LAKERS -at- CAVS – 2-10-16 - Thoughts and :-(( Ratings

[DancingBarry]

All Star Ball Breaker… D’Angelo Russell was face down on the floor in extreme pain with teammates gathered around him. The Cleveland crowd winced in unison as they watched the replays again and again.

LeBron James just delivered a fastball on time, on target right to the groin.

This is probably not how he envisioned the first time he’d face LeBron, nor the first time he’d return to Ohio as a pro.

Russell would recover. And while the Lakers threatened to dig out of their early hole all game long, they were never able to recover. If they are consistent at one thing this season, it’s falling behind early and being unable to overcome the deficit.

“We gave up too many offensive rebounds and gave up too many easy baskets,” Scott said after the Lakers 120-111 loss to the Cavs.

You aren’t going to get many wins giving up 120 points, and the Lakers have just 11 wins heading into All Star Break.


Kobe -- -- He and LeBron matched up for most of the game. Some tag teaming with Metta at times. Kobe started off the game slow, missing a lot and providing little impact defensively. Late in the game, he closed strong with a 4-point play, three FTs on another 3-point foul and a layup around LeBron. Too little too late for the Lakers. He definitely looked his age to start this one and on D. The opposing coach, Ty Lue, is only a year older than Kobe. The Stats: He scored 17 points on 5-16 shooting (3-7 from three, 4-4 from the line) to go with 6 boards, 3 assists, 1 steal, 3 turnovers and 2 fouls in 33 minutes. He was a -19. The Action: He swished a wing jumper for the Lakers first score. He missed a pull-up three in transition. He missed a sideline three. He missed a baseline turnaround. He got a kind bounce on a wing three in transition. He missed a turnaround jumper. He missed a 19-footer, got it back and missed a fade at the rim. He missed a three a few seconds after entering. He then threw a pass out of bounds next time down. He had 5 points on 2-9 shooting and 5 boards. Second Half: He swished a wide open three he was able to square up and measure. He probed the lane and missed the hook after wheeling around the paint. Weak perimeter pass and it was swiped for a layup the other way. His bounce pass was picked off for an And-1 the other way. He missed a jumper out of a timeout. He missed a deep three and wanted the foul. He swished an And-1 pull-up three, he made the FT. He missed a big wing three with 4 minutes left. He drew three FTs on the reach at the three line, he made all three. He lost LeBron on a spin move and reversed around the help D.

Clarkson -- -- When he was attacking the paint with speed off of the high screens the Cavs struggled to contain him. He also did a good job moving the ball, leading the team with 7 assists. When Russell had it going from three, Clarkson was on the ball and Russell off of it. Those two need more floor time together, along with Randle. The more chemistry they can develop to be effective together next season and going forward, the better. Defensively, the Cavs picked on Clarkson and Kobe at times. We had very little resistance. The Stats: He scored 22 points on 8-15 shooting (3-5 from three, 3-3 from the line) to go with 6 boards, 7 assists, 1 steal, 2 turnovers and 1 foul in 36 minutes. He was a -11. The Action: Not close on a wing three. He missed an elbow jumper shortly later on the same possession. He hit Hibbert for a floater in the lane. He attacked off the three line, switched hands in the air while taking contact and scored the layup. He worked the two-man game and kicked to Russell for three. He missed a pull-up wing jumper. He missed a baseline pull-up jumper. He attacked in transition, hung in the air after taking some contact and scored the layup. He missed a layup attacking on a hesitation move. He worked the two-man game with Bass and set him up for the And-1 layup. Second Half: He kicked to Kobe for the wide open three. He attacked from the wing, elevated over a big and scored the layup. Hibbert took out his man on a screen, Clarkson exploded down the lane and scored the And-1 layup, he made the FT. He attacked Varajao off the screen again with high speed and scored the layup. He was called for a carry in transition. He grabbed a blocked shot and missed the jumper. He was called for a charge to erase a layup that went in high off the glass as he fell. He swished a two-for-one three attempt. He attacked the paint and drew FTs, he made both. He swished a wing three. He missed a three on iso. He swished a corner three in transition.

Randle -- -- “Obviously, I should have been there,” Randle said of the Rising Stars Challenge game, but he said he can only control what he can control. He’s been stringing together some great games. Tonight, was a bit below average for him of late. He should have had 2 more points than you see on the stat sheet, but he missed a simple two-handed dunk finish on his first attempt. He dunked on his other two makes (one a good cut behind his man and even better bounce pass from Russell, the other Randle just blowing past everyone on the dribble in transition for a dunk). We struggled to control our glass and even though he had 8 boards that just seemed like a sub par game from him in that regard. You know someone is a good rebounder when they can get 8 boards and it was kind of a “meh” performance on the glass. “They got leak outs, offensive rebounds and they shot a good percentage,” Randle said of the Laker D. He said they weren’t helping the helper well. Himself included in that. He led the team with the -25. The Stats: He scored 7 points on 2-7 shooting (3-4 from three) to go with 8 boards, 1 turnover and 3 fouls in 27 minutes. He was a -25. The Action: He missed a two-handed dunk on an interior feed from Hibbert, argh. He missed a turnaround on the baseline on iso, then gave up a dunk on the other end on the slip screen. Excellent cut behind his man and Russell threaded the bounce pass to him for the dunk. He missed an 18-foot pull-up. He grabbed a defensive board, pushed it up the floor, stepped on the gas blowing by everyone and dunking (Love had no chance). He didn’t roll and Russell threw the bounce pass away. He was fouled on a layup attempt and made both FTs. Second Half: He missed a 16-footer to start the half. He was blocked trying to work the post. He missed a putback attempt. He drew FTs on the Russell groin sequence, he made one.

Williams -- -- Quiet assassin tonight. He was knocking down the three ball and doing his usual to get to the line. Super-efficient 28 points on 15 shots from Lou. He also had a couple of nice passes, including one to Black for the dunk. It was during that stretch in the late third and early fourth that the Lakers started to mount a little bit of a comeback. We wasted his good outing with our inability to get stops or one-and-out possessions tonight. The Stats: He scored 28 points on 9-15 shooting (4-6 from three, 6-7 form the line) to go with 4 boards, 2 assists, 1 block and no fouls in 36 minutes. He was a -19. The Action: He missed a baseline fade. He swished a long three on iso. He suckered Irving into a reach from three and drew three FTs on the chuck, he made all three. He hit Bass in transition with a bounce pass for FTs. He missed the baseline fade working on that left side. He drew a whistle on a reach and banked in the And-1 jumper (I think he called that one), he made the FT. He missed a sideline three. He swished a corner jumper on iso against Love. He missed a wing jumper. He led the Lakers with 11 points on 3-6 shooting. Second Half: He swished an open three from the top of the arc. He blocked a jumper on the other end. He pushed it out in transition and drew FTs on the runner, he made one. He drained a wing three moving to his left. He got tapped on a wing three next time down. He missed a tough chuck from the left side, fading back a bit too much. He swished a sideline three on the offensive board. He probed off the three line, took contact and swished the And-1 jumper, he made the FT. Great job running the two-man game with Black and he set him up for a dunk. He sank a pull-up at the FT line. He blew past his man and scored a layup.

Hibbert -- -- Defensively, we just had too many soft holes in our starting unit. Where they picked on Roy was when he’d hang back off the screens and leave a lot of room for shooters. Offensively, we struggled to start the game but somehow Hibbert was able to scratch out some points. He was matched up with Love, which meant he could get better looks in the post, but he’d also have to watch him on the perimeter. Love left the game early with an injury, so that only lasted a half. Hibbert was also useless on the defensive glass. The Stats: He scored 9 points on 4-6 shooting (1-2 from the line) to go with 3 boards (2 offensive), 1 turnover and 2 fouls in 17 minutes. He was a -17. The Action: He sank a hook out of the triangle. He missed a 15-footer. He hit a floater in the lane. He gave up an open three not matching up with Love. He posted up Love, drop stepped and drew FTs, he made one. He missed a hook over Love. Second Half: He swished a rainbow turnaround jumper in the middle of the lane. He tipped in a Kobe miss.

Russell -- -- Wow, did he take a LeBron pass right in the package that dropped him, the crowd wincing on the replays. That put him down fast. He sat on the bench and wiped the sweat and water out of his eyes as he recovered. The noise on that was the best part…that hit square on target. Hope he gets credit for the steal. “I felt for him,” Scott said with a smile. “I’m just glad it didn’t happen to me,” Randle said. “Every guy knows the feeling, just laugh about it now,” Russell said. He said it made him feel like the ref in the Longest Yard. After he returned to the floor off that he wasn’t as efficient as he had been for most of the game. In the first half he connected on three straight threes and had some nice passing sequences. Later in the game he wasn’t as clean in either area. Still an excellent game from him. If he had some shooters around him he’d have twice the assists, just some brick shooting by a couple of guys. He’s on to his first All Star weekend. “I just want to get out there, have a little fun and then get off my feet,” Russell said of this weekend. Asked if he felt the rookie wall in any way, he said no. “I feel like it’s just an excuse,” Russell said. The Stats: He scored 15 points on 5-11 shooting (3-5 from three, 2-2 from the line) to go with 2 boards, 3 assists, 2 steals, 4 turnovers and 2 fouls in 28 minutes. He was a +11. The Action: A few seconds after entering the game, he threaded a sweet bounce pass through multiple defenders to Randle cutting backdoor from the wing for the dunk. He missed a three at the end of the quarter. A little behind Bass on a lob pass. He swished a wing three in transition next time down. He swished a three on the kickout to the other wing next time down. Quick fire sideline three in transition and he knocked it down. He missed the heat check three from the other sideline. He had 9 points on 3-5 shooting and 3 assists. Second Half: He backed Irving down and hit the turnaround jumper. He picked up Irving’s fourth foul next time down trying to get post position (that put him on the bench). His kickout was picked off. He drained a pull-up from the top of the key working off the high screen. He missed the baseline fade. He missed the pull-up 17-footer. He missed a rushed layup attempt off an interior feed. He overpassed instead of taking the short jumper, turnover. He pushed out the break and drew FTs, he made both. Nice challenge on Irving to force a miss. He missed a heave from three at the buzzer.

World Peace -- -- Rare sighting of MWP on court and it wasn’t pretty. He was clanking shots left and right. He nearly went scoreless but it looked like they let him have a layup in the final seconds. Scott wanted him in the rotation to help on LeBron, so it seems questionable whether we’ll see him for a while. The Stats: He scored 2 points on 1-8 shooting (0-5 from three, 0-2 from the line) to go with 3 boards and 3 fouls in 15 minutes. He was a +10. The Action: Not close on a wing three. He missed a three from the other side in transition. He missed an open three on a great cross-court feed. He clanked another corner three ball stopping. Second Half: He missed another three on a kickout. He missed in the post, Randle kept it alive, Metta got it back and drew FTs, he missed both of those, as well. He attacked and missed a layup as it rolled off the rim. Garbage time final minute, they let him go down the middle of the lane and score a layup.

Bass – -- Big minutes again for Bass with 31. He’s certainly getting playing time under Scott. An average game for him, scratching out a few points off of a jumper, a finish around the rim and from the line. We haven’t seen him go off for a big game in a while. We needed the defensive mobility out there with LeBron and Kyrie able to cause havoc. The Stats: He scored 7 points on 2-5 shooting to go with 7 boards, 1 assist, 1 block and 2 fouls in 31 minutes. He was a +8. The Action: He got out in transition, took the pass, gathered himself and was dumped to the floor for FTs, he made both. He rejected a Love dunk attempt. He missed a baseline jumper on iso. He swished a 16-footer straight away, given space and time. He scored an And-1 layup off the two-man game with Clarkson, he made the FT. He missed a layup in transition. Second Half: Not close on an elbow jumper.

Black -- -- Well, if you look at the +/- between Black and Hibbert, it’s a pretty big gap. Black had the team-high +17, Hibbert had a -17. Both played similar minutes. Our starters just got roasted. I don’t know if the Lakers will get anything done as far as trades this weekend, but it would seem they could move one of their vet bigs. It would be nice to see Tarik get some more run. The Stats: He scored 4 points on 2-3 shooting to go with 5 boards, 1 steal, 1 block and 4 fouls in 18 minutes. He was a +17. The Action: Nice help D to allow his other big to recover, he then helped on the screen and forced a turnover a couple seconds later. Second Half: He missed a tip in attempt. He dunked off the two-man game with Lou. He scored a layup off of the quick passing sequence from Russell to Kobe to Black under the hoop.

Scott -- -- The Lakers quickly trailed 18-6 when the timeout came midway through the quarter… No lineup changes out of that timeout… Lakers down 10 when Russell came in for Clarkson a minute later… Bass in for Hibbert, Lakers down 13… He sat Kobe for Metta, Lakers down 12… Black in for Randle… The Lakers trailed 35-25 after the first quarter… Scott went with the Black, Bass, Metta, Clarkson, Russell lineup… Metta out for Kobe, Lakers down 8… They trimmed it to 4 off a couple of Russell threes… Lakers down 7 when Randle entered for Black… He sat Kobe for Metta a couple minutes later… Lakers down 8 when Russell sat for Lou with 4:43 left… Kobe back in for Peace (some quick subs to keep them fresh, it seemed), Lakers down 8... Cavs attacking Clarkson/Kobe with a LeBron/Irving two-man game and extending the lead… The Lakers trailed 64-47 at the half. LeBron and Irving with 17 points each (on 8-12 shooting each) and nothing was made difficult… Starters getting destroyed… We were down 20 when the timeout came midway through the quarter… Lakers getting killed on the defensive glass… Russell in for Clarkson… Lakers finally got their first second-chance points of the game to close the gap 21-2… Russell out with the shot to the groin… Black in for Randle… The Lakers trailed big, 93-74 heading into the fourth… He went with the Black, Bass, Metta, Williams, Russell lineup… Lakers zoning to start… Williams lighting it up and the Lakers cut the lead down to 13, forcing a timeout… Kobe in for Metta… Lou out for Clarkson with 8:44 left… The Lakers cut it to single digits of a Clarkson three and Kobe 4-point play when the timeout came midway through the quarter… He brought in Lou for Black, small ball down 8… Lakers down 13 when the timeout came. This one now over…

[ChefLinda]

FIRST.

[Yumyumcha]

Thanks DB!

[10scott10]

Randle looked quite off tonight, missed some rotations and made some bad plays that we haven't seen in a few weeks. Hope he can take the time over the ASB to really hone in his jumper, it has been looking better recently, but a long stretch to just practice and watch tape should really help him

[SweetP]

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

[H0B0]

THX DB. GO LAKERS

[Chronicle]

Loved seeing clarkson just go straight into varejao and convert. This is what we had to sit through for years and now finally we have a guard do it to the opponent
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Kobe

[OregonLakerGuy]

Thanks DB

[A Mad Chinaman]

[Lakers#1Team]

Thanks DB! OUCH!!

[Shaber]

[SoCaLjAy]

[70sdude]

Thanks DB. I watched much of this contest for once. Started to wonder about Randle's level of fitness and shot selection. He looked plain out of gas a number of times after changing ends of the floor quickly in succession. Didn't figure to see that.

[22]

[governator]

where's the highlights?

[fiendishoc]

In Byron's in game interview he mentioned that he wasn't happy about the open looks from 3 that Love got in the first. Maybe don't match him up with Hibbert then??

[K28]

Poor D'Angelo.

[K28]

[22]

That very well could be the case

[DancingBarry]

[TooMuchMajicBuss]

Thanks DB again! Missed this game - great to have these T&R's to read.

I haven't seen the replays and I'm a bit afraid to watch based on what I've read.... Did LeBron at least say 'sorry'?

[Lakersneuron]

[nshid]