LAKERS -at- NUGGETS - 12-22-15 - Thoughts and :-)) Ratings

[DancingBarry]

The Old Man… Everyone knows the old man who shows up to play pick-up games at the park. The guy who scratches, has sharp elbows, and suckers defenders into fouls where they come up a lot more hurt than him. He can’t blow by anyone any more, but can somehow create space and get to his sweet spots. He’ll play physical defense and take out the best scorer on the other team. You hate playing against the guy, but love him on your team. That was Old Man Kobe tonight.

Fans forget how in his prime, Kobe would not only score at an insanely high rate, but he’d take on the other team’s best player and shut him down. If you had his attention and respect, you were in for a long night. Tonight, he orchestrated the offense, tied his season high with 31 points and 5 assists, but that wouldn’t have been enough to get the win. After Will Barton scored 23 points in the first half, Kobe took on the defensive assignment in the second half.

He locked down on D. The Old Man holding Barton to just 2 points in the second half.

“Just understanding where he’s getting his points and how he’s getting them and just trying to take him off his spots,” Kobe said. He was in Barton’s jersey and breathing down his neck off the screens.

The Lakers trailed by as many as 21 in the first half before the tone of the game changed defensively in that second half. By the end of the third quarter, they had a lead.

“Number 24 kind of did an unbelievable job on both ends of the floor,” Scott said. “He took Will and just kind of shut him down.”

Behind some efficient, scrappy vintage Kobe offense in the fourth, the Lakers held off the Nuggets to take the 111-107 win.


Kobe -- -- “Barton was just tearing us up in the first half,” Scott said, “and I decided to ask Kobe if he wanted to guard him and he said ‘yeah, I got him.’” Kobe said no one matched up with him, so he took Barton in that second half. He had some decent rest in the first half. Despite sitting out the last one, Kobe came out and poured in 13 points on 4-10 shooting in the first quarter. He played just one stint in the first half, the first quarter. Then watched from the bench for the remainder of the half. A little different rotation. “I just didn’t play him the second quarter,” Scott said on the reasoning, not noting anything else about Kobe’s health or why the change. In the second half, Kobe took the Barton assignment defensively and covered him well, as mentioned. He stayed tight on him, ball denied at times, and just didn’t let him get space. Meanwhile, on the other end he did a great job working the two-man game on several sequences and finding teammates. He orchestrated the offense, worked the post and the Lakers came back to take a lead into the fourth quarter before he sat. The two-way game making a big difference. Down the stretch, he drew a number of FTs and hit a clutch jumper from the FT line to ice the game. “I feel like me,” Kobe said. He looked like it. Remember when a 30+ point night was just another game for him? The Stats: He scored 31 points on 10-22 shooting (2-9 from three, 9-11 from the line) to go with 3 boards, 5 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 1 turnover and 2 fouls in 32 minutes. He was a +11. The Action: He hit the pull-up 12-footer working off the two-man game with Nance. He swished an And-1 three from the wing, he made the FT to complete the 4-point play. He missed a three from the other wing. He missed a turnaround in the post. He backed a ball out and missed a three. He attacked from the wing in transition, drop stepped to the middle and missed the easy And-1 layup, he made one FT. He skied for an offensive board, took it out, pumped several times and hit the high arching baseline jumper. He was short on a turnaround in the post. He backed his man down and hit the turnaround at the FT line. He drew FTs on the elbow pull-up next time down, he made both. He missed a wing three, short. He missed a long three at the end of the quarter. Second Half: He sank a three after a hesitation on the wing. He threw a pass away on the two-man game. He lobbed to Nance out of a timeout. He worked the two-man game to Hibbert for the And-1 in transition next time down. He iso’d on Barton and hit the short one in the post over him. He posted up and drew an illegal D, he missed the tech. He missed the baseline fallaway. He blocked his man from behind on the other end. He posted his man up out of the timeout and hit the baseline turnaround. He attacked baseline, drew the D and hit Randle cutting for the dunk. He missed a corner three on a kickout. He spun to the baseline and swished the pull-up over his man. He missed a long three trying to beat the shotclock. He sank a foot-on-the-three-line jumper off the split play. He drew FTs on a three with Foye crowding him way too much, he made all three. He missed a turnaround over his man. He missed another turnaround. Low position out of a timeout, drop step and Kobe was fouled on the layup attempt, he made both FTs. He missed a long three, we got it back and he ran clock, attacked, stopped at the FT line, spun and hit the hanging jumper to go up 7.

Clarkson -- -- He stuffed the stat sheet tonight. He was a consistent scorer, especially turning a steal or a board into a transition score. He was attacking the rim or looking for the midrange (still shooting blanks from three). He struggled a bit defensively in the first half, but was disruptive in the second half. It would be nice if the young guys took a little something away from Kobe’s defensive play in this game. We don’t have enough of that mentality right now. Also good to see in this one, Clarkson and Kobe shot a combined 20 FTs. Down the stretch that helped them keep the lead. The Stats: He scored 19 points on 6-14 shooting (0-2 from three, 7-9 from the line) to go with 8 boards, 2 assists, 3 steals, 2 turnovers and 3 fouls in 38 minutes. He was a +14. The Action: He sank a wing jumper around a screen for the Lakers first score. He missed a layup curling to his right. He gave up an And-1 on a three. He cut off a screen and Russell zipped a bullet to him for FTs on the layup foul, he made both. He attacked in transition and scored a layup with a lot of contact (should have been an And-1). He made a tech FT. He missed a drive, then fouled for FTs the other way. He missed a three in transition. Nice bullet feed to Bass rolling to the hoop off the double-high screen, FTs for Bass. He had 7 points on 2-5 shooting. Second Half: He sank a jumper, facing up in the post. He pushed out the one-man break and scored a layup over the defender on his heels. He probed the lane and hit the short one-hander. Wild pass in transition, turnover. He knocked down a pass, picked it up and took it the distance for the layup. He missed a pull-up baseline jumper on iso. He missed a corner three on a kickout. He was blocked on iso. He was blocked on the break after knocking a ball loose on D. He attacked right and missed the layup. Intentionally fouled with 22 seconds left, he made one, but soared to get it back and was fouled again, he made just one again. Another intentional foul, he made both FTs.

Williams -- -- He sank three three’s tonight. In December, he’s shot .444 from three and .473 overall. Typically, you want to look at Lou’s PPP numbers vs. field goal shooting because that’s a little more telling in how effective he is, but he’s been shooting the ball great this month. (In November, he shot just .244 from three and .339 from the floor.) He had that hand injury that might have played some role in that, but he’s able to find his shots no matter what we’re doing offensively. Good job moving the ball tonight, particularly like the two-man sequences. The Stats: He scored 17 points on 6-11 shooting (3-5 from three, 2-5 form the line) to go with 4 boards, 5 assists, 1 steal, 1 turnover and 2 fouls in 37 minutes. He was a +8. The Action: He probed and kicked to Nance for the jumper. He threw a pass out of bounds. He backed it out to the sideline, pump faked and then hit a three. He missed a corner three next time down. He missed a floater. He missed a tech FT. He probed left and sank the drifting baseline jumper. He found Bass in the paint for an And-1 layup in semi-transition. He missed a wing three. He drew FTs, sinking the short And-1 on the baseline after drawing contact, he missed the FT. He had 7 points and 3 assists. Second Half: He sank a three on the kickout. He swiped a ball on one end, attacked, drew contact and no whistle, missing the short one on the other end. He ballwatched and gave up a layup. He sank a wing three on the dump off pass from Kobe. He sank a tough, fading corner jumper. He suckered a man into the foul on the three-pointer, he made two FTs. Good job challenging on the break to get a stop.

Hibbert -- -- At some point, they are going to need to see if they can help play to Hibbert’s strengths offensively a little more. There is no chemistry on that end of the floor. Defensively, with the poor help D around him, it’s got to be hard to evaluate that end. Mitch had mentioned that Hibbert was young enough that he could be part of the team’s future core for a while. His market value is dropping by the month with the Lakers. Defensively, tonight, you could see the difference in the first half when he was off the floor. He did a good job sagging off Faried and plugging the lane. In the second half, the backup C spot stepped up, which was key because Roy was in foul trouble. Some offensive fouls in this one he’s got to watch. That cut his floor time down big time tonight. The Stats: He scored 5 points on 2-2 shooting (1-1 from the line) to go with 6 boards, 1 assist, 2 turnovers and 5 fouls in 15 minutes. He was a +7. The Action: He kept an offensive board alive. He got his man turned around with a post move and hit the short one. He picked up an offensive foul trying to post up. He picked up a tech shoving the ball in his man’s chest after drawing a foul. Second Half: He posted up and kicked to Lou for the three. He scored the And-1 layup off the two-man game with Kobe in transition, he made the FT. He shoved a man on the offensive end on Kobe’s drive, foul.

Nance -- -- Lots of Wyoming fans in attendance to see Nance, and he quickly had a couple of scores. First play of the second half, he ran a pinch post with Lou, who gave him the ball back and Nance hammered down a massive dunk that got the crowd buzzing. We also ran the rare lob play for him out of a timeout. I keep saying this, but we need more set plays like that for him. He should be getting one per game, at the very least. “I had all my friends there. It was a pretty special night,” Nance said. He put on a good show, and the Lakers looked like they showcased him some. We ran some two-man sequences for him (with nice spacing), which I hope we also do with a little more consistency. Glad he wasn’t an afterthought tonnight. “It was really cool getting to hear the Larry chants,” he said, mentioning how surprised he was that hundreds of Wyoming fans stayed around after the game, as well. I’m sure that annoyed Nugget fans. The Stats: He scored 10 points on 5-9 shooting to go with 2 boards, 1 block and 4 fouls in 19 minutes. He was a +6. The Action: He scored a layup in transition to a little roar from his fans in attendance. He swished a baseline jumper off the kickout from Lou. He couldn’t finish a massive throwdown on the two-man game with Kobe, no foul call (might have slipped from his hands). He missed a wing jumper. He missed an open 18-footer. He slammed down an offensive board that fell in his lap. Second Half: He took the pass back off of the pinch post, rolled to the hoop, soared over a defender and hammered. He missed the elbow jumper out of the weakside of the triangle. He rejected Faried out of bounds coming from behind (more please). He finished the lob from Kobe out of the timeout (and lots more of these set plays for him, please, as well).

Randle -- -- “We really played good defense down the stretch. Limited them to one shot,” Randle said. He led the team with 10 boards (and is already proving to be one of the NBA’s top rebounders in his “rookie” season). That’s tough to limit the opponent to one-and-out possessions with Bass at the C spot, but Randle and Bass were able to control the paint well. Offensively, he didn’t try to do too much. He kind of dialed it back quite a bit in this one. The Stats: He scored 8 points on 3-7 shooting (2-3 from the line) to go with 10 boards (3 offensive), 1 assist, 2 turnovers and 1 foul in 28 minutes. He was a -1. The Action: He missed an open wing jumper. Not close trying to finesse his way around a smaller man instead of powering up to finish. He was fouled working the post, he made both FTs. He was called for a 5-second violation. He missed a jumphook across the lane. He threw a pass away trying to hit Bass in the interior. Second Half: Sweet, quick-timed pass to Bass under the hoop (who was ready this time) and Bass dunked. He dunked off the drive and dish from Kobe (great cut by Randle). Manly effort on the offensive glass, pulling down a couple before finally powering in the layup. He powered in an And-1 layup over defenders and flexed afterward, he missed the FT.

Russell -- -- Very quiet night from Russell. He mostly took three’s, making 2-5. The second unit got thumped pretty good in the first half. The Nuggets had a bit of a running start as they made a run when the Lakers were up 11-3, but the bench looked like doormats. They just got walked all over. We let Kobe orchestrate the offense quite a bit more. Russell and Kobe ran some two-man sequences just to basically dump the ball to Kobe in the post. Nothing very creative offensively in this one. Russell did have an excellent baseball feed to Clarkson for FTs. The Stats: He scored 6 points on 2-6 shooting (2-5 from the line) to go with 1 board, 1 assist, 1 steal, 2 turnovers and 1 foul in 21 minutes. He was a -14. The Action: Short on a sideline three on a kickout. He missed a floater in the lane. He missed a three. Sweet bullet pass to Clarkson 35-feet under the hoop to draw FTs. He swished a wing three behind the Hibbert screen. Too far back on a three next time down and he missed. Second Half: He threw a kickout right to the Nuggets for a layup the other way. Another turnover, trying to hit Bass rolling. He drew a foul battling on the offensive glass. He sank a three from the top of the arc.

Young -- -- Not much of a game from Nick. He missed all five three’s he took and had some poor shot selection at times. I don’t like that there were no rebounds, steals, assists, etc. from him. Just not a lot of impact on the game. He had one defensive sequence where he just stood there lost and the Nuggets easily scored. Scott called a timeout on that one. The Stats: He scored 4 points on 2-8 shooting (0-5 from three) to go with no other stats or fouls in 16 minutes. He was a -8. The Action: He missed a wing three. He missed a wing three. He iso’d and hit the step-back FT jumper. He missed a chuck from three. He sank an elbow fade. He missed an elbow pull-up. Second Half: He missed a wing three. He missed a wing jumper.

Bass -- -- He played big tonight. When you go small ball, you want your small ball center to be able to play that way. He had 4 shotblocks and anchored the D, getting some excellent challenges in. It really looked like he was digging a little deeper to elevate higher in this game on those shot contests. This was one of his best games of the season. We got destroyed by Faried when we played them last time. Tonight, the team held him in check and held down the paint. The Stats: He scored 11 points on 4-5 shooting (3-3 from the line) to go with 6 boards, 2 assists, 4 blocks, 1 turnover and 1 foul in 31 minutes. He was a +3. The Action: He pulled down and offensive board, gathered himself and dunked. He scored an And-1 layup in semi-transition, he made the FT. He was blocked trying to finish on the screen-roll. Nice help D rejection to save Nance from looking foolish and we regained the possession. He drew FTs when Clarkson found him on the screen-roll, he made both. Second Half: He sized up a guard and rejected him (more please). He dunked off the great interior feed from Randle. He held his ground and his man traveled in the post. He sank a quick-fire elbow jumper when Kobe threaded a pass to him. He rejected a layup, elevating well at the last second.

Sacre -- -- Just 2 minutes to pick up a couple fouls and Scott put him back on the bench for the rest of the night. The Stats: He didn’t score and had 2 fouls in 2 minutes. He was a -6. The Action: He picked up two quick fouls and was done in the first quarter. Second Half: He did not play in the second half.

Scott -- – Back in the win column… Early Nugget timeout as the Lakers led 8-3… They led 11-3 before the Nuggets went on a run to tie it up 13-13. Hibbert out for Sacre… Lakers up 4 when Nance and Clarkson sat for Randle and Russell… Sacre picked up two fouls and Bass came in for him, Lakers down 6… The Lakers trailed 34-26 after the first quarter (Barton scoring more than half the Nuggets points with 18 in the first quarter)… Scott started a Bass, Randle, Young, Clarkson, Russell lineup… Hibbert back in… He brought in Bass for Hibbert and Lou for Russell, down 12… Lakers down 8 when Nance came in for Randle… They fell back again when the Nuggets went on another run. Lakers down 18… Repeat of the last game, Lakers down 21… Good close to end the half by the Lakers… They trailed 64-51 at the half. Barton with 23 points in the half… They trimmed it a little and forced a Nugget timeout… Out of that timeout, we ran a lob for Nance who put it in (I don’t know why we don’t run this at least once a game)… A 12-0 run, cut it to 2… Bass in for Hibbert who picked up his fourth and fifth fouls midway through the quarter, Lakers down 4… Lakers down 6 when Randle came in for Nance… Russell in for Lou, Lakers down 1… Kobe orchestrating the offense all quarter… The Lakers led 83-80 heading into the fourth… He started a Bass, Randle, Young, Clarkson, Russell unit… Nance in for Randle… Then Randle back in for Nance and Kobe for Young, Lakers up 1 with 8 minutes left… Lakers up 1 with 6 minutes left. Bass, Randle, Kobe, Lou, Clarkson… They pushed out to a 6-point lead. Kobe looking a little tired, but trying to get that second wind… Timeout, Lakers up 3 with 2 minutes left… Lakers up 6 with 23 seconds left. Young in for Randle, who twisted an ankle. Glad we didn’t have to battle for a defensive board at the FT line…

[SweetP]

A win, whoo hoo!

And Kobe the clever, crafty Old Snake, was fun to watch.
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“There is always light if only we're brave enough to see it, if only we're brave enough to be it.” --Amanda Gorman

[ryan_c]

Great win. I hope Lakers go on with a win streak.

[Shaber]

Thanks, DB!

To my eyes it is the second time Kobe put up a decent defensive effort (he did it also against Melo). I'd very much like to see more of that. That's what the rookies need to learn most. The nasty defensive attitude.
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Lakers depth chart

PG Johnson / Goodrich
SG Bryant / West / Scott
SF Baylor / Worthy / Cooper
PF Mikkelsen / Hairston / McAdoo / Gasol
C Chamberlain / Abdul-Jabbar / O'Neal / Mikan

[H0B0]

THX DB. GO LAKERS

[Arbitrary]

Thanks, DB.

[Vin]

Kobe Bean leading the way. Thought we were up to another ugly game after that first quarter.

[OregonLakerGuy]

Kobe reminding us that he is still... Kobe.
Thanks DB.

[DShotMaker1824]

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

[mugwump]

Very fun game to watch tonight after halftime. The nuggets defense seems very low energy, but the kobe - lakers players mix was perfect.

Every now and then Kobe gets going and begins to over exert himself. He needs to keep that in check or there will be an injury.
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"At the end of the day, you are what your record says that you are." --Mitch Kupchak

[A Mad Chinaman]

Professor Bryant's Latest Important Lesson Was on Full Display

Taking/Embracing the challenge of shutting down key players while bringing commitment and energy needed to win was a vivid example of his leadership

Could this be an example of how good this roster can be in the near future with the right FA who is a SF (hello Mr. Durant) that will demand doubleteams while allowing others to play in roles that highlight their strengths.

[fiendishoc]

It was great seeing this Kobe one more time. His stats, both traditional and advanced, were nice, but do not show the full extent of his impact in getting the win. Similar story to much of his career.

[Gimme_the_rock]

That D and floor game.

Kobe looking like efficient Kobe.
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We back.

[999]

A happy face next to Scott name looks unusual. I more use to the or the and the next to his name

[DancingBarry]

[Lakers#1Team]

Thanks DB! Kobe definitely is looking like pre-achilles (although aging) Kobe. Great to see!

[TooMuchMajicBuss]

Thanks DB.

Kobe Bryant - absolutely fabulous game. Wow. He did soo many things right. He orchestrated the offense, scored 31 AND took their best scorer out of the game? Athleticism is nearly gone, but man is Old Snake crafty, tough, and really knows the game inside and out. At any point in his career this would have been a great game. As part of the KFT?? Wow. That Denver crowd saw a game to remember.

Clarkson - great game. He's showing a lot of patience this season with the ever changing rotations, and reminded me why I look forward to seeing him along side DLO and Randle working as a unit some day.

Lou Williams - I actually saw some smart defense out of him in spots, particularly that transition play late in the game with the outcome still hanging on the balance. He moved the ball well, and scored key shots as the game was coming down to the wire. He played like he really wanted this win bad.

As much as I dislike Scott as a coach, I'll give him kudos for highlighting Nance in front of the Wyoming fans who traveled to Denver to see him. Nance didn't disappoint!

I agree with your comment DB on designing at least one lob play per game for Nance. He's a good presence on both ends of the court who could get real good with some experience, and aside from that it gives us fans some highlight reel action to look forward to even if the game isn't going well.

[*Purple&Gold*]

Nance...our diamond in the rough! Skies the limit.
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There are the Lakers...and then just a bunch of other teams!