LAKERS -at- HORNETS - 12-28-15 - Thoughts and :-(( Ratings

[DancingBarry]

Fading Down the Stretch… The Lakers have 50 games remaining in the season. Watching these games, you’re either looking for improvement by the rookies, growing chemistry as a team, or flashes of vintage Black Mamba in his final tour of duty.

There was a little of all of that in the Lakers 108-98 loss to the Hornets.

The game was within reach, but the starters faded down the stretch. The trio of Kobe, Lou and Jordan shot a poor 11-47 for the game. (Everyone else combined for 24-38 shooting.)

A close game in the fourth, quickly slipped from their reach as the starters returned.

“In the second half, we allowed our offense to dictate how we played on the defensive end,” Scott said. In the first half, the offense was on fire, but that certainly didn’t help the D as they were tied 58-58. So I’m not sure that was entirely true.

In the youth department, another good game by Nance with 12 points and 7 boards, and Julius Randle hit his fourth three of his last seven attempts. In the Mamba watch, strong first half by Kobe with a few flashy plays before going cold in the second half. And, in the chemistry department, some nice passing by Lou, and the guards appear to be trusting Nance and the bigs a little more in the last few games.


Kobe -- -- A good first half with 16 points on 10 shots. He faded as the game went along, making just 1 of 10 in the second half. The age, knee, back-to-back and a long rest in the second half after he was icing himself before returning probably all came to play in that. After a taped tribute from MJ before the game, Kobe had some flashy moments on the court in that strong first half. Nick said he pulled off a Shammgod move, but I don’t recall it. Maybe off of one of those plays he drew FTs. When I saw Kobe first pull that off about 10 years ago or so, it was called the Bodiroga move (or El Latigo)…throw it in front of you with one hand, pull it back with the other to crossover. In any event, he gave the fans that came out to see him in his final trip to Charlotte something to cheer about. He was just to flat to close this one out. Too many miles on that body. The Stats: He scored 20 points on 5-20 shooting (3-12 from three, 7-8 from the line) to go with 4 boards, 2 assists, 3 turnovers and 2 fouls in 32 minutes. He was a -13. The Action: He missed a baseline turnaround from the post. He threw a post entry pass away. He took a cross-court feed, hesitated and drained the wing three. He didn’t hit rim on a pull-up three in early offense. Bad read, throwing it right to a Hornet as Clarkson cut. He hit Nance rolling on the sideline screen-roll for the dunk (more please). He airballed a three up against the shotclock on a poor offensive set (dunk the other way). He attacked in early offense next time down and drew FTs under the hoop, he made both. He missed a wide open three, way short. He crossed over, spun and drew FTs, he made both. Way short again on a three. He attacked with speed off the high screen and scored the lefty layup. Nice footwork to pivot around a man in the post and draw FTs, he made both. He probed and bullied his way for a layup over a couple defenders. He sank a longer three off a high screen. He wanted the foul on the wing three, coming up short (bad no call). Hard foul on Lin taking out frustration on the no call. He had 16 points on 4-10 shooting (2-6 from three). Second Half: He missed an open wing three. He missed a reverse. He spun baseline and drew FTs on the layup, he made one. He missed a three wide left. He missed a layup off a give and go. Short on a step-back jumper from 16 feet out. He missed another layup and wanted the foul. He missed a wing three. He lost the dribble on iso. He sank a wing three. He missed a three on one side of the court, we got it back to him on the other and he missed another three.

Clarkson -- -- “I’m kind of playing on two bad wheels right now,” Clarkson said, mentioning he twisted one of his ankles early in this one. He was struggling with the shot again, but he did finally hit a three after an 0-17 stretch from beyond the arc. Good job moving the ball in this one. I thought he could have done that even more at times. He had the Laker play of the game with throwdown over a defender off a give-and-go sequence with Roy. The Stats: He scored 8 points on 2-14 shooting (1-4 from three, 3-4 from the line) to go with 6 boards, 6 assists, 1 steal, 1 block and 4 fouls in 35 minutes. He was a -14. The Action: He swatted a shot in transition on a nice recovery on one end, then he missed a pull-up jumper on the other. Another nice challenge on his man. He attacked off the high screen, spun and was blocked. He bobbled a pass and was blocked (didn’t look engaged at all in that set). He missed a wing three, short (0-16). He drew FTs iso’ing at the end of the half. Second Half: He missed a long wing jumper. He couldn’t finish a drive, but was fouled getting his miss. He missed a sideline three. He finally sank a wing three. He hit Nance on the pick and pop. He crammed over two defenders on the give and go with Hibbert. He couldn’t finish a drive off a high screen. He swiped a pass. He attacked and drew FTs, he made both. He was stripped trying to post up in iso. He missed a pull-up jumper, but got it back. Not close on a pull-up jumper. Short on a three.

Williams -- -- Good job passing the ball early on. Some goo moments setting up Roy for a couple of dunks, he also spotted Russell on a great cut for another easy score. When he’s able to find that good mix of setting up teammates and getting his own shot, the lineups he’s in become so much more effective. Defensively, always a lot of issues. I’d like to see Scott get on him a little more on that end of the floor. The Stats: He scored 11 points on 4-13 shooting (1-5 from three, 2-2 from the line) to go with 4 boards, 7 assists, 1 steal, 1 turnover and 2 fouls in 38 minutes. He was a -7. The Action: He missed a baseline fade, searching for contact. He found Roy under the hoop for a dunk. He kicked out to Nance for the elbow jumper. He sank a wing three off the high screen. He missed a runner on a drive. He swiped a bad pass, pushed it out and hit Randle filling the middle of the lane in transition for a layup. He missed a baseline pull-up. He hit Russell who cut weakside under the hoop for a layup. He missed a three. He split defenders on a drive and scooped in a tricky layup. He drew the D and hit Hibbert under the hoop for the dunk. He banked in a short jumper in transition. Second Half: He missed a three in transition. He missed a floater. He missed a wing three. He drew FTs on a perimeter reach, he made both. He sank a fade at the elbow. He missed a wing three. He missed a layup.

Hibbert -- -- The Lakers have been going to him to start games recently presumably to help spark him to a strong game. He filled up the stat sheet better in this one, but his impact still wasn’t worth his salary. He can be so slow footed that it causes problems on both ends. He and Lou teamed up for a couple nice sequences that led to dunks for Hibbert. That was a positive. It would be nice to see them repeat that with consistency. The Stats: He scored 8 points on 4-7 shooting to go with 8 boards, 2 assists, 3 blocks, 1 turnover and 2 fouls in 29 minutes. He was a -9. The Action: He sank a hook in the post on the Lakers first possession. He missed an off-balance post-up attempt next time down. He got backdoored ballwatching. He dunked when Lou found him under the hoop. He rejected Lin out of bounds on help D. He dunked off the drive and dish from Lou. He swatted a jumper on the other end. Second Half: He missed a wing jumper. He banked in an off-balance 10-footer expecting a call on the contact. Nice bounce pass to Clarkson on the give and go for the dunk. He clanked a 16-footer.

Nance -- -- He nearly had a perfect shooting night, then missed his last shot of the game. The perimeter shot was looking great again. Teammates are trusting him a little bit more, and Larry is not hesitating on the shot. I probably liked the finishes at the rim even more. He had one nice drive after an up-fake where he reversed and then also a perfectly run two-man sequence with Kobe that led to the dunk. The jumpshot set up that reverse for Nance. They had to respect the shot and he was able to make them pay. Wish they’d run that sideline pick and roll a little more with him. “I’m confident and that’s due to the confidence these guys have in me,” Nance said. He mentioned Metta is in his ear every time he comes to the bench. “It really helps our team. He’s really spacing the floor for us,” Clarkson said of Nance. The Stats: He scored 12 points on 6-7 shooting to go with 7 boards and 3 fouls in 27 minutes. He was a -5. The Action: He sank a sideline jumper off the kickout from Clarkson. He swished an elbow jumper on the kickout from Lou. He dunked off the pass from Kobe working the two-man game on the wing. He up-faked on the kickout, attacked baseline and reversed around defenders (so nice). He had 8 points on 4-4 shooting. Second Half: He took an offensive board away from a defender and scored a layup. He sank a wing jumper on the pick and pop with Clarkson. He missed a wing jumper.

Randle -- -- Notice how the jumpshot set up a drive for Nance in this game. That’s what we want to see from Randle. If he’s able to knock down that midrange with consistency, defenders have to respect it…and will be in big trouble with his combination of speed and power. Randle sank another three in this game (three games in a row), showing that improved range. He’s made 4 of his last 7 threes. A great sign. That midrange should come along for him at some point to open up everything. Defensively, he and Bass once again held down the fort well. The Lakers gave up just 7 offensive boards in this one. The Stats: He scored 11 points on 4-8 shooting (1-1 from three, 2-2 from the line) to go with 6 boards and 2 fouls in 19 minutes. He was a -1. The Action: He beat everyone down court and scored the layup off the Bass outlet. He took a pass in the middle of the lane in transition and scored the layup. He pushed out a steal, went behind his back to lose Lin and was fouled on the layup attempt, he made both. Second Half: Way short on a 17-footer. He attacked and was blocked. He took the inbounds off that and swished the wing three. Great challenge on Kaminsky’s drive (he was in his jersey). On the other end, he attacked to his right across the lane and finished with his left. He missed a runner after a burst of speed. He missed a layup on a drive (should have had that one).

Russell -- -- Quiet game from Russell, not a lot of notes and he wasn’t quite as aggressive as he has been lately. A lot of shots, of course, for Kobe, Lou and Jordan. Defensively, he had some flashes on that end (and ended up with 3 steals). Both he and Randle had a couple moments where they just smothered their man. Defense is tough for rookies and just being respectable on that end of the floor and showing moments like that is very good sign. He scored a couple of times at the rim in this one (a great weakside cut to get open for a layup and another nice crossover in transition for a layup. The Stats: He scored 5 points on 2-5 shooting (0-3 from three, 1-2 from the line) to go with 2 boards, 4 assists, 3 steals, 3 turnovers and no fouls in 23 minutes. He was a +1. The Action: He worked the two-man game with Bass and set him up for the FT jumper. Nice D, smothering Lin who was trying to create and forcing a pass-off turnover that led to a Laker score the other way. He cut behind Lin who was watching the action strong side, took the pass under the hoop and scored the layup without coming down with it. He waited in the weeds in the backcourt and swiped the outlet. Lin poked the ball loose from him for a turnover. Second Half: He posted up and drew FTs, he made one. He hit Nick for a three in transition. He missed a wing three. He turned the ball over getting trapped on the sideline. He missed a three on a kickout. He missed a big wing three in transition that could have tied it up. He crossed over his man in transition and flipped in a layup.

Young -- -- Nick bombed a few threes in this one. He led the team with a +3. Not so much because of Nick, but the three shooting helped. The second unit just played steady ball all night and kept the Lakers close. The bench tonight combined for a strong 14-24 shooting. Probably should have let them try to close. The Stats: He scored 11 points on 3-6 shooting (3-4 from three, 2-3 from the line) to go with 1 board, 2 assists and 2 turnovers in 16 minutes. He was a +3. The Action: He probed and found Bass for the reverse. He missed a wing jumper at the buzzer. He drew FTs on a three coming off the down screen, he made two. Second Half: He swished a sideline three off a high cross-court feed from Clarkson. He was stripped next time down. He missed a long fading wing jumper on iso. He sank a wing three in transition. He missed a sideline three. He was called for a travel attacking from the corner. He drew a charge on Jefferson defending him in the post. He sank a sideline three on a kickout.

Bass -- -- One of the better players on the floor tonight, he did most of his damage in the first half, scoring 10 of his 12 points. He really does a great job finishing around the rim in traffic. Just muscles up and explodes strong. Hopefully, some of our youngsters can pick up something from him there. The Stats: He scored 12 points on 5-5 shooting (2-2 from the line) to go with 3 boards, 1 assists, 2 steals, 1 turnover and 2 fouls in 21 minutes. He was a -5. The Action: He reversed off the interior feed from Nick. Nice reach to swipe the ball, he then kicked it ahead to Randle for the breakaway score. He gathered a pass, dribbled, spun and hit the short jumphook. He sank the FT jumper working the two-man game with Russell. He posted up Kaminsky, drew contact and FTs, he made both. He scooped up a loose ball and reversed with both hands. He had 10 points on 4-4 shooting. Second Half: He muscled up a layup in a crowd.

Scott -- -- The Lakers trailed 18-14 when Russell came in for Lou… Bass and Randle in for Hibbert and Nance, Lakers down 5… Kobe out with 3 minutes left for Young, down 5 still… The Lakers trailed 31-26 after the first quarter, too many easy looks… He started the Bass, Randle, Young, Lou, Russell lineup… Kobe back in at 10:28 for Young, Lakers down 2… The Lakers took the 2-point lead on the 10-3 run, forcing a timeout… Hibbert in for Randle, Clarkson in for Russell. The rare Bass/Hibbert duo. Bass had 10 points and was playing well (Nance started well, also)… Lakers down 5 when Nance came in for Bass… The Lakers were tied 58-58 at the half. They shot 57% and had 14 assists (Williams doing a good job moving the ball)... He brought in Russell and Young for Kobe and Lou midway through the quarter, Lakers down 2… Bass and Randle in, Lakers down 1… The Lakers trailed 85-81 heading into the fourth… He started the Bass, Randle, Young, Williams, Russell unit… Kobe back in with 7 minutes left, Lakers down 3. Nick sitting. Kobe was icing his shoulder… He sat Randle with 6 minutes left for Nance and Bass for Hibbert, Lakers down 6… Down 4, Clarkson in for Russell… Timeout shortly later, Lakers down 8 with 4 minutes left… The game got out of reach right then. The Lakers had a few possessions they could have cut it back down, but couldn’t connect on shots…

[Omar Little]

Foist?

[SweetP]

Second?
Thanks DB
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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

[JamezAmp]

Tertiary
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[TooMuchMajicBuss]

Quaternary. And a quintessentially mediocre game.

Thanks for the update DB!

[OregonLakerGuy]

Thanks DB

[22]

Thanks DB

[Agent P]

Thanks DB!
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Reigning 2015 Lakers Ground Yahoo fantasy football league champion. See ya next year, suckas!

[LakerEric]

Thanks. To watch these games and break it down as a Laker fan has to be so frustrating.
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Do you believe it now, Trinity? - Morpheous

[H0B0]

THX DB. GO LAKERS

[Lakers#1Team]

Thanks DB!

[DShotMaker1824]

[jab]

What a year! I didnt even know they played last night. That hasnt happened in many, many years. Just looking at stats, Hibbert at least grabbed a few boards. Nance continues to do as I thought he would with minutes, the guy is ENERGY, and it makes good things happen. Kobe cant sustain anything at his age,37, but 67 in basketball years. He could still dominate in pick-up but not at the NBA pace. Clarkson is hitting a wall, and Im sure injuries are affecting him. Thats something he has to work on in future years, stamina! One bright note....the lowest ebb is the turn of the tide. This is rock bottom, we can only go up!