WARRIORS -at- LAKERS - 2/28 - Thoughts and :-)) Ratings

 
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PostPosted: Sun Feb 28, 2021 8:54 pm    Post subject: WARRIORS -at- LAKERS - 2/28 - Thoughts and :-)) Ratings

A Little Payback... Last time these two teams played, you could see the interest wane by the Lakers after they built a big lead.

Tonight, the Lakers dropped 73 points in the first half to lead by 29 as they went into halftime. No doubt the coaching staff reminded the Lakers what happened last time they took their foot off the gas last time, but they players most likely remembered.

They didn’t relent on either end.

Offensively, they were moving the ball well, hitting threes, cutting, pushing the pace and attacking the rim. It was clicking. Defensively, they played on a string with some of their better rotations of the year.

This allowed them to sit LeBron early, his fewest minutes of the season. As an added bonus, they got to see their 10-day contract newcomer, Damian Jones, in his first run as a Laker.

They had a full fourth quarter and more of garbage time as they won easily, 117-91.


LeBron -- -- Again, he started off the game with that defensive focus that has elevated the Lakers play on that end of the court. Without AD, we’re seeing him switch gears and be disruptive like him. This is also a reminder of playoff Bron. So we saw a little more of the free safety interceptions and another block at the rim on rotation. “I’ve just been flying around,” he said. Offensively, the shot was looking decent, so he buried some threes, including on at the end of the first half. Love that we stomped the opponent early. LeBron could coast in the third, then sit early. Fewest minutes he’s played this season. LeBron said watching the film against these teams the first time they played them and going over things on the practice floor really helped them dial things in. Good job keeping the turnovers low again. The Stats: He scored 19 points on 7-12 shooting (3-5 from three, 2-4 from the line) to go with 6 boards, 4 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks, 2 turnovers and 2 fouls in 24 minutes. He was a +18.

Schröder -- -- Our offense is much more north and south with him in the mix. We get more paint touches in our possessions. He was a +36 in his first 16 minutes. At that point, he took exception to Steph trying to draw a foul on the three line at that point, clipping him in the face with an elbow. He then picked up his third foul a second later and had to sit with 2:40 left in the half. But the team again went to that tag-team sub pattern with Schröder/LeBron and the team again saw success. He abuses switches when he gets them. In the playoffs, we’re going to see the Lakers hunt those with more purpose. Ultimately, that may be what we use to carry those second units when it gets down to it and LeBron sits. There was a little stretch in this game where he ran some two-man action with Jones. Nice seeing him with a vertical threat for a change and using it properly. That might be the smoothest he’s looked with the pass. He’d get stuck in some awkward spots tonight, expecting/hoping for a player to be somewhere they weren’t. He and KCP tag teamed defensively on Curry, although, that’s a team effort. Some of the rotations in this game were sensational. Curry finished with 16 points on 5-13 shooting in 26 minutes. The Stats: He scored 12 points on 3-9 shooting (0-3 from three, 6-7 from the line) to go with 3 boards, 6 assists, 1 steal, 4 turnovers and 3 fouls in 25 minutes. He was a +32.

Caldwell-Pope -- -- Excellent job drawing FTs tonight. Some nice cuts that made some of that happen. He didn’t score a field goal until late when he swished a three on a SLOB pass as he came off that high Gasol screen. We run that play for Kuz, LeBron and I think Wes once or twice. A couple steals for KCP tonight, including one where he jumped the passing lane and drew a clear-path foul. The Stats: He scored 9 points on 1-5 shooting (1-3 from three, 6-8 from the line) to go with 5 boards, 2 assists, 2 steals, 2 turnovers and 3 fouls in 23 minutes. He was a +13.

Gasol -- -- Hopefully, he’s getting into a groove. The past week or two, he’s stepped it up. Tonight, just an excellent two-way game. One of his best, and I feel like that’s been said a lot about him lately. Some really good challenges defensively. That stats don’t paint the picture. He only had 1 block in the game, but there were multiple shots in the paint that were disrupted by his challenges. Offensively, he sank a couple of threes. He scored a rare And-1 off a DHO with Schröder. He changed directions and hit the And-1 on that. The assists look deceptive, as well. He set up both Kieff and KCP on passes that led to FTs, so not assists for those. The Stats: He scored 9 points on 3-4 shooting (2-3 from three, 1-1 from the line) to gow tih 4 boards, 2 assists, 1 block and 1 foul in 16 minutes. He was a +9.

Morris -- -- Perfect game from him with the combination of hitting threes, moving the ball and getting boards. He said they remembered how they let the last game go and they just wanted to come out and play hard. They did from the start. Some good ball movement from both Kieff and to him. When that ball is hopping like that, the team really plays well. And for him, it leads to those good looks from three. He’d sink a corner three off a swing pass. He’d make an extra pass to Gasol for a three. He’d hit from the midrange in the paint and also get set up for a dunk on a BLOB pass. Good seeing these guys playing a string defensively and him scoring on the other end. They are very tough when he’s contributing offensively. The Stats: He scored 13 points on 4-8 shooting (2-4 from three, 3-4 from the line) to go with 8 boards, 4 assists and 1 foul in 24 minutes. He was a +18.

Harrell -- -- He got to take the second half of this game off with the Lakers up big. Just 11 minutes tonight. That’s all right the refs weren’t going to call fouls for him anyway. I swear there were three times he should have been to the line during his brief minutes. Anyway, he dunked off a feed from LBJ in transition. He bullied his way to a layup miss and tip in. And he’d take some contact in the middle of the zone and score. If I’m going to rewatch one stretch of game in this, it might be the defense when Trezz was on the floor. A lot of switching, some drop coverage because Wiseman was out there, and some rotations by that group that caused issues. Even some good communication by Trezz telling guys to switch. They finished the first quarter on a 12-0 run. The Stats: He scored 6 points on 3-7 shooting to go with 3 boards, 2 steals and 1 foul in 11 minutes. He was a +18.

Kuzma -- -- Beasting on those boards with another 11 tonight. He had a double-double in 20 minutes. One of those corner crashes probably cost the Lakers a turnover as Schröder was expecting him to be spacing the floor and Kuz was cutting. But other than that, very effective on the glass. Defensively, excellent decision making and help. His rotations were anticipating the play extremely well. Check out that first possession of the second quarter where the Lakers were flying around on the floor. Multiple guys were scrambling, but I think Kuz covered three guys as a result of the team switching everything up effectively. Offensively, he sank a couple of threes. He had a putback jam in the second half, as well. The Stats: He scored 12 points on 4-7 shooting (2-4 from three, 2-2 from the line) to go with 11 boards (3 offensive), 1 steal, 3 turnovers and 2 fouls in 20 minutes. He was a +15.

Caruso -- -- Excellent game again from AC. He did get into a little trouble fouling Curry on long jumpers, but that’s pretty common in the league these days. He was aggressive going to the rim, either off a screen, or even moving the D with a ball fake and then attacking. He even rejected a LeBron screen to drive and earn FTs. One of his high screen attacks, he flipped in an And-1 layup like THT. A couple great defensive plays, one stripping Paschall on help on the perimeter and hitting Kuzma for a cherry picking dunk. Another, he stood in the post on D and took an elbow to the face to draw the offensive foul (only time I remember Wiggins doing something in this game). Good game for birthday AC. The Stats: He scored 13 points on 5-8 shooting (1-2 from three, 2-5 from from the line) to go with 4 boards, 4 assists, 1 steal, 1 turnover and 2 fouls in 21 minutes. He was a +16.

Horton-Tucker -- -- Felt like we could have had better use of his time in this one. In the fourth quarter, when AC sat this was his team to run for about 10 minutes. First possession was an iso miss on a fade. From there it was generally just unorganized ball with some deep bench. THT would try to drive, and passing was only an afterthought once penetrated too deep and was in trouble. You’ve got to try to organize the offense, set things up for others and find a balance with the ball in your hands. I probably liked his D better than his O in this one. He was able to come up with some steals (led the team with 3) as well as another block. The Stats: He scored 11 points on 5-12 shooting (0-2 from three, 1-1 from the line) to go with 1 board, 3 steals, 1 block, 1 turnover and 1 foul in 16 minutes. He was a -2.

Matthews -- -- He missed a turnaround on iso and a three, but was scoreless. He hit a three, but it was after a whistle. Defensively, some good moments on rotations. Only he and Dudley didn’t score in this one. The Stats: He didn’t score on 0-2 shooting (0-1 from three) to go with 1 board and 1 turnover in 13 minutes. He was a +11.

Jones -- -- He came in for Gasol with 5 minutes left in the third quarter, Lakers up 30. Watching Schröder work with a vertical threat was a nice change. The two teamed up quickly for a lob and then Jones would hit a floater on another feed from Dennis. His minutes would be cut short in the ofurht when he tried to save his face from getting hit by a brick on a rebound. He looked stiff after he scored on that and immediately left the game. Tough break. Hopefully, it doesn’t keep him out long because these are important minutes. Defensively, some decent moments. He got in on a block on a dunk attempt and was like what were you thinking? We saw a possession where he was bullied, however, to give up a score on a drive. But we also saw him contain Pascall on a couple of attack attempts with some good lateral speed. He boxed out well. Mostly good stuff for that point in the game. But, again, we were up by 30 and in some serious garbage time for the second half of this one. The Stats: He scored 8 points on 3-3 shooting (2-2 from the line) to go with 3 boards, 2 blocks and 2 fouls in 8 minutes. He was a -2.

Dudley -- -- He missed on a pull-up on a drive and another pull-up three. Briefly in there at the C spot for a short stretch. The Stats: He didn’t score on 0-2 shooting (0-1 from three) to go with 4 boards, 1 turnover and no fouls in 12 minutes. He was a -4.

McKinnie -- -- Some long run in this one as we had a full fourth quarter of garbage ball. He score a point on a FT. He got a stop, drawing a charge. But missed all three of his threes. The Stats: He scored 1 points on 0-4 shooting (0-3 from three, 1-2 from the line) to go with 1 foul in 12 minutes. He was a -4.

Cacok -- -- He came in when Jones left. He’d score quickly after entering with a jumphook in the post. The Stats: He scored 2 points on 1-1 shooting (0-2 from the line) to go with 4 boards, 1 steal and 2 turnovers in 7 minutes. He was a -4.

Antetokounmpo -- -- Impressive putback jam off a missed FT, looking for a moment like his brother. He charged off an iso, as well. The Stats: He scored 2 points on 1-1 shooting to go with 3 boards, 1 steal, 2 turnovers and 2 fouls in 6 minutes. He was a -4.

Vogel -- -- Key Moment: Probably when they forced a timeout up 18-5. The Lakers came out with some purpose and pounced on the Warriors. They never let up.

Key Substitution: Let’s go with LeBron just playing 24 minutes and also seeing Damian Jones in during the third quarter. We got some good run for the new guy, but also chopped those minutes down big for LeBron in a game without AD. Nice.

Key Stats: The Lakers shot 16 FTs in the first quarter, should have been 20. They were just a load and dropped a 41-point first quarter. They also kept the Warriors to just 8-34 shooting from three in this game.

Coach’s Challenge: They wanted to review three FTs to Curry with 3 minutes left in the half when he stepped into Schröder to draw the foul, clipping him in the face with an elbow. Unsuccessful. Lakers were up 29 at the time.
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sonic the laker
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PostPosted: Sun Feb 28, 2021 8:55 pm    Post subject:

Thanks, DB!

Warriors were cold cold COLD from 3. For a team that relies on Curry, and 3's falling at a high clip to win, the rest is a forgone conclusion. The Lakers energy on defense, making sure to stay attached to shooters, and contesting shots, helped in keeping the Warriors cold.

That, with the best display of ball movement I've seen from the Lakers this season, paved the way for an easy win by the 3rd quarter. Not every game is going to be like this. But, the Lakers need to keep playing with this commitment, energy, movement, and unselfish play.
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PostPosted: Sun Feb 28, 2021 10:29 pm    Post subject:

Another great summary DB

Just a really fun one to watch as the lakers rolled and except for the first 2-3 minutes of the third were really engaged on offense throughout (and defense was fully locked in).

You can see how different teams play the Lakers when DS is in, and is not in. He makes a difference, even when he misses, in just attacking the basket. One of those games where stat wise DS wasnt blowing up any eye opening stats, but he helps a ton when LBJ isnt on the floor.

Team is very competitive, even without AD, versus alot of teams (but take DS away as well and...yea). However, without AD, I expect them to struggle vs teams with two stars. Upcoming Suns game will be a tough one, my expectations are actually not high, but if the Lakers can play like they did tonight they will be fine.

Jones surprised me. Played solid D, couple of nice blocks, decent around the rim on offense. Did have trouble when Wiseman and Pachal put their body into him (he tends to stand tall and not leverage lower body strength to take those blows). Then again, I didnt expect much for a guy waived and on a 10 day...here's to hoping he does well the next 2 games to show he can fill that "vertical threat" role Vog was talking about.
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PostPosted: Sun Feb 28, 2021 11:31 pm    Post subject:

Thanks DB. Fun game to watch.
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PostPosted: Mon Mar 01, 2021 2:40 am    Post subject:

Best Stat: Lebron played 24 minutes

Promising: Jones

Indespensible: Schoeder
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PostPosted: Mon Mar 01, 2021 5:46 am    Post subject:

Thanks, DB!

The game was basically 40 minutes of garbage time. We dominated from the start.
Love to see LBJ playing only 24 minutes.
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PostPosted: Mon Mar 01, 2021 5:54 am    Post subject:

Is wiseman that raw? Not better than damion
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PostPosted: Mon Mar 01, 2021 5:54 am    Post subject:

Thanks DB!
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PostPosted: Mon Mar 01, 2021 6:43 am    Post subject:

Thanks DB! We needed to see that complete performance
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PostPosted: Mon Mar 01, 2021 8:10 am    Post subject:

Thanks DB! Great write up as always, and great game this time!! Lakers finding their momentum without AD, that'll just make the Lakers a more complete team come playoff time.
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PostPosted: Mon Mar 01, 2021 10:53 am    Post subject:

great write and great game, it's also great to be able to watch the game without using FF...

Let's keep it going, back to 2nd place in the West...!
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PostPosted: Mon Mar 01, 2021 11:34 am    Post subject:

The box score does not show it but the three point shooting was impressive. Guys at garbage time were terrible from three causing the overall percentage to go down.

McKinnie 0-3
Dudley 0-1
Matthews 0-1
THT 0-2

vs starters

Gasol 2-3
Morris 2-4
Lebran 3-5
KCP 1-3
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lordtrapula
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PostPosted: Mon Mar 01, 2021 12:11 pm    Post subject:

governator wrote:
Is wiseman that raw? Not better than damion


Very raw, he still has a skillset that could be valuable. (Big shooting 3's)

But he has legit stone hands. He kinda reminds me of Kwame Brown in that department.
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