LAKERS -at- RAPTORS – 3-14-19 - Thoughts and :-(( Ratings

 
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 14, 2019 7:12 pm    Post subject: LAKERS -at- RAPTORS – 3-14-19 - Thoughts and :-(( Ratings

2-8 in the Last 10 Games… The Lakers faced a higher level of talent tonight over the last one and promptly returned to the losing column.

They were turnover prone (20) and gave up too many offensive boards (13). Despite keeping the game relatively close, all those possessions add up over the course of the game and the Lakers eventually fell 111-98.

The Lakers also shot a poor 7-31 from three.

“It definitely drains the energy when we’re not hitting them,” Luke said of the shooting.

The Lakers are 2-8 in their last 10 games. Only the Mavs are worse with an impressive 1-9 mark.


LeBron -- He and Caruso seemed to be the only thing going for the Lakers tonight. The two also showed some nice chemistry as Caruso worked off ball and LeBron found him. Steady game for LBJ all night. He had 13 points on 5-10 shooting in the first half. A similar second half. We kept his minutes down trying to manage the tank, err, back-to-backs. “Always great to compete against the best,” LeBron said of playing against Kawhi (who mostly covered Kuzma). The Stats: He scored 29 points on 12-23 shooting (1-5 from three, 4-7 from the line) to go with 4 boards, 6 assists, 1 steal, 4 turnovers and 2 fouls in 32 minutes. He was a +0. The Action: He swiped a ball in the backcourt and scored a layup. Way short on a pull-up from midrange. He froze a defender with a hesi and drew FTs at the rim, he made both. He attacked the rim and missed, wanting the foul. He missed a deep three. Hockey assist on a full-court outlet that led to a McGee dunk. He attacked the help and scooped a layup around them with ease. He played some matador D to give up a layup, then threw away an advance pass a few seconds later. He threw a bounce pass away. He attacked hard to the rim and went down with no call. He threw down on the break when Powell made a business decision. He scored a layup after sealing his man on a leakout. No looker to Kuzma trailing the break for the score. He found Caruso cutting baseline for a layup. He sank an early offense wing three. He iso’d and missed a step-back three. Second Half: He short-armed a floater. He sank a turnaround fade working the post. Pocket pass to McGee for a score. He sealed his man but missed the bank. He posted up and sank the corner turnaround. He missed an early offense three with no one else down court. Quick change of ends and Rondo hit him for the And-1 layup, he made the FT. He missed a corner three. He threw down trailing the break. He was stripped on a drive. He attacked and drew FTs as he stumbled, he missed both. He iso’d and missed a fade at the FT line. He broke down the D in transition and dunked. Interior feed to Kuzma for a score. Dunk when Ingram pulled out an offensive board and we found him cutting. FTs on a drive to the rim, he made one. He attacked and was blocked by the help. He fired a pass into the stands. He changed directions on a rock-back dribble, sending his man going one way and he went the other for a layup.

Kuzma -- -- He picked up a couple of fouls in 3 minutes against Siakam and sat early. Then picked up his third foul on a shove on the defensive glass late in the half. He scored just 3 points in the first half, not really getting into the sync of things. He had to defend Kawhi a bit tonight as they both matched up for stretches. Not easy covers. That could have had something to do with the poor showing offensively, but he was just missing shots at times, even from the line. There were certainly a couple of poor iso possessions, but he never got on track to begin with. The Stats: He scored 7 points on 3-11 shooting (0-3 from three, 1-4 from the line) to go with 8 boards, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 turnover and 4 fouls in 31 minutes. He was a +1. The Action: He missed a wing three. Sweet feed to Caruso slipping into the lane for the layup. He missed a floater. He was blocked on the break. Nice outlet to LeBron on the leak out for a layup. Trailing the break, he took the no-looker from LeBron and scored at the rim. He had LeBron wide open for a lob and threw it away. He posted up and drew FTs on an up-and-under with a second on the shotclock, he made one. He pushed a man in the back on the defensive glass to pick up his third foul of the half. Second Half: He missed a wing three. He fed McGee under the hoop for a dunk. He was fouled on a cut out of a timeout, he missed both FTs. He went under a screen on Kawhi and gave up a three. He tried to iso and was rejected badly. Quick jumphook working the post. He missed a wing three. He spun in the paint and scored with his left off the interior feed. He missed a jumphook in the post.

Rondo -- -- He was a -18 in his 15 first half minutes. To be fair, he did rotate in at times when LeBron rotated out. But to be fair, he also had 4 turnovers in that first half, so the suck factor was definitely there. He’d finish the night with 5 turnovers. Just sloppy with the passes, spraying them where teammates weren’t or getting himself into trouble. Better second half as he kept the turnovers to a minimum and scored a little. The Stats: He scored 13 points on 5-10 shooting (3-4 from the line) to go with 5 boards, 8 assists, 1 steal, 5 turnovers and 1 foul in 30 minutes. He was a -15. The Action: He threw a post entry out of bounds on the first possession. He attacked off the wing screen and reversed. He attacked a crowd and missed. Extra pass to McGee on the break for the dunk. He got the defender on his heels on a drive and earned FTs, he made one. He attacked the paint and missed. He attacked and scooped in a layup before the D could time it. Extra pass for KCP on the break for a layup. Skip pass to Caruso for a three. He fired an outlet between defenders to McGee leaking out for FTs. He missed a layup, but McGee cleaned it up. His pocket pass was picked off. He couldn’t finish a layup off a quick first step. He got a defender turned around in transition and scored a layup. He threw a pass away at the end of the half and it led to a three. Second Half: He missed a pull-up at the top of the key. He fired a pass to LeBron for a breakaway score. He probed off a screen and scored the backhand layup. He banked in a runner after coming off the high screen. He drew FTs on a probe, he made both. He hit KCP for a corner three, just beating the shotclock. He attacked and threw it away.

McGee -- -- Some early foul trouble with limited his time on the court. I think we would have preferred playing him more against Gasol as our size was kind of exposed when he wasn’t in there. We still struggled with the defensive glass even with him out there sometimes. Just couldn’t come up with the ball. The Stats: He scored 9 points on 4-5 shooting (1-2 from the line) to go with 9 boards, 1 steal, 1 block, 2 turnovers and 4 fouls in 19 minutes. He was a -11. The Action: He blocked a layup from behind on a recovery after a switch. He fumbled a pass in the paint. He stole a ball in the backcourt, then airballed on the drive. Illegal screen out of a timeout, turnover. He dunked off the break when Rondo fed him. He drew FTs trying to throwdown on the break, he made one. He cleaned up Rondo’s drive with a dunk. Second Half: He banked a short one off the pocket pass from LeBron. He was stripped after an offensive board. He took the pass, pivoted around a defender and dunked. He forced a turnover on a challenge. Fourth foul in the backcourt, not smart.

Bullock -- -- A lot of minutes, but really little impact. He sank a couple of threes, but was missing some open ones. The Stats: He scored 7 points on 2-7 shooting from three (1-1 from the line) to go with 3 boards, 2 steals, 1 block and 1 foul in 30 minutes. The Action: He missed a corner three short. He swished a pull-up wing three. He got tapped on a wing three. Second Half: He sank an And-1 three behind a screen on a set play to start the half, he made the FT to complete the 4-point play. He missed an open corner three. Offensive foul on an illegal screen off the pass out of a timeout. Way short on a three on a kickout (looked like he shot that flat-footed). He missed a corner three.

Caldwell-Pope -- -- He was clanking from three tonight, going 1-8 from behind the arc. He was at least doing some little things and had a few hustle plays. Had he made some of those threes tonight, the game would have been up for grabs. I’m not going to expect him to string together a couple games like his last one, though. The Stats: He scored 9 points on 4-12 shooting (1-8 from three) to go with 5 boards, 2 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks, 3 turnovers and 2 fouls in 22 minutes. He was a -4. The Action: He missed a baseline pull-up. He missed a pull-up wing three. He tried to create and threw a pass into the ankles of a teammate. He scored a layup on the break on an unselfish play by Rondo. He robotically swung a pass to the weak side and it was picked off. He pounded the dribble on iso and airballed a pull-up three (not your game, fool). He missed a heave the buzzer. He scored a layup off an inbounds play under the hoop. He missed a corner three, taking a dribble to his left. Second Half: He missed a corner three. He drained a corner three off a kickout. He missed a wing three. Turnover in the paint. He scored a breakaway layup. Way short on a wing three (should have swung to Ingram in the corner…Luke mentioned it to him as he called a timeout a few seconds later).

Hart -- -- In early for Kuzma who got into quick foul trouble. Not a lot of impact. He sank a couple of threes (and had another that went in after the shotclock expired). His defense got better as the game went along. “He’s not at risk for injuring himself any further,” Luke said, mentioning it’s just a matter of playing through pain. The Stats: He scored 8 points on 3-6 shooting (2-4 from three, 0-1 from the line) to go with 1 board, 2 steals and 1 foul in 28 minutes. He was a -17. The Action: He moved in off the fly by and missed the open elbow jumper. He swiped a ball, pushed out and scored an And-1 layup while delivering some punishment, he missed the FT. He sank a wing three in his man’s face. Great reach to swipe a ball and ignite the break. He missed a three off the jumpball. He missed a wide open corner three. Second Half: He swished a wing three. He forced his man into a brick on iso D. Another good challenge to get a miss next time down.

Williams -- -- Quiet night on both ends. We searched for some kind of solution in the paint, but no one stepped up tonight. The Stats: He had 3 boards and 2 turnovers in 7 minutes. He was a +5. The Action: Nothing to report. Second Half: He traveled taking a pass after a slip screen. He was stripped trailing the break. He was fouled on the offensive glass to regain possession.

Caruso -- -- Career-high scoring night. Really good job working off the ball for scores, especially with the ball in LeBron’s hands. He was aggressive, as well, on the drive or with the shot when the opportunities presented themselves, and he led the Lakers with 14 points on 5-5 shooting in the first half. So most of that scoring action took place in the first half. Again some issues briefly bringing the ball up court when pressured. He needs to do a better job protecting the ball. Always like the hustle defensively. “He always competes his tail off,” Luke said of his defensive effort. The Stats: He scored 16 points on 5-7 shooting (1-1 from three, 5-5 from the line) to go with 6 boards, 5 assists, 2 turnovers and 4 fouls in 26 minutes. He was a -3. The Action: He attacked a seam with the shotclock low and drew FTs, he made both. Great cut and Kuzma whipped a pass to him for a layup. He sealed a man on a screen, cut to the hoop and LeBron found him for the layup (nice play out of a timeout). Strong cut baseline and LeBron found him for a layup. Aggressive move to the hole off the LeBron screen and he scored the And-1 layup, he made the FT. He drained a wing three off a skip pass next time down. Second Half: He hit LeBron trailing the break for the dunk. Explosive first step to get into the paint and draw FTs, he made both. Nice box out on a big on a switch to keep him off the glass. He missed a floater, but tapped the board back out. He was swatted from behind on a drive. He was picked bringing the ball up court out of a timeout and had to foul.

Muscala -- -- Man, just no presence at all. Must…not…talk…about…trade… The Stats: He had no stats in 2 minutes. He was a -2. The Action: Nothing to report. Second Half: He did not play in the second half.

Wagner -- -- Ugly night. Some struggles on the defensive glass as we ran him at the C spot. He also had no presence defending drives, either. Often not challenging or not in position on rotation. Very poor job defensively outside of a steal (he does do a good job of stepping around his man in the post for steals or using his hands against guards…but needs to work on that strength and help D). The Stats: He didn’t shoot or score and had 1 board, 1 steal, 1 turnover and 2 fouls in 8 minutes. He was a -1. The Action: He bit on a pumpfake and fouled Kawhi on a jumper. He swiped a post entry pass. He and Rondo swiped a ball on a double team. He threw a pass away, trying to kick out to Kuzma, whom I think he was hoping was going to cut. Second Half: Nothing to report.

Ingram -- -- With 9:26 left in the fourth, down 11, Andre came in to cheers from both Laker and Raptor fans. They tried to get him a couple shots, but he couldn’t knock them down. The Stats: He didn’t score on 0-4 shooting (0-3 from three) to go with 2 boards, 1 steal and no fouls in 5 minutes. He was a -1. The Action: He did not play in the first half. Second Half: He knocked a ball loose on rotation and that ignited a breakaway score. Not close on a drive. He missed a corner three when LeBron was looking for him on the break. He missed a wing three but battled for an offensive board and it led to a LeBron dunk. He got tapped on a wing three off a swing pass.

Walton -- -- The Lakers had at least three turnovers out of timeouts tonight. Not from poorly drawn up plays, but just careless ballhandling and execution. That kind of stuff adds up in close games… “We got to get creative with some of our lineups,” Luke said afterward, looking for units that compete, but also dealing with the injuries… Hart in for Kuzma after 3 minutes when he picked up two fouls. Lakers down 1… KCP in for Rondo… Down 6, LeBron out for Rondo with 5 minutes left… He left McGee in and he picked up his third foul with 4 minutes left. Williams in for him, Lakers down 9… Caruso in for Bullock down 8 with 3 minutes left… Williams out for Muscala with 2 minutes left… The Lakers trailed 33-25 after the first quarter… LeBron, Kuzma, Hart, KCP, Caruso lineup to start… They got out in transition to trim the lead to 2 and force a timeout… Down 1, LeBron out for Rondo… McGee in for Moe with 4 minutes left… After taking a lead, timeout after giving up a couple threes to trail by 7… McGee, Kuzma, Hart, Bullock, Rondo… Down 7, McGee out with 1:21 for Wagner. Some struggles on the defensive glass as a result… A 14-2 Toronto run to end the half… The Lakers trailed 65-54 at the half… Caruso in for Rondo, Lakers down 8 midway through the quarter… McGee picked up his fourth foul and sat for Moe with 4 minutes left, Lakers down 7. LeBron out for Rondo, as well… Timeout as they fell back by 11 after giving up a straight-line drive… Moe out for Williams… They trailed 90-84 heading into the fourth… He started a Williams, LeBron, Hart, KCP, Caruso lineup… Andre Ingram in down 11… Timeout as they fell back by 13… Rondo and Bullock in… Down 11 with 2 minutes left, he sat LeBron for KCP… The Lakers were held at arm’s distance all quarter… “Just beat anybody’s ass right now. I don’t care who it is,” Worthy said afterward…
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Laker7
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 14, 2019 7:34 pm    Post subject:

First......first time being first!!!!

Good energy from the second units.

Poor shooting from Kuzma and KCP combined 7 of 23 from the floor and 1 for 11 from three point land.

Kuzma played decent defense on Leonard had 8 boards and 3 assists.

Williams outplayed Wagner IMO had more boards and better defense. Mo was playing with energy but the Raptors were bigger and stronger tonight.
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tony
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 14, 2019 8:14 pm    Post subject:

Petition for Mods to change Mike Muscala thread title to (bleep) MISSCALA
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TooMuchMajicBuss
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 14, 2019 8:44 pm    Post subject:

Thanks DB. Good to see Caruso get some run out there in NBA games. I know he's borderline talent but I like how he scraps on defense. He respects the game, the fans, and the value of playing hard on both ends of the court.
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al242
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PostPosted: Fri Mar 15, 2019 5:21 am    Post subject:

TANK TANK TANK

Trade Lebron
Fire Maginka
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LakerLanny
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PostPosted: Fri Mar 15, 2019 6:33 am    Post subject:

Caruso is a potential role player for a good team.

The rest of the team outside of LeBron is embarrassing.
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PostPosted: Fri Mar 15, 2019 9:27 am    Post subject:

Well, at least they hung in there for quite a while. Impressed with Caruso's play of late. Always good to have a slasher that can hit the occasional three and at least try to defend.

Hopefully Rajon isn't back next season. McGee, KCG and Muscala, too. I still have faith in Bullock.

Thanks for toughing it out, DB!
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PostPosted: Fri Mar 15, 2019 5:16 pm    Post subject:

Thanks DB!
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autoprice
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PostPosted: Mon Jun 24, 2019 6:49 pm    Post subject: thanks

good
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