up where he left off in the second half of the last one. He led the Lakers with 16 points in the first half.

Our backup bigs struggled to hold the line for the Lakers. When AD sat to start the second quarter, the Blazers went on a 12-2 run.

The starters would reel them in midway through the quarter and the Lakers trailed by 1 at the half.

In the third quarter when Reaves rotated in, the Lakers went on a 15-2 run and would take a 91-80 lead into the fourth.

With AD out again, the lead was quickly trimmed down to 4 and Ham called a timeout.

Some big plays by Rui late in this game, but Prince probably had the play of the game. On a key defensive stand, he knocked a pass away, hustled to the sideline at midcourt while the Blazers thought the ball was going out of bounds. He recovered it just in time and then took it in for a layup to go up 5. The Lakers would hold on to the 116-110 win.


Davis -- -- In the first quarter, Russell worked the sideline pick and roll from the right side to get middle going left. Reaves worked it from the left side to get middle to his right. This got AD some good scoring opportunities. Russell moved more to the top of the key in the second quarter. With no Bron, AD brought the ball up a ton to get the Lakers into their 5-out offense sets. Much more noticeable in this one as they really focused on pulling Ayton out of the paint. When the Blazers tried to put a smaller man on him switching later, the Lakers worked the ball to AD in the post and that caused all kinds of issues for the Blazers. Good work from the FT line. Love it when AD is active and gets those double-digit FTAs. Defensively, we had to have him on the court. Our backup bigs had no resistance. We were a +17 when he was on the floor and a -11 when off for those 7 minutes of rest he got. The Stats: He scored 30 points on 10-20 shooting (0-1 from three, 10-12 from the line) to go with 13 boards, 6 assists, 3 blocks, 1 turnover and no fouls in 41 minutes. He was a +17.

Russell -- -- Really good job orchestrating the offense with 11 assists and just 1 turnover (which was right out of the gates). Throw in some hockey assists (nice read on a corner feed to then get it to AD against the fronting D) or setting guys up for FTs on top of that. He worked the sideline pick and roll with AD and well as some two-man at the top of the key. He got into the midrange a few times for scores as well as getting to the rim. Not efficient shooting-wise, but he seemed to recognize that early after shots were dropping. Defensively, there was a moment where the Lakers were looking sluggish while he rested and when he came back in, he tried to apply more pressure at the point of attack. That’s something we miss with Gabe and Vando out. The Stats: He scored 11 points on 5-14 shooting (0-3 from three, 1-2 from the line) to go with 5 boards, 11 assists, 1 steal, 1 turnover and 2 fouls in 32 minutes. He was a +4.

Prince -- -- Huge hustle play late in this game for a key steal and bucket, as mentioned. It’s seemed rare so far this season when the Lakers were the team that outhustles an opponent for a key play. That forced a Blazer timeout, I think mostly out of frustration with their lack of effort on that. Some good work off the dribble in this game to get to the rim for several scores. He seems to really catch defenders off guard when he puts the ball down and goes. Very effective there. Couldn’t hit a three, but solid game because of that. Defensively, I think having Cam on the floor with him helps the boards. Prince is a poor rebounder and Cam can be very active there when he’s playing with energy. The Stats: He scored 11 points on 5-9 shooting (0-3 from three, 1-1 from the line) to go with 3 boards, 1 assist, 1 steal, a turnover and 2 fouls in 33 minutes. He was a +1.

Hachimura -- -- Quiet game early, but he was involved in multiple key plays down the stretch. With 3:43 he attacked and drew a blocking foul up 1. It was challenged but unsuccessful, he made both those FTs. With 2:50 left, he crashed from the weakside for a putback finish. With over a minute left, he scored off a give and go with AD when AD recognized the double coming and hit him. He also made a couple more FTs. Strong finish. “Have Rui with an aggressive mentality is the Rui we prefer,” Ham said. The Stats: He scored 19 points on 6-10 shooting (1-3 from three, 6-6 from the line) to go with 5 boards, 2 assists, 2 steals, 1 turnover and 1 foul in 33 minutes. He was a +17.

Reddish -- -- Picking up where he left off in the last one, Reddish led the team with 16 points on 6-8 shooting in the first half. He also had a couple of backcourt steals. The defense got him into the starters spot, the offense picking up and just looking more comfortable and in the flow has been the big difference. He hit one three, but was mostly attacking the rim. In the second half, just one bucket on at attack from right wing to his left to get around the D and score a layup. Very controlled off the dribble. Good job as usaul with the pressure D and disrupting things, but also hitting the defensive boards. The Stats: He scored 18 points on 7-10 shooting (1-3 from three, 3-3 from the line) to go with 7 boards, 2 assists, 3 steals, 1 block, 1 turnover and 1 foul in 38 minutes. He was a +10.

Reaves -- -- Moved to the bench to play more of a Manu role. Reddish also gives the starters a bit more defensive pressure. Instant impact sinking a corner three and then pushing out a board on the next possession to setup Reddish for a three. He worked the two-man game with AD quite a bit to get into the paint and midrange and collapse the D. He sank a couple of threes, but also had a couple of airballs. You could see him not getting legs into one of those and the other just not well balanced. When he was set and fired, he looked money. Four assists with 1 turnover. One of those passes was a long bounce pass off the dribble to AD rim running for an And-1. Very nice. Love the production. This is what we want whether he starts or comes off the bench. The Stats: He scored 18 points on 6-12 shooting (2-4 from three, 4-4 from the line) to go with 4 boards, 4 assists, 1 turnover and no fouls in 28 minutes. He was a +3.

Wood -- -- Our minutes when AD sat were pretty awful. Nothing looked smooth for Wood in this one. He managed to get to the line a fair amount, even that looked a bit clunky. His one made shot was grabbing an airball for an And-1. Defensively, you could see Handy in his ear during a timeout going over the coverages with him in pretty animated fashion. No defensive boards, as well. The Stats: He scored 7 points on 1-4 shooting (0-2 from three, 5-7 from the line) to go with 1 board, 1 turnover and 2 fouls in 15 minutes. He was a -11.

Christie -- -- His confidence seems a bit off, but good effort out there on the glass and on defense. He did get backdoored for a dunk. The Stats: He didn’t score on 0-1 shooting to go with 3 boards, 1 steal and 1 turnover in 13 minutes. He was a +0.

Hayes -- -- Really, really annoyed with this game. Defensively, just a number of soft challenges, rarely threatening to disrupt a shot. Yet, still foul-prone. Also, no rebounds. Offensively, he had some weak attempts where he didn’t gather and power up. Also somehow missed a dunk. His one score was to start the fourth on a set play where Russell hit him for the dunk. After that, it was all downhill for his next couple minutes. Even missed both his FTs. He was a -11 in just 7 minutes. Come on, dude. Give AD some rest. Ugly ball. The Stats: He scored 2 points on 1-4 shooting (0-2 from the line) to go with 1 assist, 1 turnover and 3 fouls in 7 minutes. He was a -11.

Ham -- -- Key Moment: To start the fourth, you want to win those first few minutes and extend your lead. But with AD out, Ham went with Hayes, Wood, Reddish, Reaves and DLO. The lead was quickly trimmed down to 6. You could see AD get up and walk toward the coach. After another bucket, cutting it to 4, Ham called timeout and went back to the starters to restore order..

Key Substitution: Getting 18-4-4 from Reaves off the bench was big. I loved seeing Reaves hit Cam for a three trailing the break and how Cam was smiling off that. His teammates are pulling for him even with Reaves losing his starting job. Bron was backing up Cam off that missed game winner a few games back. His teammates are pushing to get him to the next level. “I haven’t had an atmosphere like this my entire NBA career,” Cam said after. Cam getting 18 in the starters with good D is just as key as Reaves getting 18 off the bench. Can we get it consistently?

Key Stats: Lakers shot 2-12 in the first half from three, the Blazers 6-20. The Lakers finished 4-19, the Blazers 13-37. That’s +27 from the three line. Got to shoot better.

Coach’s Challenge: Up 1 with 3:43 left, Rui attacked the lane, drew a blocking foul and the Blazers challenged. Unsuccessful.

[mhan00]

Always good to get a win when Lebron is out, even against an injury depleted bad team.

[Inspector Gadget]

Getting real sick and tired of Hayes goofy ass, he doesn’t appreciate basketball and is just out there because of his freakish athleticism, bench him and wait until the FO targets a big either in the buy out or trade market

[lakeshow03]

Was at the game, just wanted to note that after the game Max was out on the floor getting extra shots up against one of the coaches. He had a rough game with some TOs but good to see him putting in some extra work

[Nobody]

Good to see a 1st quarter lead, a sizeable lead later on (even though they managed to squander it twice) and an win.

Most impressed with Reddish, he did a complete 180 in just a handful of games. From not being able to dribble, hit the broad side of the barn or throw a decent pass, to being comfortable, hitting nifty layups, dunks, even the occasional three. I hope he continues this play.

AD, Reaves, DLO and Rui also deserve props. Let's get some momentum going.

[Dr. Laker]

Thanks, DB!
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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".

[RI Laker]

Thanks DB! Appreciate you. Its amazing how good DLO and Reeves are at getting in the paint and kicking the ball to the corners/wings. When the recipient does his job, its a beautiful thing.

[governator]

Rui as Bron back up is perfect
One of DLo-AR with one of Cam-Prince (eventually Vando) works too
Max-Hayes as emergency back ups
So… Gabe-FRP for a big? A Plumlee, a Drummond. Drummond-Caruso?
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“The main goal for the Lakers is to win a championship. All I care about, all we care about, is to raise another banner in the rafters.“

[ThreePointBomber]

The team is cheeks at shooting threes.

Glad we got the win.
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The most important shot in basketball.

[pio2u]

THX DB!

[A Mad Chinaman]

DB - Thanks for your work!!!

Agree with your assessment that the Lakers seemingly are not out hustling their opposition.

Who are out “Hustle Guys?”
Vanderbilt
Vincent
AR
-
Reddish
Christie
??(

[Lakersneuron]

Thanks DB!
_________________
"I don’t give a [expletive] what you say. If I go out there and miss game winners, and people say, 'Kobe choked, or Kobe is seven for whatever in pressure situations.' Well, [expletive] you. Because I don’t play for your [expletive] approval."

[A Mad Chinaman]

DB - Thanks for your work!!!

Agree with your assessment that the Lakers seemingly are not out hustling their opposition.

Who are out “Hustle Guys?”
Vanderbilt
Vincent
AR
-
Reddish
Christie
??

Three Big Lineup
“Davis can help indoctrinate the two free agent acquisitions to the point Lakers coach Darvin Ham trusts them at center, he could end up back at the 5 again, a position he has pushed back against since his very first day with the Lakers.”
https://global.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/38857839/inside-anthony-davis-lakers-vision-their-latest-big-man-trio

If Woods can provide/impose his will on defense and Hayes can make himself a greater offensive threat, Laker can provide something to challenge the Nuggets