LAKERS -vs- WARRIORS – 10-19-16 - Thoughts and :-(( Ratings

[DancingBarry]

Scrappy and Sloppy… The Warriors came out smoking again – bombing threes, dunking in transition and locking down on D. But the Lakers settled in as Luke shuffled through roster combinations looking for a lineup that clicked in the first half.

To start the second half, the Lakers got shelled again and quickly trailed by 18 points. The Warriors are going to make a lot of teams look bad this year, but the Lakers hung in there, trailing by just 10 again to start the fourth. They cut it 6 before Curry dropped a series of perimeter bombs that dropped the Lakers for good, 123-112.

“I’m really proud of the way the guys continued to scrap against one of the best teams in the league,” Luke said. The team reeled the Warriors in a number of times, but just don’t have the talent or experience right now.

Credit the Lakers for hanging in there against the Warrior’s regular rotations. Brandon Ingram and Nick Young showed some nice fight and the Lakers kept it competitive.

Ingram, who led the team with 21 points and ran the PG for stretches, had been getting more and more comfortable with each game before finally looking like himself.

“He just seems to really gain confidence when he’s been running that point position for us,” Luke said.

Looking forward to more ... for many years.


Russell -- -- After a couple of turnovers midway through the third quarter, Luke sat him for Huertas. Maybe it was his planned rotation, but he and Randle both looked a bit too wild at times. Russell was playing under control, but the decisions/execution lacked. He didn’t force things with the shot, but the turnovers became an issue again in the fourth. After he returned in that quarter, he had a couple more painful miscues, ending up with 7 turnovers in the game on his 9 assists. He’s young and just not steady at the point right now. That’s what comes with experience. He’s had good games against the Warriors last season. It’s a new system, new coach, new players…there will be plenty of ups and downs all year as he learns. Just clean those turnovers up and it’s a good mix of scoring and playmaking. The Stats: He scored 16 points on 5-13 shooting (4-8 from three, 2-2 from the line) to go with 3 boards, 9 assists, 7 turnovers and 1 foul in 31 minutes. He was a -20. The Action: He was swatted by Klay trying to pumpfake him in the post. He was stripped trying to split a double team. He posted up, drew the double team and hit Randle for the dunk. He sank a pull-up wing three in transition. He drained a corner three on a kickout in transition. He missed a wing three in early offense. He hit Yi for a three after Curry tripped. He stripped Durant in transition to get a stop. He missed a baseline pull-up jumper. He had 6 points on 2-5 shooting and 4 assists. Second Half: He missed an elbow jumper. Bad inbound D not protecting the layup while guarding the passer. He threw a pass away on the two-man game. Nice bounce pass to Mozgov between defenders for the dunk. He missed a quick-fire wing three out of a timeout. He missed Randle open on the screen-roll (but found Clarkson who was fouled on a jumper). He hit Clarkson for the corner three. Wild kickout and it led to transition points for the Warriors. He kept his dribble alive on the baseline but then threw the pass away. Out of a timeout, he threw a ball away, Nance not expecting the pass, which was also poorly placed. He telegraphed a post entry, turnover, three the other way. He missed a drive. He attacked and was tied up. He banked in a quick-fire three. He drew FTs on the perimeter, he made both. He missed a pull-up wing three. He missed a three trying to go back at Curry, who was bombing. He scored a layup on the break. He sank a wing three on the fly by.

Randle -- -- This game seemed uglier than the numbers indicate. He had three airballs and more wild moments. Some bad recognition of attacking poor spacing and crowds. This is largely due to the lack of confidence in the jumper and, of course, the rosters we have out there not spacing the floor. Out of a timeout, we set him up to iso with some spacing and he blew past his man for a layup. Right now, that’s what he needs, room to attack. Luke hasn’t been thrilled with the starting lineup and has been making tweaks. Randle probably gave him another idea to tweak things with how poorly he played for stretches tonight. “First unit is still struggling. We’ve got to figure something out,” Luke said. The Stats: He scored 12 points on 6-13 shooting to go with 5 boards, 4 turnovers, 1 steal and 1 foul in 23 minutes. He was a -18. The Action: He missed a flat baseline jumper as the D sagged off. He choked a layup (airball) off a great feed from Russell. He sank an elbow jumper off the post kickout from Russell. He missed a 20-footer. He posted up an airballed a fallaway (go to your power game). At the C spot, he grabbed the Young miss and scored the putback. He threw a pass out of bounds when Russell cut behind the overplaying D. He was stripped in transition. He attacked two defenders and missed the runner. Some floor space created for him out of a timeout and he blew past Zaza for the layup. He was stripped in the post and booted it out of bounds. He had 6 points on 3-8 shooting and 3 turnovers (seemed like more). Second Half: He scored a layup on the break. He wanted a foul on a drive and was given a delay of game warning. He got lost on help D and gave up a layup. He posted up Durant and hit the jumphook. He scored a layup off the two-man game. Wild shot in transition, not close. He attacked to his right across the lane and airballed the fade.

Mozgov -- -- He bruised his tailbone crashing to the floor after getting undercut on the offensive glass. That was a thud. Some good moments of D protecting the paint, including a nice block on Durant on a lob. Mozgov also had a monster slam off the bounce pass from Russell. Some nice moments on both ends of the court. We’re still a mess with the starters at times, so it’s hard to see through some of those issues. The Stats: He scored 4 points on 2-3 shooting to go with 2 boards, 1 assist, 1 turnover and 2 blocks in 15 minutes. He was a -13. The Action: He kicked out to Russell in transition for a three. He swished a jumper from the top of the key. He rejected Curry out of bounds on help D. Second Half: He posterized his man on the bounce pass from Russell down the lane. Nice pressure D on the perimeter on Zaza and he forced an offensive foul. Not close on a turnaround. Great transition D to reject Durant at the rim on a lob (Mozgov was looking spry on that sequence). He hit the floor hard getting undercut as he crashed the offensive glass.

Young -- -- Strong two-way game from Nick again as he started with Clarkson in another starting lineup variation. “I thought he did a good job fighting and contesting shots and he continues to put pressure on them on the other end by the way he’s shooting the ball,” Luke said. Has Nick matured? Will he still be a knucklehead? Who knows? Luke and the Lakers have his attention for the time being, and he’s battling on both ends. He caused a lot of problems for the Warriors tonight. He and Ingram seemed to always come up with a big play or two that always kept the Warriors from pulling away. If the Lakers pile up the losses, hopefully Nick doesn’t regress. The Stats: He scored 19 points on 7-13 shooting (5-10 from three, 0-2 from the line) to go with 3 boards, 2 assists, 2 steals and 3 fouls in 30 minutes. He was a -16. The Action: He iso’d and missed a three. Nice challenge on Durant to force a double clutch and miss. He missed a wing three, didn’t look like he went straight up. He swished a wing three on the Ingram drive and dish in transition. He missed a sideline jumper. He attacked on a quick first step past Zaza and drew FTs at the rim, he made none. He swished a step-back three. Second Half: He swiped a lob and outlet to Randle for the layup. He was blocked on a three trailing the break, dunk the other way. He drained the wing three in transition. He went coast to coast for a layup. He stole an inbounds pass and missed the three, but we scored off the miss. He swished a long baseline jumper off the inbounds. He scooped up a low kickout and swished the long three. He missed a good look at a wing three. He sank a three in transition on the kickout from Ingram.

Clarkson -- -- Well, the Warriors are going to make a lot of players look bad. Clarkson, though, had some especially poor breakdowns that compromised the D early in the game. Combine that with a couple shots that hit the side of the backboard and it wasn’t a good start for him. In cleaned it up some with a more efficient second half. You’ve got to be on top of your game defensively with the Warriors and Clarkson seemed a beat or two behind the action. The Stats: He scored 11 points on 3-9 shooting (2-6 from three, 3-5 from the line) to go with 3 boards, 1 assist, 1 steal and 3 fouls in 22 minutes. He was a -21. The Action: He hit the side of the board on a step-back jumper. He swished a baseline jumper off the pull-back dribble form the other side. He hit the side of the board again, this time from a corner three. He fell asleep on D and gave up a layup. He missed a deep three in early offense. Bad close out and he gave up a dunk as his man blew past him. Poor switch and he gave up a dunk. He missed a wing three. He was hacked on a turnaround, he made one FT. He was stripped from behind trying to create off the dribble. He didn’t hit rim on a pull-up jumper, uggh. Second Half: He drained a wing three in transition. He was fouled on a sideline three, he made two. He swished the corner three after faking the backdoor cut and setting up in the corner. He missed a wing three.

Williams -- -- I’m curious if the Williams/Ingram backcourt combo will get more run than Huertas/Calderon. They’ve done a solid job with the Warriors bigger guards. Ingram has done better with the ball in his hands. They don’t really run sets that require major playmaking, yet Lou/Brandon combined for 7 assists. So credit Lou for buying in and reeling in his game from the iso heavy Scott offense where we had him last year. The Stats: He scored 7 points on 2-7 shooting (1-3 from three, 2-3 from the line) to go with 1 board, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 block and no fouls in 16 minutes. He was a +8. The Action: He got penetration, drew the D and fed Nance for the slam. He drained a wing three off the Ingram kickout. Great bounce pass to Nance on a screen roll at the three line for an And-1 layup. He missed a corner three. He made a tech FT. He missed a long three. Second Half: He swished a baseline jumper creating against the shotclock. He missed a floater. He got a switch, backed it out and drew FTs on the drive, he made one FT. He missed the baseline fade. He missed the short wing jumper.

Ingram -- -- Easily, the best part of the game was Ingram’s play. He looked like himself finally (even going back to the summer league). He sparked the team a little in the first half with 5 points, 6 boards, 2 assists and a steal as we used him and Lou at the PG spot. He got more aggressive offensively in the second half and continued to run the point for stretches. His reads were excellent and he moved the ball well. He never played scared and was in attack mode. This is against top tier NBA talent with the Warriors. Luke hoped this game will help settle him in as they head into the regular season. Ingram said he’s used to shooting off the dribble vs. playing off ball, so the PG duty seems to have him a bit more engaged. Credit Luke for having that little bit of mad scientist in him. It’s going to be fun watching Ingram develop over the next several years. This year, opponents will try to find his weaknesses and press their advantages where they can find him. His well-rounded game will help him in that regard. The Stats: He scored 21 points on 7-10 shooting (2-3 from three, 5-6 from the line) to go with 7 boards, 4 assists, 2 steals and 2 fouls in 28 minutes. He had a +/- of 0. The Action: Herky jerky drive to his left and he drew FTs up against the shotclock, he made one. He upfaked, moved in a step and knocked down the jumper. Nice challenge on the other end on Livingston. Short on a pull-up jumper. He attacked with the shotclock low and kicked to Lou for three. He tipped in a missed FT from behind Durant. He swiped a pass in transition, pushed it up and hit Nick for three. Wow, looked like he blocked Durant’s drive and got robbed by the refs. Second Half: He attacked off the dribble and hit the pull-up in the paint with a man all over him. He pushed out the break and hit Nick for the three. He froze the D with a hesitation move and drew FTs, he made both. He attacked from the corner and drew FTs, he made both. He stepped into a three and swished. He missed a fade, got it back and hit the baseline jumper. He missed a three. He attacked Zaza to his left and hit the running fade. He hit Russell on the break for the layup. He drained a three off the double drag screen.

Nance -- -- Larry said they aspire to be like the Warriors. They’ve got a long ways to go and are several years behind the talent over there, but they were competitive and spirited tonight. Larry shot confidently from the perimeter again and had a couple more steals. He certainly did a better job spacing the floor than Randle in this game, while playing some scrappy D. These are the types of games that need to be average for Larry. The Stats: He scored 10 points on 5-11 shooting (0-1 from three, 0-1 from the line) to go with 3 boards, 2 turnovers, 2 steals and 2 fouls in 20 minutes. He was +5. The Action: He missed an open 15-footer. He slammed off the drive and dish from Lou. He ballfaked and swished the sideline jumper. He missed a long three up against the buzzer. He hesitated on a jumper, attacked and threw it away. He missed a jumphook after the rim run. He rolled to the hoop and Lou hit him with a bounce pass for the And-1 layup, he missed the FT. He was blocked on a layup after scrambling for the loose ball. Second Half: He swished a baseline jumper. He hit a quick floater after relocating on the baseline to take a pass. Nice interior feed to Black on the baseline for FTs. He flagged a pass on the perimeter and it led to a Laker breakaway. Sloppy finish around the rim, losing the handle it appeared. He missed the baseline jumper. He swiped a kickout.

Black -- -- He’s consistently bringing the energy and getting results off it. We may have some issues with spacing that are limiting some of his strengths on the pick and roll, but he’s making the most of his time out there this preseason. The Stats: He scored 4 points on 1-2 shooting (2-4 from the line) to go with 6 boards (2 offensive), 1 assist, 1 turnover and 2 fouls in 18 minutes. He was a +1. The Action: Nice work battling from behind on the glass to regain a Laker possession. He powered through some contact across the lane and hit the hook. He attacked a crowd and was blocked (poor read on the poor spacing). Great help rotation to plug the lane and force the Warriors into a rare tough shot. He drew FTs working the post on the other end, he made one. He mucked up an offensive play, getting lost and the set died. He threw a pass out of bounds after fighting for an offensive board. Second Half: He roofed his man and forced the miss. He drew FTs on the interior feed from Nance, he made one again.

Huertas -- -- Steady game from Marcelo. The 5-to-1 assist ratio you’ll gladly take. I think the Williams/Ingram combo is looking more explosive, so hopefully we explore that more. The Stats: He scored 2 points on 1-3 shooting (0-1 from three) to go with 3 boards, 5 assists, 1 turnover and 3 fouls in 11 minutes. He was a +6. The Action: He probed and was blocked out of bounds. Second Half: He scored a layup off the missed young jumper that went right to him. Awful skip pass, easily picked off for points the other way. He missed a halfcourt heave at the buzzer.

Brown -- -- Just a couple of minutes down the stretch for Brown that included an awful turnover. The Stats: He didn’t score and had 2 board, 2 assists, 1 turnover, 1 steal and 1 foul in 6 minutes. He was a +2. The Action: He did not play in the first half. Second Half: He tried to iso against Durant and that ended in a turnover for a score the other way.

Yi -- -- I think the really problematic floor spacing that we had in this game probably gets him the roster spot, especially with Randle and Nance not being a respected threat from the perimeter. You could see the game get a little easier offensively for Russell and others with Yi out there. Of course, you have to play both ends and, frankly, we’re probably going to be better off going with Deng at times at the PF as the floor spacer. But if we’re trying to guess what will happen, I’d give the edge to Yi being here. The Stats: He scored 4 points on 2-4 shooting (0-1 from three) to go with 2 boards, 1 turnover and 1 foul in 12 minutes. He was a +1. The Action: He swished the open foot-on-the-three-line jumper when Russell found him. No help defensively on Clarkson’s man when they needed to hedge or switch and we got scored on. He missed a three on the pick and pop. Second Half: He hit the jumper from the top of the key off the two-man game with Russell. He was picked in the post. He couldn’t finish a drive.

Robinson -- -- Good job again on the offensive glass. He’s got an obvious talent there that would be a value to a number of teams. I think we’re a little stacked at his position that maybe Tarik or Randle ends up with that energy/garbage man role, while we go with a different look with someone like Yi. The Stats: He scored 2 points on 1-2 shooting (0-2 from the line) to go with 3 boards and 1 foul in 5 minutes. He was a +1. The Action: He did not play in the first half. Second Half: He attacked, was blocked, got it back and scored the layup. He drew FTs on the defensive glass, he missed both.

World Peace -- -- Some brief early run for Metta. Not much to write about here. I’d like to see him in the studio every now and then or on some post game interviews. The Stats: He didn’t score on 0-2 shooting (0-1 from three) to go with 2 boards, 1 turnover and 1 foul in 4:34. He was a +4. The Action: He posted up and threw it away on the interior. He missed a wing three. He airballed a drive. Second Half: He did not play in the second half.

Walton -- -- A quick timeout by Luke as the Lakers fell behind 8-0 in a flash… The Lakers trailed 21-12 when Ingram came in for Young midway through the quarter… Nance/Black in down 12… Lou in for Clarkson down 14 with 4 minutes left… Huertas in for Russell down 14 a minute later… The Lakers trailed 33-20 after the first quarter… Back to the Black, Nance, Ingram, Williams, Huertas lineup to start the second quarter… Metta in for Huertas, Ingram/Williams running the PG… Young in for Black, Metta sliding to PF… Lakers down 7, Randle in for Nance… Russell in for Metta, down 6… Down 7, he brought in Yi for Ingram… They cut it to 4, then quickly trailed by 9 again and Luke called a timeout with 1:52 left… Yi out for Ingram for a final defensive stand. We got the stop… The Lakers trailed 52-43 at the half. The Lakers shot 5-17 from three and had 12 turnovers… The Warriors got out on the break for easy scores and the Lakers trailed quickly by 18 points after just a couple of minutes… Russell out for Huertas midway through the quarter. The Lakers trimmed the lead down to 12… Black in for Mozgov who lost the battle with the floor… They trimmed it back down to 8… Nance in for Randle, Lakers down 13. Lou in for Clarkson… Ingram in for young down 11… The Lakers trailed 87-77 heading into the fourth… A Black, Nance, Young Ingram, Williams lineup… Russell in for Lou… They cut it to 6 before the Warriors quickly pushed it back to 13 and Luke called another timeout… Yi in at C… Lakers down 13 midway through the quarter, Brown in for Young… Warriors starters in… Robinson in down 7… Curry bombing and the game got out of striking distance late…

[DancingBarry]

Computer crashed and I lost a chunk of this (including a lot of Ingram's stuff), so I slapped it back together but uggh... other version was much better.

[KeepItRealOrElse]

[Omar Little]

[anpherknee]

[DancingBarry]

[Arbitrary]

[TDRock]

[tox]

[Shaber]

Our starters were weaker than their starters. No surprise.
Our bench was on par with their bench. I take that as a good step forward.

Thanks, DB! You survived your crash very well.
_________________
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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

[DancingBarry]

[tox]

[tox]

[TooMuchMajicBuss]

Thanks DB - I was only able to tune in for one stretch of the game, but based on the snippet I watched Brandon Ingram looks real good out there, he just keeps getting better and better and better with every game. Also, Nick Young looks unrecognizable on the floor so far when comparing last season to this preseason.

21 and 19 in scoring for those two? 40 points on 23 shots between the two of them? And they both played hard on the defensive end of the court. Wow - good game to both players.

Randle - ugh. More Nance, please. Or more Deng perhaps if Gary Lance gets tired.

[TooMuchMajicBuss]

And as for Word -

Worse and worse with every new iteration.

[OregonLakerGuy]

Thanks DB

[A Mad Chinaman]

[av3773]

We need a PG....D lo is a better fit at 2

[yinoma2001]

[A Mad Chinaman]

[yinoma2001]

[Reflexx]

[governator]

Just saw the DVR, a lot less deer in headlights moments compare to the 1st game. Much improved. We need to try mozgov/Deng up front to open up the floor

[Laker7]

I liked Ingram in the point forward role. He looked more engaged and second unit seem to respond better with him controlling the ball.

Leaving Ingram at point forward would allow Luke to start Lou and Nick in the back court together (I know just hear me out). Nick can be the primary back court defender and both have good range to space out the second unit. The defense cannot collapse as they do when Huertas is out there and Nick is a better defender than either Huertas or Calderon.

What do you think DB?
_________________
Darvin Ham is an idiot!

[DancingBarry]