LAKERS -at- JAZZ - 2-25-15 - Thoughts and :-)) Ratings

[DancingBarry]

Lottery Picks… While the Lakers jockey for lottery position, their second-round pick played like a lottery stud tonight.

Jordan Clarkson scored a career-high 22 points in the Lakers 100-97 victory over the Utah Jazz. In the process, they ended their 11-game road losing streak with their second straight win.

Clarkson had a steal and filthy, posterizing jam in the first half over the lottery pick Dante Exum and went on to thoroughly outplay him. One of the lone bright spots this season, Clarkson’s game continues to grow.

He was helped tonight by some good Laker defense and a 21-10 advantage in turnovers. Down by as many as 13, the Lakers came back in the fourth quarter behind some of that feisty defensive effort.

“What I’m trying to do with these guys is plant that seed now on both ends of the floor,” Scott said.

Scott was pleased with how they closed the game, as well. “I thought tonight we went to try to win the game,” Scott said of the last two minutes versus trying not to lose while holding onto a lead.

In the tank battle, the Lakers were helped by a win by the Timberwolves.


Clarkson -- -- Career high scoring night for Jordan. “I just came out and played aggressive,” Clarkson said. He repeated the word “aggressive” several times. When he was with Mizzou, I wondered a little about his aggressiveness (or lack thereof, especially when you wanted him to take over). To me, that would be the make or break for him was whether he could step it up mentally at the next level. The skills and work ethic were all there. In the summer, I thought he erased that concern. After reeling that aggressiveness in and getting it more under control, he’s now stepping on the gas again but much more effectively. Playing within himself. Scott said they worked on Clarkson’s midrange jumper off the screens. That was apparent tonight as he picked his spots and didn’t always force it (or force the floater instead). He had the play of the game. A steal on the perimeter and then a posterizing dunk on lottery pick Exum, who was thoroughly outplayed tonight. “He’s getting better and better,” Boozer said. “Wait till you see him in 10 games. He’s just getting his feet wet.” Note that Clarkson got to finish in this game and hit a big pull-up jumper with 1:40 left and got tapped on another later. Love seeing him get closer minutes, but also trying to be the closer. More, please. The Stats: He scored 22 points on 10-16 shooting (1-3 from three, 1-1 from the line) to go with 4 boards (2 offensive), 3 assists, 2 steals, 2 turnovers and 4 fouls in 34 minutes. He had a +/- of 0. The Action: He attacked and kicked to Sacre for a jumper. He sank a wing jumper working off the screen. He missed a three straight away. He worked a behind-the-back dribble into an 18-footer. He was called for a clear-out foul on a drive (didn’t need to do that). He swished a one-footed pull-up jumper from the wing. He swished a wing three on a kickout. Perimeter pressure on D and he forced his man into a turnover. He airballed a pull-up wing jumper. He hit Boozer for a layup. He picked Exum’s pass, pushed it out and threw down a huge And-1 dunk over him taking contact (he flexed afterward, love it), he made the FT. He may have stripped a man on the break to get a turnover (hard to tell if it wasn’t a fumble). He probed with the shotclock low, drew the D and hit Boozer for the jumper. He hit the floor trying to recover a deflected pass, but couldn’t come up with it. He had 12 points on 5-8 shooting to go with 3 assists in the first half. Second Half: He swiped a pass in the backcourt. He attacked with speed and hit the pull-up elbow jumper. He threw down a breakaway jam off the Boozer steal. He blew past his man, was blocked on the throwdown drive, got it tapped back to him and scored the layup. He missed a three, short. His perimeter pass was picked off for a dunk. He pushed out a blocked shot from Davis and scored a layup around a defender. He worked the two-man game and swished the elbow pull-up with 1:40 left. He got tapped on an elbow jumper.

Boozer -- -- He helped spark the Laker comeback on both ends of the court. He had 3 steals tonight. “Just being active,” he said. The Lakers had a 20-12 advantage on the break. A good chunk of that was the Laker bigs making things happen defensively, which has been rare for the team. Offensively, he did his thing shooting jumpers, creating in the paint and finishing off setups by others. The Stats: He scored 14 points on 5-13 shooting (4-7 from the line) The Action: He missed a 17-footer. He drew FTs and made both. He faced up at the elbow, attacked and drew FTs, he missed both. He missed an elbow jumper. He missed a layup around a defender. He scored a layup off the dropoff pass from Clarkson. He was called for a travel trying to attack from the elbow off the split play. He missed an elbow jumper. He missed a layup on low position. He sank a jumper off the Clarkson kickout. He pushed up a board full court and missed the drive (he wanted the foul). He scored a layup on the break a few seconds later. Second Half: He lost the ball on a drive. He sank a pull-up baseline jumper. He sank an And-1 17-footer, he made the FT. He missed a 17-footer. We got it back to him, he iso’d, spun around a man and scored a layup. He swiped the ball on a reach and hit Clarkson for the breakaway jam. He attacked and drew FTs.

Ellington -- -- His first career double-double. With no Swaggy or Price, Wayne got some extended run to help make that happen, but a great job on the glass with a career high 10 boards. Anytime you can get good rebounding from your guard positions it’s very effective. He said he knew his bigs were going to have their hands full with Gobert’s size, so he was down there helping out. Offensively, he attacked a bit with so-so success and scratched out some points at the line. The Stats: He scored 15 points on 5-12 shooting (0-1 from three, 5-5 from the line) to go with 10 boards (3 offensive), 2 assists, 3 turnovers and 1 foul in 38 minutes. He was a +10. The Action: He missed a floater on our first attempt. He was blocked on a drive, dunk the other way. He attacked and drew FTs, he made both. He swished a wing pull-up jumper. He missed a long jumper. He missed a wing three but got his own board. He probed in early offense and swished the runner. He missed a long wing jumper. He hit Boozer on the break for a layup. He had 6 points on 2-7 shooting and 7 boards. Second Half: His bounce pass was picked off, layup the other way. He swished a pull-up jumper straight away. He scored an And-1 layup on the break with a generous continuation call, he made the FT. He attacked and threw a pass out of bounds. He flashed to the ball and hit the floater a few feet away. He hustled for an offensive board to reset the offense, then attacked and hit Hill for the dunk. He missed a three. He attacked and missed a reverse. He was fouled with 9 seconds left, he made both to get the lead to 4.

Kelly -- -- He was MIA in the first half and the Lakers tried to get him going with no success in the second half. He ended up with the bagel. It’s really been a disaster of season for Kelly, starting with the injuries and continuing with the ineffective play at the SF spot. Not much chance against Hayward defensively when they matched up. Ingles, however, was very ineffective. The Stats: He didn’t score on 0-5 shooting to go with 3 boards, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block, 2 turnovers and 3 fouls in 21 minutes. He was a -2. The Action: He stripped his man on a drive to get a stop. He missed a wing jumper in early offense. Second Half: He lost control on the first shot of the half, looking for a foul. He was rejected on a drive. He missed a turnaround jumper trying to post up. He bricked a step-back FT jumper. He was called for an offensive foul off ball trying to cut. He swatted a drive. He missed a drive then tapped out an offensive board right to the Jazz for the breakaway And-1.

Sacre -- -- Good job hitting all his FTs tonight, including the two with 1.2 seconds left. Bad job getting boards. I mean zero. Really? How is that even possible in 21 minutes by your center? Meanwhile Ellington with 10. You can’t get out-rebounded by your guard by that much. The Stats: He scored 6 points on 1-2 shooting (4-4 from the line) to go with 1 assist, 1 steal and 1 foul in 21 minutes. He was a +7. The Action: He swished a baseline jumper on a kickout. He stripped a man with to force a turnover. He scooped up a loose ball and attacked for FTs. He missed an elbow jumper. Second Half: He tapped a board to Clarkson for the layup. He was fouled with 1.2 seconds left up by 1 and made his FTs.

Lin -- -- Jeremy struggled with his shot this game, but the offense was effective with few turnovers. “We’re playing with more rhythm and flow in terms of coming down, sometimes nothings called, sometimes we’re flowing right into things,” Lin said. Davis had his back on a couple missed layups, tipping them in for Lin. Dribble penetration and a big crashing the glass is always a pretty good combo. So in that regard, Lin’s game might be slightly more effective than the stat box indicated. Defensively, the Lakers had a good team effort in that fourth quarter. “We forced turnovers and got stops,” Lin said. That was key to the comeback. The Stats: He scored 8 points on 3-12 shooting (0-4 from three, 2-2 from the line) to go with 2 boards, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 block and 1 foul in 24 minutes. He was a -5. The Action: He had to force up and miss a three against the shotclock. He missed a wing three. He hit Wes for the three on a drive and kick. He attacked and missed a layup. He sank a sideline jumper off a long board. He bounced a pass to Davis under the hoop for a layup. He missed a reverse but Ed tipped it in. Second Half: He attacked the pressure with speed and drew FTs, he made both. He missed an 18-footer on a busted sequence. He missed a long three trying to beat the shotclock. He missed a wing jumper. He picked his man and took it for the uncontested layup. He pushed out the board coast to coast for the layup. He missed a wing three. He choked a layup but Davis tipped it in.

Hill -- -- He banked in a 20-footer that was probably the difference in this game. That’s how things go sometimes. Really poor first half, but he came to life in the second half and Scott let him close. He was hitting jumpers on iso, dunking in transition and added a couple of clutch FTs with 18 seconds left. Not so clutch was the And-1 foul on the layup with 2 seconds left when you’re up 4. The Stats: He scored 16 points on 7-12 shooting (2-2 from the line) to go with 5 boards, 1 assist, 2 steals, 1 block and 4 fouls in 27 minutes. He was a -2. The Action: He attacked and missed a short one in the paint. He missed a challenged wing jumper at the end of the quarter. He missed an 18-footer. He attacked and forced up a wild layup and missed. Second Half: He attacked across the lane and hit the hook. He lulled his man to sleep and swished the 15-footer. He swished a catch-and-shoot jumper flashing to the FT line. He swatted a drive. He grabbed an offensive board and hit a quick baseline jumper (should have ran clock as the Jazz hit a three to end the quarter). He iso’d and hit the step-back baseline jumper. He iso’d and missed a pull-up jumper. He dunked off the drive and dish from Ellington. He took an outlet from Wes and dunked at full speed in transition. He banked in a long jumper without trying, oops. He drew a foul getting hit on a layup in transition with 18.7 seconds left (Lakers could have run clock down and the Jazz would have taken a foul anyway), he made both clutch ones. He fouled a man on a layup with 2.2 seconds left up by 4, uggh.

Davis -- -- His fly swatting in the fourth quarter got the Lakers back into the game. A couple of times it led straight to breakaway scores for the Lakers. That was huge. Great job on the offensive glass, pulling down 6 but tipping in several missed shots in the process. That’s huge. Jordan Hill used to give us those extra possessions when he focused on the glass instead of the jumpers. “Tonight, we took care of the ball,” Davis said afterward. He usually seems to be spot on with his postgame assessments (vs. Sacre who is usually in “I dunno, man” mode). The Stats: He scored 12 points on 6-8 shooting to go with 9 boards (6 offensive), 3 assists, 1 steal, 3 blocks and 6 fouls in 26 minutes. He was a -1. The Action: He tipped in a missed Hill drive. He scored a layup, sealing his man. He slapped an offensive board out for a second chance opportunity. He tipped in a missed reverse by Lin. Second Half: He missed a flat 10-footer. He scored a layup around a man in early offense when Wes found him. He tipped a choked layup by Lin. He swatted a drive and it led to a Hill dunk on the breakaway. He blocked a shot and it led to a Clarkson score in transition. He fumbled a ball an almost tipped it in.

Johnson -- -- One of those games where he’s shooting off-balance quite a bit. He wasn’t anywhere near as effective as the last game on that end. Defensively, the SF spot got better as the game went along. Hayward was held in check in the second half and when the Jazz needed him to step up, he wasn’t able to. The Stats: He scored 7 points on 3-9 shooting (1-3 from three) to go with 3 boards, 2 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks and 3 fouls in 27 minutes. He was a +5. The Action: He swished a wing jumper. He missed a putback attempt. He missed a three behind a screen. He sank a corner three. He swatted a shot out of bounds from behind a man on the break. He missed a wing jumper. He attacked and missed a forced fade on the baseline, poor shot selection. He sank a long wing pull-up jumper. Second Half: He missed an off-balance pull-up jumper. He missed a three at the shotclock buzzer.

Scott -- -- No Swaggy, no Price for Scott… Kelly out early for Wes… Down 17-14 with 4:11 left, he brought in Hill, Lin and Davis… Jazz with a 14-0 advantage in points in the paint… The Lakers trailed 29-21 after the first quarter… He started the same unit with Ellington at SG… Ellington out, Clarkson in, Lakers down 7… Sacre and Boozer in midway through the quarter for Hill and Davis, Lakers down 8… Lin and Wes out for Kelly and Ellington, Lakers down 8… The Lakers trailed 51-45 at the half… The Lakers cut it to 2 midway through the quarter… Lin in for Ellington… Hill in for Sacre, Davis in for Boozer, Lakers are even… Things fell apart for the Lakers quickly at the end of the quarter as the Jazz got several breakaways and hit a three at the buzzer… Lakers trailed 78-69 heading into the fourth… He started the Davis, Hill, Johnson, Ellington, Lin lineup. They ran the zone and gave up the dunk to a 7-footer driving down the middle of the lane from the three line. Not good… The Lakers cut the lead to 5 with 8 minutes left and forced a timeout… They tied it up with 4:35 left… Clarkson in for Lin… Up 4, they took a foul with 13 seconds left, protecting the three line. Scott changing strategy here?… He brought in Sacre for Davis… Lakers up 2, timeout…

[Omar Little]

First?
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“We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.” ― Elie Wiesel

[swoosh-it]

[OregonLakerGuy]

Thanks DB.

[H0B0]

THX DB. GO LAKERS

[Lakers#1Team]

Thanks DB!

[Shaber]

Love to see Clarkson growing! What a good pick!
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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

[JLinfanJoe]

Both the Suns and Sixers GMs think the Lakers are highly likely to keep their top 5 protected pick this year, and they seem to just be gambling whether it will be a high pick in 2016 (Sixers) vs. lower pick (Suns):

[infinite-loop]

I think somebody else should start a parallel "thoughts and ratings" based on wanting to tank. In that parallel universe the best performing players would get the worst rating.

It would make for good satire.

FYI, I don't favor tanking, but I wouldn't mind some laughs

[mhan00]

I love Jordan (bleep) Clarkson. He made Exum his (bleep). Better and better, game by game. I'm insanely impressed with Clarkson's growth.

[summerly]

Thanks DB!

[EddieJonesss]

Thanks DB, appreciated as always.