MAVS -at- LAKERS - 4-12-15 - Thoughts and :-(( Ratings

[DancingBarry]

The End is Near… The Lakers are limping to the finish line of the season. They lost Nash and Randle out of the gates, then Henry, Kobe and Young for the rest of the season. Lin has been ruled done for the remainder. Tonight, they added Buycks with a broken finger and possibly Wes with an ankle sprain.

They will be put out of their misery for good shortly.

They were the victims of the Mavs tonight, 120-106. Tarik Black pulled down 19 boards, and Jordan Clarkson added 26 points in the loss.

They have helped soften the blow of the long, slow basketball death march that the 2014-15 season has been.

Two more games left.


Clarkson -- -- A tale of two halves for Jordan. Poor shooting first half, going just 4-12, but he rallied strong in the second half with some very efficient scoring (5-7 shooting for 18 points). Up until halftime, in his past five games, he had made just 2 of 15 threes. Then he went 3-3 from beyond the arc in the second half to get him back to his usual percentages (prior to this game he was shooting just .300 from three). This will be one of his top priorities this offseason. When his numbers improve from three, that’s going to open up some big scoring games. It will also be vital if he’s playing with more ball dominant players that will need the floor spread. Clarkson said he’s going to get in the weight room so he can handle the off-guard duties better (that will also make his PG defense better, as well). He was really the only offensive threat for the Lakers in this game. The Lakers got killed on the break in the first half 15-2. With their poor D, they weren’t able to take advantage. If they can get a shotblocker and tighten up that end of the floor, that’s going to open things up more for Clarkson next season. With his ups and length, he is very difficult to stop one-on-one in transition (see our only fastbreak points in the first half). Clarkson didn’t think he played well in this one, immediately mention his 4 turnovers. The Stats: He scored 26 points on 9-19 shooting (3-6 from three, 5-5 from the line) to go with 1 board, 6 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, 4 turnovers and 4 fouls in 39 minutes. He was a -3. The Action: He missed a wing three in transition. He took a pass in the middle of the lane, elevated off both feet and slammed. He missed a 10-footer after probing the lane. He pushed out a loose ball, elevated over the defender and scored the layup. He was stripped on a drive. He attacked the paint and fired a pass out to Wes for the three. He missed a corner three. His layup was rejected, but Davis cleaned it up. He sank a wing jumper in early offense. He missed a wing three over the zone. He sank a pull-up FT jumper in early offense. Short on an elbow jumper. He was picked from behind on a reach. He was stripped in the paint. He had 8 points on 4-12 shooting (0-3 from three) to go with 3 assists and 2 turnovers. Second Half: He missed a jumper from the top of the key. He dished to Black for the score on the break. He iso’d on a Jefferson, stepped back and hit the FT jumper (good job working it to a good spot on the floor). He fired a pass to Dwight under the hoop, cut, and took the return pass for the layup. With the shotclock low, he backed it out, measured his man and sank the long three straight away. He fended off a defender and pitched it to Brown for a three. Looked like he stripped a man on help D to get a stop. He set up FTs for Sacre on a drive and dish. He made a tech FT. He read the D (finally some help weakside on the two-man game), he swiped the ball, pushed it up through multiple defenders and drew FTs, he made both. He swished a wing three with the shotclock low. He rattled down a Kobe-like second three in a row just a few seconds Lakers as he pushed the ball up court and pulled up at that same spot. He missed a long pull-up jumper. He was intentionally fouled for FTs, he made both.

Black -- -- No other rookie has had a game with more rebounds this season. He was a rebounding machine tonight, even fighting off teammates for the boards to finish with a 10 and 19 double-double. “That’s something he’s capable of doing because he has that type of athleticism,” Scott said. Being a little smaller for his position, he has to rely on more of his other attributes to outwork his opponents: Speed, power, hops, athleticism, fundamentals…bring all that in his minutes and good things will happen. Defensively, our interior D didn’t get a lot of weakside help in this game. It takes more than two players to defend the screen-rolls and the Lakers just weren’t giving support behind our bigs. “Our helpside wasn’t the best tonight,” Black said. You definitely need team D, but what worries you about our bigs (including Tarik) is the ability to anchor the D by altering shots. In theory, Randle/Black doesn’t seem like a good defensive combo in that regard. But 19 boards from your undrafted rookie, that’s a steal of a pickup by the Lakers. That’s the most by a Laker rookie since George Lynch. The Stats: He scored 10 points on 3-5 shooting (4-6 from the line) to go with 19 boards (3 offensive), 1 steal, 1 block, 3 turnovers and 3 fouls in 33 minutes. He was a -16. The Action: He faced up on the right block, quick first step to get by Chandler and he scored the layup. Not close on a jumphook. He was called for a travel. Good job battling on the offensive boards to draw a foul, he made one FT. He was intentionally fouled with 14 seconds left, he made both FTs. Second Half: Good hands taking a fast one from Clarkson in traffic on the break and scoring. He got hit trying to power up in the paint off an interior feed, he made one FT. He missed a 16-footer. He was stripped on the two-man game. He grabbed an interior feed and powered up for the slam.

Brown -- -- Aggressive game, but he was blocked a lot in this one. Still, that aggressiveness showed once again in his ability to get to the line. He led the Lakers in that category going 8-9. “I just feel like with every game I get a little bit more experienced and a little more confident,” Jabari said. It’s an important skill in this league. The Mizzou starting combo combined for 44 points. The Stats: He scored 18 points on 4-13 shooting (2-6 from three, 8-9 from the line) to go with 2 boards, 2 assists, 1 turnover and 2 fouls in 42 minutes. He was a -14. The Action: He swished a three off some good Laker ball movement to start the game. He missed a long wing three. He missed a wing three. He attacked off the three line, cut between defenders and hit the runner with his left. He got tapped on a three next time down. He attacked down the lane and was blocked. He was blocked again on a drive (Kelly was wide open). He met Chandler at the top and forced a jumpball. He drew FTs on a three, he made all three. He had 8 points on 2-7 shooting. Second Half: Clarkson gave him the ball late in the clock and he had to chuck up a brick. He lost a ball off his foot on a handoff. Aggressive attack in early offense and he drew FTs, he made both. He missed a corner three. He scored FTs off a clear-path foul in transition. He attacked baseline from the corner, hung and reversed in a tough one not using the glass on his way down. He sank a wing three on the pitch out from Clarkson. He attacked from the wing, sought contact and drew FTs, he made one. He attacked and was blocked. He missed a drive.

Kelly -- -- He and Tarik combined for 21 boards. Of course, Tarik and myself combined for 19. So Kelly’s contribution (once again) on the glass wasn’t much. While he was moved again to the SF out of necessity a little more in this one, he was not hitting his shot prior to that rotation change. He was doing a good job again moving the ball and led the Lakers with 5 assists in the first half. Scott likes the way he swings the ball and is able to attack off the dribble at the stretch four. “Now he’s back to the three, so all that just went to hell,” Scott said. Pretty much. There’s not a lot of choice out there. The Stats: He scored 10 points on 2-10 shooting (0-5 from three, 6-7 from the line) to go with 2 boards. The Action: He attacked and kicked to Brown for the three. He hit Wes for the three and the second Laker bucket. He drew FTs in the lane and made one. He missed a wing three. He missed a sideline three. He drew FTs backing his man down, he made both. He missed an open wing three. His man gambled for a steal and came up empty, Kelly attacked and hit the runner. He missed a wing three. He sank a turnaround (not fading) in the high post up against a smaller defender. He fouled Jefferson on a three. He had 7 points on 2-6 shooting and 5 assists. Second Half: Not close on a one-handed leaner in the lane. He missed an easy one at the rim on a post-up. Another post up, nice spin, but he couldn’t finish. He found a wide open Davis for the dunk. He missed a wing three. He was fouled on a wing three, he made all three FTs. He was called for a travel picking up his dribble and pivoting without staying in the same area. He stripped his man in the post.

Johnson -- -- He sank 4-5 from three in the first half, spraining his ankle on his third make of those. He went to the locker room shortly after making another three. He put in a great first half, scoring all of his 16 points on 6-9 shooting. The Lakers three shooting in the first half was miserable outside of him. It was ruled a mild sprain and they probably won’t know if/when he’ll be back until tomorrow. “I doubt it,” Scott said on Wes playing in the next one. The Lakers SF spot completely sidelined, this forced more time for Kelly there. The Stats: He scored 16 points on 6-9 shooting (4-5 from three) to go with 1 board, 2 assists, 1 turnover and no fouls in 20 minutes. He was a +1. The Action: He swished a sideline three. He spotted Clarkson open in the middle of the lane for a dunk. He missed a pull-up 18-footer. He swished a wing three on the drive and kick from Clarkson. He sank a jumper from the top of the key. He missed a three at the end of the quarter. No rotation on D and Scott called Kelly to replace him (he then had a word with him on the sideline). Soft bounce and he got a FT jumper to fall in. He sank a three and rolled his ankle landing on the defender’s foot. He swished a sideline three, still on the bad ankle (landing on his good foot). He scored 16 points on 6-9 shooting.

Davis -- -- A quiet scoring night from Ed. He picked his spots and was willing to make the extra pass to a fellow bigman in the interior. No one on the team quite has the chemistry that he and Lin had. Ed has been the iron man for the Lakers, playing 76 games. “We just got to keep fighting and finish these last two games out strong,” Davis said. The Stats: He scored 11 points on 4-7 shooting (3-5 from the line) to go with 5 boards, 2 assists, 1 block, 1 turnover and 4 fouls in 23 minutes. He was a -11. The Action: He was tied up trying to power up. He grabbed a blocked drive and put it back in. Quick attack off the two-man game for an And-1 layup, he made the FT. He missed a short one in the middle of the paint. Second Half: He missed an easy post-up over Dirk. He drew FTs and made both. He dunked when the D got lost and Kelly found him. He missed a short one on the baseline. He attacked off an interior feed and drew FTs, he missed both. He setup Tarik with an interior feed for FTs. He slammed back down a missed Laker drive.

Buycks -- -- He fractured his third metacarpal in this one. So we lose him for the final two games. Lin is done for the season, as well. No Nash. Somehow Clarkson has avoided the PG injury issues. Some nice moments off the dribble by Buycks to get deep in the paint, but the finishing left a lot to be desired. Also, I’m not thrilled his tendency to settle for long two’s at least a couple times a game. He missed both three’s tonight. The Stats: He scored 10 points on 4-11 shooting (0-2 from three, 2-2 from the line) to go with 1 board, 2 assists, 1 turnover and 2 fouls in 24 minutes. He was a -13. The Action: He attacked, spun and drew FTs against Barea, he made both. He worked the two-man game to Davis for the And-1 layup. He sank a pull-up wing jumper. Barea getting some layups against him. He crossed over behind his back, attacked down the lane to his left and scored the layup. He settled and missed a 21-footer. He was rejected on a drive for a layup the other way. Second Half: He missed a wing three. He took a pass from Clarkson under the hoop and gave it back to him for the layup. He airballed a wing pull-up jumper at the buzzer. He sank a step-back wing jumper to start the fourth. He blew through the D but couldn’t finish. Another great move, spinning around Dirk and blowing the layup. He was called for a push-off on iso. He was blocked on a drive, forcing a shotclock violation. He blew past his man on a hesitation move and scored a layup. He threw a pass in the backcourt, when he and Clarkson weren’t on the same page.

Sacre -- -- These last games could potentially be viewed as a battle between who to keep, Sacre or Black? Two plays in the third quarter of this really showed the difference between Sacre and Black offensively. The first was a lob that Clarkson tossed up there, Sacre grabbed it, came back down with it, and was blocked. Tarik probably would have tried to cram it down on the pass. The second was an interior feed that Clarkson fired to him, Sacre didn’t seem ready for it or have his hands up and couldn’t hang onto it. Black has seemingly always been ready for those and has shown great hands to turn those plays into positives. But the big difference, of course, is how much better a rebounder Black has been. Tarik is 27th in the league in rebounds per 36 minutes with 11.6. Sacre is 149th with 7.3 per 36. The Stats: He scored 5 points on 2-4 shooting (1-2 from the line) to go with 6 boards and no fouls in 19 minutes. He was a -9. The Action: He sank an elbow jumper off some good Lakers ball movement. Second Half: He grabbed a Davis miss and scored the putback jumphook. He was blocked on a short one in the paint (would have been an oop opportunity for anyone with hops and length). Clarkson hit him in the hands at the front of the rim and he lost it. He was fouled on a throwdown (a little late to react) after Clarkson hit him with a bounce pass, he made one. He missed a baseline face-up jumper.

Scott -- -- Some three-heavy ball to start the game… The Lakers trailed 19-13 when the timeout came. Buycks in for Brown… He sat Black for Davis… Kelly out, Sacre in, Lakers down 4… Not a lot of defensive intensity by the Lakers… The Lakers trailed 33-27. Of the 33, 20 were points in the paint… He started the Sacre, Davis, Johnson, Brown, Buycks lineup… He sat Wes for Kelly after a poor rotation by Wes and had some words with him on the sideline… Black in for Davis… The Lakers fading, down 12, he brought back in the rest of his starters… They trimmed it in half to force a timeout… He brought in Dwight for Wes who rolled his ankle… Despite the poor D, the Lakers were keeping it close… The Lakers trailed 62-57. Dallas had a 15-2 advantage on the break… He started Davis at PF and slid Kelly to SF with Wes done for the night… He sat Black for Sacre midway through the quarter… Buycks in for Davis, sliding Clarkson to SF… Good job trimming the lead down late in the quarter… The Lakers trailed 89-82 heading into the fourth… He started a Sacre, Black, Kelly, Brown, Buycks lineup… He brought back in Clarkson after 3 minutes for Kelly, Lakers depleted at SF… Davis in for Sacre… Mavs starting to pull away. A three by Villanueva seemed to be the dagger midway through the quarter…

[Marauder]

Thanks for the thoughts and ratings!

[Lakersneuron]

First!

EDIT: darn. One of these days I guess. 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."

[DShotMaker1824]

Nice write-up DB!! You been excellent during this very depressing season. Thanks again.
_________________

"Through the legs to the left, through the legs to the right, we don't run them Laker plays, we just Kobe fadeaway..."

[sf2099]

thanks again db!

[TooMuchMajicBuss]

Thanks DB! Only 2 to go.

[bws94]

Thanks DB. Lakers only have 2 guards now. Did Lin really have to be shut down? Now what? I know it is just two games, but does Clarkson and Brown go 39-40 minutes or more the last 2 games. Who else can play the point/combo but Clarkson or Brown?

[H0B0]

THX DB. GO LAKERS

[OregonLakerGuy]

Thanks DB

[Lakers#1Team]

Thanks DB!

[Shaber]

[Laker_Town]

More injuries?


I hate this season

[ElginBaylor]

DB = the most reliable player on the team this season.
_________________
Not a legend

[BigE32]

Thanks DB!

[Wilkes52]

Let's hope that the end of the season brings a realistic close to this three season "... long, slow basketball death march ...".

2012-2013: .549
2013-2014: .329
2014-2015: .263 (to-date)

Let's hope that the team's arrival at season's end finally marks the end point in this debilitating direction and pace. It's hard to imagine looking in on our colors again for another sub .400 winning pace. Fingers crossed.