KNICKS -at- LAKERS - 2-5-22 - Thoughts and :-)) Ratings

[DancingBarry]

The Westbrook Problem... A rare sighting this season, the trio of LeBron, AD and Westbrook all playing in the same game -- and a starting lineup we’ve never seen (Monk/Johnson added to the mix).

First three plays, the Lakers had two turnovers and a miss, which turned into three straight threes on the other end in transition. The Lakers were down 9-0 and Vogel called a timeout. After giving up 42 points and trailing by 13 at the end of the first quarter, the crowd grew annoyed.

They started to turn on Westbrook during the second quarter (he had 4 turnovers and made just 1 shot in the half). When he badly missed that lefty bank shot, they started to boo.

He felt like an anchor strapped to the team. When he sat, you’d see LeBron explode for layups and play free. The difference between LeBron/AD playing and Russ’s game was never more apparent. The Twitterverse and hot takes blew up in response.

Malik Monk got the Lakers rolling in the third quarter. He’d score the first 5 to force a timeout and didn’t look back. He’d drop 18 points on the Knicks as he found his shot and the Lakers found him. Meanwhile, the Lakers locked in and held the Knicks to just 13 points that quarter.

The Lakers built up a 9-point lead with 2 minutes left. The Knicks put them at the line and Westbrook missed two, Ariza missed one, Monk missed a tech. Meanwhile the Knocks got easy scores and this game went to overtime as the Lakers failed to score on their last possession.

In overtime, Vogel sat Westbrook for THT. Right decision to sit Russ (just 1-10 and a team-low -15).

A couple of steals on the sideline by the Lakers resulted in big dunks. One for LeBron early and one for AD late. In between that, props to Trevor Ariza who sank a big corner three, and THT also had a score in the paint. The Lakers held on to win 122-115 after trailing by 20+ early on.

At least two of the trio of Lakers stars showed up. Monk stepped into that vacuum left by Russ to join them with 29 points.


LeBron -- -- It seemed like everytime Russ sat early, LeBron was working his way for layups instantly after that. He had 15 points on 7-10 shooting. Outside of sinking one three that was all at the rim in the first half. Somehow, no freethrow calls with all that driving. He was clearly frustrated with the officials. He had a lefty layup midway through the fourth that went high over the defenders and spun in with defender all over him. He was like, where is the foul call? Still no freethrows. He finally got his first trip to the line with 2:52 on what would have been his 20th attempt. With 8 seconds left in regulation, we put the ball in his hands and he tried to work the two-man game with AD. He missed the long jumper (maybe had AD open rolling). Having Russ in the corner probably didn’t help with the spacing on that. In overtime, he had a ball saved right to him that he took for a dunk. He also had a putback jam that was called for offensive interference. He looked strong. Defensively, he really dug in during that second half run. Hopefully, the leg responds well and the rest he gets between these games helps. The Stats: He scored 29 points on 13-24 shooting (2-7 from three, 1-2 from the line) to go with 13 boards (3 offensive), 10 assists, 1 steal, 3 turnover and 3 fouls in 40 minutes. He was a +12.

Davis -- -- His defense is just so huge for this team. Whether it’s just pulling down boards, challenging shots or coming up with big steals like he helped force in overtime and that turned into a breakaway dunk for himself. We need other guys around him battling on that end if we want to see lockdown. During that third quarter, they joined him. He had 3 blocks and drew a charge in the first half to go with his team-high 16 points. He had a nice one-handed jam on the screen-roll with LeBron and another lob finish from Monk on the break. He also came soaring in for a putback jam off a Westbrook missed three. He was doing work. I loved seeing the change up on the strong-handoff sequence. Instead of handing it off, he spun and attack with his right for an Add-1 layup. Late in the game, he had another big putback as Russ missed a corner three and AD scored the And-1. Some good two-man action with his guards. He packed the stat sheet tonight. The Stats: He scored 28 points on 13-19 shooting (2-5 from the line) to go with 17 boards (7 offensive), 3 assists, 3 steals, 4 blocks, 2 turnovers and 3 fouls in 41 minutes. He was a +9..

Westbrook -- -- “Guys competed, you won the game and that’s all that matters,” Russ said. He kept repeating that with all the questions afterward. They’ve played our trio 17 times (10-7 is the record). Ideally, when one of our high-priced stars has an off-game, the others pick him up. What worries most fans is that Russ right now is far from being at the level of AD/Bron. So the spotlight will be on him, and, man, did it stand out tonight. The crowd started boo’ing midway through the second quarter. He was playing sluggish, turned the ball over twice, bricked a layup, bricked two jumpers, and when his lefty bank bricked badly (those shots look awful when he misses), the crowd started to get angry with him. The boo’s came out. It was an awful shift, almost going through the motions, as we dropped behind by 20. He then missed a three badly, it went back to him, wide open, and he missed again, but before the crowd could get on him AD saved him by soaring and slamming that miss back in. An awful first half with a -24 (for reference, despite the slow start from the starters, LeBron was a -4 in the first half). Russ was 1-7 with 4 turnovers in that first half. His best play might have been missing threes so AD could crash the glass for scores. In the second half, he at least kept the turnovers clean as he faded into the woodwork. In the final minute, he was fouled on the sideline and went to the line and missed two FTs. Again, the crowd was groaning. All the missed FTs by the Lakers sent this one to OT, where Vogel sat Russ for THT. Right call, not an easy one because of the ripples it causes, but right call. Russ, you can’t suck that bad and not expect it. Afterward, AD said he should try to do the little things when he’s going through a tough game. That’s really part of the problem, too. There’s not a lot of that. Just battle. We need to get our reps in with our trio and find spots for Russ. “Russ was having a tough night on both sides of the ball,” Vogel said. The Stats: He scored 5 points on 1-10 shooting (0-3 from three, 3-7 from the line) to go with 4 boards, 6 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 4 turnovers and 2 fouls in 29 minutes. He was a -15.

Monk -- -- Poor shooting first half with 4 points on 2-7 shooting. You really wanted to see that starting lineup come out rolling, but he was cold early on and not in attack-mode. In the second half, he forced a timeout as he cut the lead to 10 on the first couple possessions. He sank a pull-up from midrange against the drop coverage, then swished a three, getting his balance dialed in and taking his time on the kickout. He’d start attacking the rim more, hit a couple of threes and the Lakers cut the lead to 1. He had 15 of the Lakers 22 in the first 6 minutes of the third. And just like that he was suddenly leading the team with 19 points. He’d finish with 18 points in that third, outsourcing the Knicks. We really worked on integrating him into that strong handoff sequence. But it needs more work. He stopped instead of running through a handoff to grab it and that led to AD coughing it up to a defender for a big turnover. In OT, Monk would come up big on a drive where he went to work, changing directions multiple times and getting to the rim. Love seeing his offense flourishing. What’s key to that is keeping on the floor on D. Defensively, we made sure he didn’t get stuck on switches. He’s a small guard and that’s instant problems. The Knicks weren’t able to expose that and Monk has really made some strides on that end of the floor in general. I don’t think it’s a done deal that he’s not back with this team next year. Teams will throw some money at him, for sure. We could use some exception money, but it wouldn’t surprise me if he sacrifices some dollars and we make it up to him later. Monk: “My whole career this is what I’ve been trying to find. I’m glad Rob called me this summer.” The Stats: He scored 29 points on 11-20 shooting (4-8 from three, 3-4 from the line) to go with 2 assists, 1 turnover and 1 foul in 39 minutes. He was a +8.

Johnson -- -- We didn’t start Bradley in this game, instead opting to play a big bigger with Stanley at the SF. We don’t need a lot from him with our trio out there. Just play D, take what the offense gives you, and play more D. He’d score a couple of layups and sink a big open wing three to cut the lead to 5. But we’d end up going with Ariza in place of Stanley in that fourth quarter and OT. The Stats: He scored 9 points on 4-7 shooting (1-2 from three) to go with 5 boards, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 turnover and 4 fouls in 22 minutes. He was a -5.

Bradley -- -- He started the second quarter instead of the game. Getting him out of that starting lineup is good to see. We just need to elevate our roster and Monk has played really well when he’s started in the past. Nunn was upgraded to questionable prior to this game and that may change things further for Bradley. Foul-prone minutes from AB tonight. The Stats: He didn’t score on 0-2 from three to go with 1 board and 3 fouls in 13 minutes. He was a -8.

Reaves -- -- Not that you need to motivate Reaves, but I am hopeful that the last game against the Clippers really does give him focus on building up his strength. Strong game tonight. Aggressive first half shift offensively, which is what we like to see. He scored a layup on that two-man action with LeBron. He also had an aggressive attack off a SLOB for an And-1 banked floater. He had 7 points on 2-3 shooting and probably should have had a couple more FTs. He’d score a couple more FTs in the second half and also have a big strip. The Stats: He scored 9 points on 2-5 shooting (0-2 from three, 5-5 from the line) to go with 3 boards, 1 block, 1 turnover and no fouls in 18 minutes. He was a +5.

Horton-Tucker -- -- He was 0-5 when Vogel brought him in for OT for Russ. First touch, he takes his eyes off a pass and fumbles it out of bounds. He rallied, though. He’d tie up his man defensively for a jumpball on the other end (which then turned into a stop and a dunk for LeBron). He work that inverse screen action with LeBron for And-1 layup in the middle of the paint for his first score. The D was solid, got a score in and made the Vogel decision to trust his youngest player pay off. He led the team with a +22 in his 24 minutes. Honestly, this is because we can’t really play him and Russ on the floor at the same time. So THT’s +/- benefited from that. Trade deadline is approaching, hard to say whether he’s still here. The Stats: He scored 2 points on 1-6 shooting (0-3 from three, 0-1 from the line) to go with 4 boards, 3 assists, 1 turnover and 3 fouls in 24 minutes. He was a +22.

Jordan -- -- With Dwight out, we brought in Jordan 3 minutes into the second quarter when LeBron sat. He kept an offensive board alive, got a stop, gave up an And-1 and didn’t hustle back in transition. That lack of covering the floor on D is killer. Thankfully, he didn’t play long. If he’s not part of a trade, he should be released. He is not playable. I suspect we’ll be picking someone up off waivers and DJ is no longer on the team. The Stats: He didn’t score, grabbed 2 boards and had 1 foul in 3 minutes. He was a -4.

Ariza -- -- Johnson got the start, but Ariza got the finish. I don’t think that’s going to typically be the plan, but Trevor kind of worked those Melo minutes into closing this one. Big layup by Ariza out of a timeout with 1:17 left. He’d also hit a corner three in overtime that was a body blow to the Knicks. Defensively, he’s smart, reliable and has that length/strength that allows for more switching opportunities. We really need to watch out for those long stretches of leaving him in, though. He ran 35 minutes tonight, but did lead the bench in scoring, too. Nearly a double-double. The Stats: He scored 11 points on 3-9 shooting (2-7 from three, 3-4 from the line) to go with 8 boards, 3 assists, 1 block and 3 fouls in 35 minutes. He was a +11.

Vogel -- -- Key Moment: You can’t get mad at him for guys missing their FTs down the stretch. That was frustrating, but really the big reason this game went into overtime after the Lakers had that 9-point lead. Game tied with 8 seconds left, the Lakers called a timeout. LeBron, AD, Ariza, Russ, Monk in for the final play of regulation. He put Russ in the corner. We settled for a LeBron three off a high screen. He missed. The pass was there for AD I think, but frustrating a bit seeing us settle once again for another long jumper at the end of a game.

Something of interest in this game. The Lakers really explored their strong handoff sequences tonight with the ball in AD’s hands at the high post. LeBron was to his right, Monk would come from the corner off the stagger screens for what is typically the key action. But they varied it up tonight. Sometimes, they’d roll into the LeBron/AD two-man game. Once, LBJ backdoored his man and AD hit him with a bounce pass. Out of the timeout when the lead cut to 5 with a minute and some change left, they hit Ariza cutting off those stagger screens for a layup, another wrinkle. It’s at least some progress seeing them roll through all their counters off that set.

Key Substitution: THT for Russ in overtime. If it wasn’t Westbrook, it would be a no-brainer, but he’s got the green light from management. As bad as Russ was, it was an easy call. Curious, though, to see if the trigger is there when Russ is playing mediocre instead of complete garbage.

Key Stats: They gave up 42 points in the first quarter and 71 in the first half. Then held the Knicks to 13 in the third. Huge response by the team out of the break.

Coach’s Challenge: Vogel used his in OT on an And-1 call for Randle on a layup against AD. The Lakers felt it was verticality. Randle initiated contact with his off hand on AD’s arms. Successful challenge, but the counted the basket. So, they saved a foul and a FTA.

[Koalita]

Thank you very much DB!
At last a win <3

[deal]

Thanks DB!
_________________
Lakers need to build a freaking team !

[slavavov]

Thanks DB.

Westbrook was terrible tonight, and some on this board act like he's always like this. He's not as great as he was a few years ago, but he's not nearly as bad as he was tonight.

Still, coach was right to bench him in crunch time. When Westbrook is playing well, you play him in crunch time.

As you said DB, we're 10-7 with our big 3 in the lineup. That's significantly better than our overall record.

If we just stay healthy, maybe we can be a spoiler team come playoff time. LeBron and AD at least give you a puncher's chance against anyone.

[DrDent]

Thanks DB

Hard to be overly excited considering how up/down the game was. Dunno what to say about Russ. I honestly think he's happiest and best when he's basically on a 1-2 duo thing. Wont happen with LBJ and AD (especially with how AD is beasting on folks at the moment).
_________________
"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

[DrDent]

Thanks DB

Hard to be overly excited considering how up/down the game was. Dunno what to say about Russ. I honestly think he's happiest and best when he's basically on a 1-2 duo thing. Wont happen with LBJ and AD (especially with how AD is beasting on folks at the moment).
_________________
"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

[JIFISH]

Thanks DB.

In the immortal words of Rasheed Wallace, "It was a good game. Both teams played hard."
_________________
I would rather have questions I cannot answer than answers I cannot question - Richard Feynman

[TooMuchMajicBuss]

Thanks DB! Excellent insights and ratings again.

Kudos to Vogel for doing the right thing in OT, and kudos to THT for not being Russell Westbrook. Defense does matter.

[Laker's Fan]

Thanks for the write-up, DB!

It seems particularly significant to me that Russ was benched in a game on ABC. There are no more barriers it seems.

[TDRock]

Yay Winning!

Thanks DB

[lakerican]

Thanks DB!.

Another chapter of Tales from the Crypto.

[PenG_]

Thanks DB!

Game ball goes to AD. Incredible two way impact!

Is that the first time the crowd has turned on Russ? Everyone here wants this to work, but damn...

[DancingBarry]

[danzag]

Thanks, DB!

[wolfpaclaker]

The players made some adjustments in that second half. We were going more for paint touches, but mainly it was our defense. We really listened to Frank and showed that when this team defends, they are on a different level.

With Monk starting, one would wonder if the team can still defend the way it did with Avery. Well, the 1st Q clearly we saw no. But the 3rd? Gave us a glimpse of why starting Monk can work.

Now what about Ariza. That was the first time this season we got some defense out of him. His offense and 3 pointers weren't on, but he's a willing capable 3 point guy and if he can give us that defense we saw in that 2nd half, man, that's huge.

Stanley is a bull, but he has weaknesses. Ariza is important in that aspect. Ariza is a 3 ball threat, Stanley is not.

Still, the WB situation. I have been saying for a while, it's like starting games and closing games 4 on 5. We just can't keep going this way. We are at a disadvanatge when we start games because teams clog the paint and usually have elite rim protection. Then when they close games they're playing off Lebron, so WB is just standing there as a spot up guy, useless.

Been saying we need to bring WB off the bench, but it doesn't happen. We're just wasting the level AD/Bron bring by doing things this way. We should bring WB off the bench and let him run the offense like we used to let Rondo do 2 years ago. Rondo needs the ball to be effective as does WB. A 2nd unit with no Center, and WB running the offense can give you a few elements as a team. The way I see it minutes 0-8, 24-32, 42-48 ... WB should not be in the game at this time. Role guys that will play defense and be willing to do whatever it takes off the ball is what we need around AD/Bron. In the rest of those minutes is when you experiment with WB. When he plays well, you could close games with him. When he doesn't, you simply go back to the core of role guys that you know what you're gonna get around AD/Bron.

[A Mad Chinaman]

Since LBJ/AD specifically wanted Westbrook, what are they seeing/hoping to see happen that we are not seeing????

[governator]

[jodeke]

Thanks DB. Westbrook's playing like an athlete who's lost his confidence. He's not hitting his patented left side bank shot, or his real strength, rushing the rim layups.

Frank finally grew a pair and sat him in OT. I think benching him would be a mistake. It could totally wreck his confidence. I say start him and limit his minutes. Maybe putting him in the second unit is a second option. That may kickstart his game.

AD's showing what he can do when he's healthy.
_________________
Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.

America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.

[Dr. Laker]

Thanks, DB. I still think the WB experiment can work, but LeBron and AD seemed to hint otherwise in their post-game comments.
_________________
On Lakersground, a concern troll is someone who is a fan of another team, but pretends to be a Lakers fan with "concerns".

[A Mad Chinaman]

[governator]