LAKERS -at- BUCKS - 11/17 - Thoughts and :-(( Ratings

 
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DancingBarry
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PostPosted: Wed Nov 17, 2021 10:13 pm    Post subject: LAKERS -at- BUCKS - 11/17 - Thoughts and :-(( Ratings

.500 Ball... The Lakers have looked very much like a middle-of-the-pack team early this season with all the injuries. As they hit the road, hopefully they add more star power to the lineup and can push past that .500 ball. That wasn’t the case tonight.

We talk a lot about the third quarter, but often teams have gone on runs with just a couple minutes left in the half as the Lakers lose their general intensity and try to coast into the break. They’ve gotten steamrolled numerous times (both those OKC comebacks started then).

Both teams played even until those final minutes of the half, when the Lakers fell back by 11 as their defense was flat-footed and they got punched in the mouth on a 15-5 run.

In the third quarter, they found the fight in their defense again, switching up to a zone to slow Giannis down. They were boxing out, challenging shots and switching effectively. This was the best their zone defense has looked to date.

Offensively, the three ball came to life early in the third, but would disappear later.

The Lakers had the lead with 9 minutes to go in the fourth, but struggled at times to put points on the board. Meanwhile, the Bucks got half their points in the fourth quarter from freethrows. The Lakers...did not.

Certainly, they had some perimeter-oriented ball and couldn’t knock those down (they went 0-16 from three going back to the third quarter). Those missed threes really hurt down the stretch of this one. The Lakers fell 109-102.


Davis -- -- Not a lot of great playmaking to set him up. He worked the midrange shot for several scores. That has been looking much improved the last few games. A lot of help sent when he had the ball in the post, but good work by guys showing a little more intention in what they do off ball. There were some cuts in the middle of the paint. I also saw a couple of pin-in screens off ball that would free up shooters. It’s been very, very rare we’ve seen actual intention off ball. I’m looking forward to seeing the next one to see if this is a trend or just one of those things we do once a month. Although the rebounding numbers weren’t big, there was some better work crashing back on the defensive glass off switches to get stops. A shocking 0-0 from the line tonight. The team went nuts when he got hit on a dunk on the break with no call. Vogel brought this up after the game. The Stats: He scored 18 points on 9-15 shooting (0-1 from three) to go with 9 boards, 4 assists, 2 blocks, 1 turnover and 4 fouls in 37 minutes. He was a +5.

Westbrook -- -- He started the game going into turnover mode, but thankfully, he reeled that in quickly and played a more controlled game. He dished out 15 assists with just 3 turnovers. He stopped trying to make the hard pass and made the simple one. A lot of kickouts for shooters. When he got downhill, he could score against any Bucks defender at the rim. Some buckets down the stretch late, but we couldn’t get stops. Not a huge scoring game, but he paced himself well. Frankly, I’ll take this game every night and be happy. More please. We missed our bench three shooting, some FTAs and it’s very winnable road game with Russ being a positive force instead of a life-sucking force. Keep improving, please. The Stats: He scored 19 points on 7-16 shooting (2-5 from three, 3-4 from the line) to go with 4 boards, 15 assists, 1 steal, 3 turnovers and 3 fouls in 36 minutes. He was a +3.

Horton-Tucker -- -- Wow, man. He’s been strong in his return. He dropped another 25 tonight. I noted when he was at about 17 points that it wasn’t a ball-dominant 17. He sank three, threes. Had some opportunistic attacks, but it was the kind of game that would fit well around Bron when he returns. Again, the three shooting is something to be thrilled about. He’s not just hitting threes, he’s cranking up confident threes when given space. This is the kind of shooting that can develop spacing and gravity, which is so important for his game, but also playing with LBJ/Westbrook/AD. It seems he will stay in the starting lineup when LeBron returns. Melo goes to the bench, I’m sure. But seeing Russ collapse the D and kick to THT for a three and having him knock it down. That’s what has to happen to be able to get THT’s two-way game on the floor in key stretches. Some nice off ball work at times in this game as he cut into the paint off AD’s posts and he also tried setting the all-too-rare rare pin-in screens weakside off those posts. Defensively, he had some moments. He did a superb job boxing out. He also hustled back and blocked a shot. Late in the game, he tied up his man at midcourt to give the team one last chance. The Bucks put him in some tough situations when we switched on Giannis and just didn’t have the size to compete there. Still, completely loving what we are seeing from him. At his age, he's playing with a lot of poise and confidence. Love it. The Stats: He scored 25 points on 9-18 shooting (3-6 from three, 4-4 from the line) to go with 12 boards (4 offensive), 3 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, 3 turnovers and 5 fouls in 39 minutes. He was a +3.

Anthony -- -- His struggles on the road continued. Not as bad as previous games as he hit a couple threes, but he missed a lot of good looks. He worked himself into a couple nice midrange shots, but we really needed someone else hitting from beyond the arc. He had one chuck from three, he should have taken. Hard to get too critical when we are playing him big minutes. He had 32 tonight out of necessity. He missed some big ones down the stretch that could have cut it to 3 twice in the final minutes. Hit those and the Lakers are right there. With AD at the C spot, that meant some small PFs backing up Melo. Can’t wait to get LBJ back and hopefully Melo’s legs back. The Stats: He scored 10 points on 4-10 shooting (2-8 from three) to go with 6 boards, 1 assist, 1 steal, 2 turnovers and 2 fouls in 32 minutes. He was a +1.

Bradley -- -- A couple buckets tonight, a corner three and a layup off a nice cut baseline when Russ found him. We need more smart cuts off guys who draw attention. Relatively quiet night. The Stats: He scored 5 points on 2-6 shooting (1-3 from three) to go with 1 board, 1 steal, 1 turnover and 1 foul in 17 minutes. He was a -6.

Bazemore -- -- The offensive struggles continued as nothing would go down for him. There were odd stretches where he’d force the Bucks into a turnover, then throw it away on the other end, then steal it back. Just a rollercoaster. The shots need to fall, though, and it feels like it’s an instant miss, no matter what he does -- shoot a three or have a seemingly easy layup. The Stats: He didn’t score on 0-5 shooting (0-3 from three) to go with 2 boards, 1 steal, 1 turnover and no fouls in 11 minutes. He was a -5.

Jordan -- -- He came in to close the third quarter. The Bucks got some midrange jumpers over him with ease, so we struggled to maintain the defensive work we had going prior to entering the game. The Stats: He didn’t score on 0-2 shooting to go with 4 boards in 5 minutes. He was a -5.

Howard -- -- He got his one score on a layup against the zone after we got the ball to Russ in the middle of the court. Quiet night and we went to DJ for a stretch in the second half. Our backup bigs in 13 minutes were a combined -16. Painful. The Stats: He scored 3 points on 1-2 shooting (1-2 from the line) to go with 2 boards, 1 steal, 1 block and 1 foul in 8 minutes. He was a -11.

Monk -- -- We need one of Monk or Ellington hitting off the bench. Neither did that tonight. Monk said that was a key to the loss tonight. Some smart plays in this one at times. I’m always a little surprised when I see them, but he had a nice cut in the middle of the paint when they helped on AD and that resulted in a layup. He also had a great switch to steal a bounce pass. He needs to develop more of that awareness into his game. The Stats: He scored 11 points on 4-10 shooting (1-7 from three, 2-2 from the line) to go with 2 boards, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 turnover and 1 foul in 24 minutes. He was a -9.

Ellington -- -- Uggh. He hit one three trailing the break. Just clanking away tonight with no impact. The Stats: He scored 3 points on 1-7 from three to go with 3 boards and no fouls in 20 minutes. He was a -1.

Rondo -- -- Hey, we struggle in the non-LeBron minutes. But the minute without Westbrook, too? Vogel rolled out some lineups out there that were hard to see where the scoring would come from unless Rondo could work some magic. No assists in this game, which is pretty rare. He had some wild passes out there and couldn’t connect with AD. He did knock down a couple of threes, including one at the end of the quarter with the shotlock winding down. The Stats: He scored 8 points on 3-5 shooting (2-3 from three) to go with 3 boards, 1 turnover and 2 fouls in 12 minutes. He was a -10.

Vogel -- -- Key Moment: There were so many little moments that had big impact, you could pick a number of them. Let’s go with the one where Frank just about lost his mind -- a huge call on THT down 4 when he was called for a foul on the perimeter on a long jumper. The refs have been letting some of those go if a player in leaning into a defender after he gets in the air. Not on that one. Vogel was shooting death lasers from his eyes after that one.

Key Substitution: Jordan, Bazemore, Monk, Ellington, Rondo to start the fourth. We went with that lineup a little too long. Vogel called a timeout after we fell back by 5.

Key Stats: Lakers shot just 12 FTs, the Bucks 24. The Lakers made just 12-43 from three (27.9%). A couple more FTs and one or two more threes were needed in this one.
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DrDent
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PostPosted: Wed Nov 17, 2021 10:30 pm    Post subject:

Thanks DB.

Was at least competitive and THT is looking fantastic so far. One of those games where the FT disparity and inequal calls by the refs were very noticeable. I can't tell if their refusal to call the game fairly is them just being ignorant, or purposeful.
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PostPosted: Wed Nov 17, 2021 10:36 pm    Post subject:

DrDent wrote:
Thanks DB.

Was at least competitive and THT is looking fantastic so far. One of those games where the FT disparity and inequal calls by the refs were very noticeable. I can't tell if their refusal to call the game fairly is them just being ignorant, or purposeful.


This is new to you? Come on man... you just saw the ref eject Davis for saying BS while he was trying to tie his shoes, also we don’t see what kind of eye gestures players have with the refs during games so these refs have that extra arrogance working for them, it’s not just the Lakers but a lot of teams in the NBA when players get into it with the refs there is a good chance your team is *** because of it.
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manlisten
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PostPosted: Wed Nov 17, 2021 11:02 pm    Post subject:

A quick glance at the emojis and it's kind of incredible this game was even as competitive as it was . Maybe a testament to how useful Russ can be when he's in rare form.
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PostPosted: Thu Nov 18, 2021 12:17 am    Post subject:

I posted this in the game thread, and I'll post it here:

On one hand, I'm encouraged because we played real well in the 3rd quarter, and we competed hard until the end. We lost to a better team, the world champs, who were at full strength, while we didn't have our MVP.

On the other hand, our halfcourt offense sucks. Too much passing the ball around the perimeter and standing around. Our halfcourt offense looks more like some crap from the low-scoring 90s than a modern offense.

Our transition game wasn't there either - only 16 fastbreak points. Not nearly enough for this team.

And why didn't coach Vogel ever play Dwight/DJ with AD at the same time? That could've prevented Giannis from getting to the rim at will.

Oh well, I guess we can't really judge this team until we're almost at full strength, just like how we can't judge the Bucks until they're at full strength.
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michaelg
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PostPosted: Thu Nov 18, 2021 12:56 am    Post subject:

Man that was some bricking in the fourth quarter. Could have won that game.
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danzag
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PostPosted: Thu Nov 18, 2021 5:34 am    Post subject:

Thanks, DB.

This was actually a "good" loss. The team played hard and competed against a almost complete Bucks roster. Being the current champions, they're the team to beat this year.

Westbrook was actually in control for most of the game! Must be a first.

THT had a great game for the 3rd straight game. Nice to see.

But our supporting cast let us down. A couple more 3 pointers and we win this game.

And no comments on the refs.
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PostPosted: Thu Nov 18, 2021 6:28 am    Post subject:

One of the few games I've enjoyed watching.

Baze, Monk and Ellington going 2-17 from three is brutal. Those guys hemorrhaged points in what could've been a huge win and morale boost.
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PostPosted: Thu Nov 18, 2021 7:12 am    Post subject:

Inspector Gadget wrote:
DrDent wrote:
Thanks DB.

Was at least competitive and THT is looking fantastic so far. One of those games where the FT disparity and inequal calls by the refs were very noticeable. I can't tell if their refusal to call the game fairly is them just being ignorant, or purposeful.


This is new to you? Come on man... you just saw the ref eject Davis for saying BS while he was trying to tie his shoes, also we don’t see what kind of eye gestures players have with the refs during games so these refs have that extra arrogance working for them, it’s not just the Lakers but a lot of teams in the NBA when players get into it with the refs there is a good chance your team is *** because of it.


Seriously IG? Yea, you got me tabbed. Ayup. Its all “new.” Just…genius insight there.
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PostPosted: Thu Nov 18, 2021 11:44 am    Post subject:

manlisten wrote:
A quick glance at the emojis and it's kind of incredible this game was even as competitive as it was . Maybe a testament to how useful Russ can be when he's in rare form.


Some truth to this I think. It just takes enough of the right players to have decent games.
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PostPosted: Thu Nov 18, 2021 5:04 pm    Post subject:

DancingBarry wrote:
manlisten wrote:
A quick glance at the emojis and it's kind of incredible this game was even as competitive as it was . Maybe a testament to how useful Russ can be when he's in rare form.
Some truth to this I think. It just takes enough of the right players to have decent games.
Agree

Just a thought

If we had acquired Buddy Hield (https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/h/hieldbu01.html), would he be able to lead (or lead better than Westbrook) the 2nd team while Lebron or AD are on the bench.

"If Hield is just cruising the perimeter waiting for catch-and-shoot opportunities, he knocks down 39.6 percent. When he dribbles once, he shoots 38.7 percent and when he takes just two dribbles, the percentage jumps to 48.9 percent. Any more than two dribbles and the percentages plummet."
https://www.nbcsports.com/bayarea/kings/kings-grades-where-does-buddy-hield-fit-long-term-sacramento

"A glaring issue throughout Hield’s career is his inability to get to the free throw line. In 33 out of 71 games this season, Hield failed to take a single free throw. For a volume scoring guard, that’s unacceptable, especially when you consider that he’s nearly an 85 percent shooter from the stripe."
https://www.nbcsports.com/bayarea/kings/kings-grades-where-does-buddy-hield-fit-long-term-sacramento

"Hield allowed his opponent to shoot 4.2 percent above league average, but inside the 3-point arc, the numbers are extremely unkind. Hield allowed his man to routinely get past him on the perimeter, where they either straight lined drove to the basket or went through for easy buckets."
https://www.nbcsports.com/bayarea/kings/kings-grades-where-does-buddy-hield-fit-long-term-sacramento

We haven't hit the 20 game mark to start to seriously analyzing the team's weaknesses and strengths, especially since these games are really the Lakers' "preseason" games.


As AD mentioned during his post game interview - once these players are back (https://www.espn.com/nba/team/injuries/_/name/lal)

* Kendrick Nunn - who will provide scoring and energy, in the sanme mode as Monk (https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/n/nunnke01.html)
* Austin Reeves - who has shown to provide energy and surprising basketball IQ for a rookie (a young and upcoming "Alex Caruso")
* Trevor Ariza - proven vet who can provide spot minutes and a player Lebron trusts
* Lebron James - obvious benefits. With Steven A's proclamation that he will not win another ring (https://www.espn.co.uk/video/clip?id=32644991), his high motivation was just given additional fuel and fire in his belly

Bigger question is if AD (an Uber Talented NBA Player) can/will provide the needed leadership for a concensus title-contending team - as stated by Steven A (https://www.espn.co.uk/video/clip/_/id/32660416) and other media pundits in the Sports Talk Radio networks. Is he more like a Karl Anthony Towns whose best place on a team is to be the second best player - hence the need for Anthony Edwards on the TWolves. As oppose to the Shaq/Kobe era where both can (and have) personally lead teams to achieve the Ring.


Just Thoughts
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TooMuchMajicBuss
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PostPosted: Thu Nov 18, 2021 5:58 pm    Post subject:

Thanks DB! Excellent write up again; pretty encouraging commentary on THT, and WB too for that matter.

THT is getting some good experience and definitely showing up for games now. I look forward to Nunn and Reaves back in this equation alongside THT. This team could have a different look.

Longer term, having Ariza for some stints would be nice. Gotta hope it happens.
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mhan00
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PostPosted: Thu Nov 18, 2021 8:09 pm    Post subject:

Upset with the loss, but only because we lost. We played with energy and purpose, we just missed shots and ran into an amazing player having an amazing shooting night. We got our best shooters, guys we want shooting, open looks from three, they just missed while Giannis swished three's and hit some tough one legged off balance shots from midrange. Monk, Ellington, and Melo combined for I think 4-22 shooting from three, and most of those were open. Can't ask for better.

Sucks we lost, but at least Westbrook looked good and the guys played with energy and purpose coming out of halftime for the first time All season. Hopefully they can keep it up.
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