LAKERS -at- KNICKS - 11-8-15 - Thoughts and :-(( Ratings

[DancingBarry]

Fading Away… It was perhaps Kobe’s final trip to Madison Square Garden, where he holds the opponent record for most points in a game with 61. The younger Black Mamba always put on an unforgettable show in MSG.

While he gave fans a couple of moments tonight, he’s no longer the offensive threat he used to be. The ball still gravitates toward him, but it no longer goes through the hoop with consistency or in the same manner. And whether they are still calling iso plays or he’s breaking off plays to go iso, it’s not effective…especially when he’s shooting just 20.8% from three this season. He went 2-10 from three today hitting that 20% mark once again. Highly inefficient.

Down the stretch, the Lakers seemingly took turns chucking with little flow or unity offensively. The offense faded away as they were outscored 18-4 over the final 7 minutes of the fourth quarter to fall 99-95.

“We stopped moving the ball like we did before,” Scott said. Some of their best sequences certainly were when they were playing for each other, trying to set the next guy up for a better shot. Down the stretch, too many players were playing for themselves, seeing if they could be the one to get it done. And when the offense runs clock trying to force it in a certain direction, they’re often left with bad shots at critical times.

Out of a timeout in crunch time they were forced into Randle taking a step-back three to just beat the shotclock. These are supposed to be your best possessions, not your worst.


Kobe -- -- Possibly Kobe’s last game at MSG. He had a few moments out there, but nothing is coming easy. More of that 20% three shooting and 10 shots from beyond the arc to double down on it (he’s now 10-48 from three this season…horrible). When he forces the issue and the offense defers to him, it just isn’t pretty right now. It doesn’t help that out of timeouts it looks like we sometimes call for iso’s. Either that or Kobe is breaking off the play to iso. He got the Melo assignment defensively and was up to the challenge. Melo wasn’t very effective until down the stretch when he was able to draw a couple fouls on Kobe for FTs. Nice to see Kobe and Sasha sharing some love at halftime and after the game. Kobe’s first back-to-back coming up. “I expect him to start on both days,” Scott said. Kobe said he wants to play every game and Scott is going to likely do that. Sigh. The Stats: He scored 18 points on 6-19 shooting (2-10 from three, 4-7 from the line) to go with 2 boards, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 turnover and 2 fouls in 32 minutes. He was a -1. The Action: Way short on a pull-up wing jumper on his first attempt. He clanked a wing three in early offense. He poked a ball loose from Melo and it led to a Clarkson breakaway. He sank a long wing jumper left alone for a moment. He spun off the screen and sank the 17-footer. He drained a face-up wing three on his next touch. He missed a corner three after nearly getting stripped a second earlier. He posted up, spun baseline, then back the other way to draw a defender and then he hit the cutting Black for the dunk. He faced up and sank a wing three with the shotclock getting low. He got back to the same spot and the three rattled out next time down. He airballed a long three with the shotclock expiring. Tight D on Melo who missed the three badly. Kobe missed the three on the other end, left wide open. He forced and missed a long wing three with Sasha tight on him at the half. He had 10 points and 2 assist. Second Half: He got Porzingas on the switch and drew three FTs (Fish got ejected on two techs on that, which Kobe made), he then made only one of the next three. He missed a long wing three. He doubled back after passing into the post and cutting, took the handoff, measured and swished the baseline jumper. He iso’d, kicked it back out, got it back and sank the pull-up sideline jumper. Way shot on a baseline fallaway that he could have taken his time on. He missed a forced scoop under a defender and wanted the foul. He drew FTs getting held weakside of the triangle, he made one, way short on the second, but we got it back and missed a forced baseline jumper. He missed a long wing chuck. Some fouls down the stretch on Melo for FTs. He missed a long chuck from three.

Clarkson -- -- No real flow or purpose in how we got Clarkson integrated offensively tonight. We did do a better job working Hibbert into the offense and Clarkson had a couple moments setting him for a jumper or FTs. Jordan missed his last four shots in the game. “Missed shots,” Clarkson said afterward, never a great interview. He thought they improved defensively. “We continue to grow and come together.” Thanks, JC. The Stats: He scored 10 points on 4-13 shooting (2-3 from three) to go with 2 boards, 1 assist, 1 steal, 2 turnovers and no fouls in 29 minutes. He was a -5. The Action: He pushed out the loose ball and took it the distance for the layup. His pass on the two-man game was picked off. He hit Hibbert with an interior feed for FTs. He sank the wing jumper off the inbounds pass. He missed a baseline jumper. He kicked out to Roy for the open 17-footer. He couldn’t finish a layup in transition. He swished a pull-up wing three on a two-for one. He had 7 points on 3-6 shooting. Second Half: After getting yelled at, he curled around the screens, took the pass, drew the D, dished to Randle who hit Hibbert for the dunk. He missed a floater on a baseline drive. He jumped passing lane, but then had it stolen right back as he pushed the steal up court. He couldn’t finish a layup in transition a few seconds later. He swished a wing three (looked fouled with no call). He missed a wing pull-up jumper. He attacked the paint and couldn’t finish the layup. He missed a long pull-up jumper out of a timeout. He airballed a corner three.

Randle -- -- Porzingas and the Knicks played off him and with the two bigs in the paint, that made it hard for Julius to do much. Obviously, this is where having that jumper as a threat changes everything. Without that, he struggled. He did, however, try to put his energy into other things such as hitting the offensive glass (pulling down 5 on that end). Although, he did get a couple of offensive fouls that led to FT. Some strong energy in that area, however. Defensively, he was better, which is still just mediocre at times. The Stats: He scored 6 points on 3-12 shooting (0-1 from three) to go with 11 boards (5 offensive), 3 assists and 4 fouls in 30 minutes. He was a -12. The Action: Not close on a forced 18-footer against the shotclock to start the game. He grabbed the board, pushed it up and hit the pull-up at the FT line. Not close on a wing jumper, he fouled in transition. Short on the turnaround working the post. He was blocked trying to power up on Porzingas. He bricked trying to force it up in a crowd. Second Half: He fed Hibbert on the interior for the dunk. He sank a 20-footer when Russell kicked to him. Out on the break and Russell hit him in stride for the dunk. He missed the open jumper from the top of the key when they sagged off. He attacked a crowd, took contact and wasn’t close on the finish. He crashed the glass and kicked it out to Hibbert for the open jumper. He attacked left and bricked badly. Great hustle off a Hibbert missed FT to save it inbounds and Russell recovered it. He rejected a baseline drive. He missed a step-back wing three out of a timeout with the shotclock about to expire. Some bad fouls on the offensive glass, giving up FTs.

Russell -- -- Very active defensively in this one. He had the 3 steals, but a few pass deflections as well as some hustle plays. I like seeing Metta in his ear. Russell certainly had a Metta-like reach and steal in this game, but he also had some very good anticipation on that end of the floor. The length and his hoop IQ should create a lot of that during his career. So these are the baby steps and little positives that show improvement bit by bit. Offensively, he deferred too much to Kobe. Hard for a rookie not to be calling the plays for Kobe and giving in to his general gravity for the ball. The offense got very slow and predictable trying to defer to him. Not a lot of shots from Russell and rarely his own number called. I’d like to see more two-man game from him on the left wing. Some of his better passing sequences and scoring has come from over there. But it seems to be a low priority. The Stats: He scored 6 points on 3-7 shooting (0-1 from three) to go with 5 boards (2 offensive), 3 assists, 3 steals, 2 turnovers and 2 fouls in 28 minutes. He was a -11. The Action: He worked off the high screen, took contact from behind and hit the And-1 floater, he missed the FT. He missed a pull-up at the FT line between defenders. He hit Kobe popping free on the wing (zipped that one to him quickly) for the jumper. He was hit on a pull-up jumper with no call and missed. He worked side to side behind the wing screen and stuck the pull-up jumper (more please). Second Half: He attacked the paint and couldn’t finish. He got it back on a steal and hit Randle for the jumper. He pushed up the break with speed, looked off the D and hit Randle in stride for the dunk. Great read as his man spun, he reached and stripped him (Metta’s specialty). He worked off the high screen and swished the 17-footer. Great read to swipe a kickout, then crossover and draw a foul. Good hustle (and length) to recover Randle’s save off a missed Laker FT, he battled for that one. He missed a jumper short in the lane.

Hibbert -- -- Good to see him more integrated in the offense and come away with an 18-10 game. He’s been an afterthought in the offense this season. Whether this game is a sign of things to come and a step forward in integrating him…or just fluke…we’ll have to wait and see. With Lopez and Porzingas’s length out there, they really needed a big to be active offensively and for Hibbert to hit that jumper. Defensively, the Knicks shot just 39% and the Lakers didn’t have as many consistent breakdowns. The Knicks aren’t a running team so that helps some, too. “Defensively, we were doing better than we have in the past as a team collectively,” Hibbert said. He said he was encouraged with the growth of the young guys. The Stats: He scored 18 points on 5-9 shooting (8-10 from the line) to go with 10 boards, 2 assists, 2 blocks and 4 fouls in 33 minutes. He was a -1. The Action: He might have gotten away with moving a pivot foot on an up-and-under score against a double team. He missed an 18-footer next time down. He drew FTs on Porzingas on the interior feed from Clarkson, he made one. He drew FTs on the offensive glass, he made both. He kicked out to Metta for the three. He swished an open 17-footer on a kickout. He had 9 points and 3 boards. Second Half: He was blocked on a jumphook across the lane. He dunked off the Kobe-Clarkson-Randle passing sequence. He missed a 17-footer on the two-man game with Kobe. He sank a baseline jumper after bricking a hook. He crashed the glass on the Clarkson dribble penetration and drew FTs, he made one. He was fouled on the defensive glass for FTs, he made both. He scored a putback layup.

Williams -- -- Not a good scoring game from Lou. Offensively, he’s running the point for the second unit with Huertas now out of the rotation (good decision). Lou did a very good job integrating Black into the offense. He found him on a number of plays and ended up leading the team with 5 assists, despite his poor shooting day. He and Kobe combined for 3-16 three shooting. The rest of the team was 6-11 from three. Our poorest three shooters on the night taking the bulk of the threes. Not smart ball. The Stats: He scored 9 points on 3-12 shooting (1-6 from three, 2-3 from the line) to go with 2 boards, 5 assists, 1 steal, 1 turnover and 1 foul in 21 minutes. He was a +7. The Action: He missed a floater. He drew FTs on a jumper in early offense, he made one. He sank a sideline jumper on a quick cut to draw a switch. He tried to scoop in a layup under a defenders arm and bricked. He spotted Black open under the hoop for the layup. He missed a wing three. He swiped a ball, pushed it out, drew defenders and lobbed to Nance for the score. Second Half: He sank an open wing jumper going to his left off the dribble handoff from Clarkson and Black running interference. He missed a three. He missed a floater in the lane. He made a tech FT. He attacked the lane and fed Black rolling for the layup. He attacked baseline and kicked to Black for the open jumper. Quick attack off the screen, he drew the D and fed Black for FTs. He sank a three straight away. He missed a sideline three. He got tapped on a wing three. He missed a long three. He missed a drive.

Black -- -- Good to see Lou and Black teaming up to get Tarik some easy ones. Tarik does a great job being mobile on offense. We could do a lot around that if we were a little more methodical. Black’s cutting off ball, pulls defenders with him, which can create open looks for others. He’s running in a bit of an offensively challenged lineup at times. Defensively, the Black/Nance combo looks light years ahead of Kelly and Bass. The Stats: He scored 8 points on 4-6 shooting (0-2 from the line) to go with 4 boards, 1 assist, 2 turnovers and 2 fouls in 15 minutes. He was a -3. The Action: Not close on a 10-foot jumphook. He scored an uncontested layup when Lou found him wide open on the roll. He was blocked on a dunk attempt. Great cut when Kobe was drawing defenders in the post and Kobe spotted him for the dunk. Second Half: He was called for a travel on an up fake. He scored a layup when Williams fed him on the drive down the lane. He sank the frozen-rope baseline jumper off the drive and dish from Williams. He drew FTs rolling to the hoop off the Williams drive, he missed both, however.

Young -- -- He led the bench with 10 points but it took 10 shots and the final one was a made three when the game was essentially over. The Stats: He scored 10 points on 4-10 shooting (2-5 from three) to go with no other stats. He was a +5. The Action: He missed a baseline pull-up in early offense over a couple defenders. He missed a good look at a wing jumper to start the quarter. He drained a wing three in early offense. He missed a wing three. He got his man on his hip and swished the elbow jumper. Second Half: He missed a wing three. He slithered his way through the traffic off the wing screen and scored the layup. He missed a long three, taking contact with no call at the buzzer. He missed a pull-up in transition. He sank a three straight away.

Nance -- -- One of the signs of a good defender for me is when I want the other team to try to attack the player. I wanted the Knicks to try to go at Nance. He’s taking some cheap foul calls right now, but he should develop a rep as a defender at some point and some of these whistles will disappear. But those cheap fouls aside, he did a great job thwarting iso attacks and switches where he had to cover smaller players. That length and mobility is a huge asset. His athleticism showed on the defensive glass where he hustled and boxed out well at times. Just a lot of little things out there that make a big difference. The Stats: He scored 2 points on 1-2 shooting to go with 6 boards, 1 turnover and 3 fouls in 17 minutes. He was a +4. The Action: He missed a flip in on a drive right (should have gone strong to the rim). Nice D on Grant shutting down his iso attempt. He was called for a travel trying to create off the catch. He finished a tough lob on the break from Lou. Second Half: He deflected as pass in transition. Great box out to seal his man under the backboard with no chance at a rebound. He crashed the glass and tapped out an offensive board to regain possession (looked like he got hit in the eye in the process).

World Peace -- -- Strong game from Metta. His offense was a big bonus. He sank a couple of threes and hit an elbow jumper. The shot was looking good. Defensively, he was feisty trying to stay with Melo. He did have a bad play getting backdoored, but was otherwise his usual self. Love seeing him mentoring the young guys. Amazing both he and Sasha were on the court together today, considering how they were MIA from the NBA recently. The Stats: He scored 8 points The Action: He gave up a dunk, getting backdoored. He forced Melo into an airball. He blocked Porzingas from behind. He sank a wing three on a kickout from Hibbert. Second Half: He backed his man down and drew an illegal D. He probed to his right and hit the pull-up elbow jumper. He swished a corner three in Melo’s face. Melo got him back on the other end with a three and smiled. He missed a wing jumper.

Scott -- -- The Lakers trailed 16-13 when the timeout came midway through the quarter. He sat Russell for Williams… He sat Kobe with 4 minutes left for Metta, Lakers up 1… Nance and Young in the game for Clarkson and Randle, tied up… Black in for Hibbert with 1:34 left, score tied. Long stretch for Hibbert than we’ve seen lately… The Lakers were tied 25-25 after the first quarter… Black, Nance, Young, Kobe, Williams unit to start the second quarter… He sat Nance (giving him a good pat on the way back for his effort) and sat Williams for Randle and Russell… He sat Kobe for Metta midway through the quarter, tied up again. Similar sub pattern to the previous game, giving Kobe some shorter minute stints and essentially sending Kobe to the bench for some of his minutes each game… The Lakers led 49-45 at the half. The Knicks shot 35%... Some excellent passing sequences from the Lakers and they pulled out an 8-point lead forcing a timeout… A run for the Knicks and they tied it up… Fisher got kicked out when Kobe drew three FTs… Black, Metta and Williams in for Kobe, Hibbert and Russell, Lakers up 2… Nance for Randle a couple seconds later… Young in for Clarkson up 1… The Lakers trailed 71-70 heading into the fourth… He started the same lineup as in the second quarter… Hibbert and Metta in for Kobe and Black, score tied after 3 minutes… Young out for Russell at the 7:36 mark, Lakers up by 3… Randle and Clarkson in for Nance and Williams still up 3… Up 1 with over 2 minutes left and we’re forced into Randle chucking up a stepback three to beat the shotclock. Horrible set… The offensive execution down the stretch was just awful… Russell sat with 1:26 left… The game completely slipped away shortly later…

[lounger]

Thanks DB

[Lakers#1Team]

Thanks DB!

[yinoma2001]

Melo actually scored 62 in MSG to break Kobe's then-record.
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From 2-10 to the Western Conference Finals

[Annihilator]

[DancingBarry]

[DancingBarry]

[Omar Little]

Aside from stalling the offense, perhaps the biggest downside to kobe going iso so much is that it encourages other guys not to give up the ball. Saw that a lot down the stretch, after seeing g the body language of other guys earlier.

[TooMuchMajicBuss]

Thanks DB - missed the game and really appreciate the recap.

Sounds like this game was a prime example of why iso ball blows. Perhaps not with a prime time superstar in the Triangle, but those days are long gone. Good to hear Russell is working hard on defense. Unfortunate that so many Lakers were so cold and Randle was so far off his game.

Good to see Nance is continuing to get floor time. I like his style of basketball.

[Annihilator]

[Goldenwest]

Lakers shot like crap and still almost won. Good sign, means they're hustling.

[Lakersneuron]

Nance provided some much needed defense out there. Saw some good things from him.
_________________
"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."

[A Mad Chinaman]

School is in Session

DLO played better while getting more PT. Missing defensive assignments at the end of game, his inability or unwillingness to organize the team/beat Calderon off the dribble during crunch time will disappear as the season goes on

Randle has been scouted and he is often needlessly drifting out to the 3pt line while on offense. Maybe he was trying to stop fastbreak opportunities for the opponent.

Clarkson was trying hard but he was unfocused that was not helped by DLO struggling leading the team during crunch time. He needs to embrace a Woodenism to learn how to be at one's best when the best is needed

Opponents know that just turning up the pressure on defense during crunch time will cause their young players to tighten up, make mental mistakes and see them shy/scared of the big moments. How will the young players react after a bad Knicks team gave them a lesson

Time for the next lesson

[TDRock]

Win-able game

Frustrating

#boooo

Thanks DB!

[Laker's Fan]

Encouraged to see Scott playing his best defenders. A Brown is next on that list. Next step, stop enabling Bryant to be a low % iso chucker. Not the way a great like him should go out.

[OregonLakerGuy]

Thanks DB

[Vin]

[All_Star_Laker]

[yinoma2001]

[kp6man]

(Russel action vs Knicks)

at the moment Porzingis would be better for us than Russel.

[LoyalLakerfan44]

[yinoma2001]

[yinoma2001]

[Omar Little]

[Rawr]