SUNS -at- LAKERS - 12/21 - Thoughts and :-(( Ratings

 
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DancingBarry
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PostPosted: Tue Dec 21, 2021 10:15 pm    Post subject: SUNS -at- LAKERS - 12/21 - Thoughts and :-(( Ratings

Inevitable Butt Kicking... THT and IT went 2-24. And I’m not sure they were the worst players on the court.

DeAndre Jordan and Rajon Rondo each had a -26. Neither should be in the rotation.

LeBron carried the team on his shoulders tonight with 34 points, most of those in the first three quarters. He was battling as a small ball center, attacking the paint on offense and hitting the occasional jumper. He was barely holding the team together, and when he sat, so did the Lakers ability to stay in the fight. The team floundered with makeshift lineups and guys who really have no business seeing court time.

Meanwhile, the Suns have their act together. As the Lakers are shuffling players in and out (leading the league with 17 different starting lineups), the Suns are fine tuning their game. The outcome was inevitable.

When LeBron sat early in the fourth, IT/Rondo killed the offense, and the Suns extended the lead from 12 to 20. That was that. The Lakers scored just 38 points in the second half as they fell 108-90.


LeBron -- -- Strong effort for LeBron to try to lead this team. Midway through the second half, he attacked the paint and came down on Crowder’s foot, turning his ankle. He pounded his fist in pain on the court afterward. He played on it afterward, but that’s no guarantee he will be available for the next one. He had 10 points on 5-7 shooting in the first quarter. A couple scores in the paint and the jumper going early. In the second quarter, another 9 points, spinning middle on a post up for a dunk, hitting an iso jumper over Ayton, sinking a three on a jab step, then dunking off a great cut off THT’s corner drive and dish. Meanwhile, a lot of minutes at the C spot and holding his own, breaking up a lob to end the half. Another 8 points in the third quarter and kept the Lakers within striking range. The team was a -18 without him. Defensively, this is getting kind of interesting watching the team go small with him at the C spot. If they eventually get healthy and ever on track this season, they’re building some skills here. The Stats: He scored 34 points on 13-19 shooting (2-5 from three, 6-6 from the line) to go with 7 boards, 2 assists, 2 steals, 2 turnovers and 1 foul in 34 minutes. He was a +0.

Westbrook -- -- We can’t have all the turnovers. It’s got to be down to the 3 range, not the 6 or 7, especially when he’s only getting 5 assists. Mediocre game from him. We need more. He had 8 points on 4-8 shooting and 2 assists in the first quarter as he attacked the paint early. He’d score just a layup in the second quarter, going coast to coast. He struggled a little bit with length on him defensively that quarter. The third quarter he added another 8 points. He attacked a lot, didn’t settle for midrange or threes, really. So there’s been definite improvement since the beginning of the year. Just need better from him, though. The Stats: He scored 22 points on 10-20 shooting (0-2 from three, 2-4 from the line) to go with 10 boards, 5 assists, 2 steals, 7 turnovers and 3 fouls in 37 minutes. He was a -6.

Horton-Tucker -- -- Goodness. He went 0-8 before scoring a layup finally. He definitely had a lot of rushed shotclock threes in this game or heaves at the buzzer, but also shooting is an issue for him. If the Suns can pack the paint, sag off guys like Russ, Rondo or DJ, who THT all played with, that will make it harder for him to get to the rim. Additionally, the Suns can put a guy like McGee on THT and just leave him alone on the perimeter. We just aren’t going to be able to play him with Russ without better shooting. The Stats: He scored 3 points on 1-13 shooting (0-8 from three, 1-2 from the line) to go with 2 boards, 1 assist and 1 foul in 31 minutes. He was a -18.

Ellington -- -- Lakers shot 20% from three tonight. He swished a corner three on a kickout from Russ early in the game, then got nothing after that. Defensively, nice job breaking up a lob to a big on one play, but we needed more guys joining the fight tonight. The Stats: He scored 3 points on 1-4 shooting from three to go with 2 boards, 1 steal and no fouls in 28 minutes. He was a -17.

Jordan -- -- He tied for the team-low -26. It’s killing me. He was a -4 in the first half, even after the Lakers got off to a good start as the Suns missed shots. He played 9 minutes in that half. In the other 15 minutes, the Lakers were a +2 going to the centerless ball. A lot of scores on passes over the top as we switched, but the Lakers were competitive during that small ball stretch. Second half, we have 6 minutes. The dam broke with him in there -- a -22 in in 6 minutes. I swear there were two ATOs where he didn’t know what he was supposed to do in the play. A guard was pointing at him on one play and there went the element of surprise on that. No mobility and now you’re blowing the sets? The Stats: He scored 1 points on 0-1 shooting (1-2 from three) to go with 8 boards, 1 steal and 1 foul in 15 minutes. He was a -26.

Anthony -- -- We were working on some momentum with Melo getting hit on a three for FTs. Shortly later, Crowder hit him in the rim on a three and Melo yelled at the refs. He had a double tech earlier in the game. This one had him tossed. Painful. Defensively, he was certainly being targeted. We were switching everything early on, CP3 hunted the Melo matchup. They would have done that later, but that’s when you tag in Ariza. In any event, LeBron and Melo were working out those small ball lineups well enough to survive. The Stats: He scored 7 points on 2-7 shooting (1-4 from three, 2-3 from the line) to go with 4 boards, 1 assist, 1 block and 3 fouls in 16 minutes. He was a +3.

Thomas -- -- Awful game. He struggled to find his range early, going 1-6 in the first half. His only make of the first half was off a drive left. Second half, the gun was shooting blanks. He even missed a tech. Oof. He gives the team 15 points or so, the outcome might have been up for grabs. The Stats: He scored 3 points on 1-11 shooting (0-6 from three, 1-2 from the line) to go with 1 board, 3 assists, 2 turnovers and 5 fouls in 26 minutes. He was a -1.

Rondo -- -- A -14 in his 8 minutes in the first half. Part of it was the disgusting Russ/IT/Rondo trio. The other part of it is just Rondo playing. He really shouldn’t. He had a turnover trying to thread the needle in the fourth quarter that might have been the self-inflicted dagger. We know he and DJ should not be playing. The two had the team low -26. Ugly. The Stats: He didn’t score on 0-2 shooting (0-1 from three) to go with 4 boards, 2 assists, 1 block, 2 turnovers and 1 foul in 23 minutes. He was a -26.

Ariza -- -- Superb first half with 11 points on 4-4 shooting, which included three threes. He really would have fit in well with a variety of lineups earlier this season. That length and ability to guard multiple positions was a big need. Again, you wish you could see what something like an AD/LeBron/Ariza/Reaves/Russ lineup might look like as a two-way unit. Hopefully, we see that some time. Loving his length on switches whether it’s small or even against the bigs (nice seal on a post entry on one of those). The Stats: He scored 12 points on 4-4 shooting (3-3 from three, 1-2 from the line) to go with 5 boards, 2 steals and 2 fouls in 21 minutes. He was a -5.

Huff -- -- I mean I’m more than ready to see him over DJ out there. Shoot, if IT sat on Ellington’s shoulders, that would work better as a big. Huff isn’t the solution, of course, but DJ is certainly one of the big problems. I didn’t hear why Dwight wasn’t playing in this one. The Stats: He didn’t score on 0-2 shooting (0-1 from three) to go with 1 board, 1 block and no fouls in 3 minutes. He was a +2.

M. Jones -- -- An active 3 minutes. He scored a layup on a drive left, missed a three and was fouled on drive for FTs. The Stats: He scored 3 points on 1-3 shooting (0-1 from three, 1-2 fro the line) to go with 1 board, 1 steal, 1 turnover in 3 minutes. He was a +2.

J. Jones -- -- He came in for garbage time with 3 minutes left. Had a couple offensive boards. If he gets in, we want to see that rebounding as his specialty. The Stats: He scored 2 point son 1-1 shooting to go with 2 boards and 1 foul in 3 minutes. He was a +2.

Fizdale -- -- Key Moment: The 8-0 run when LeBron sat in the fourth quarter to trail by 20. The guards really let the team down here. Two turnovers and a missed three by IT. A turnover by Rondo that led to a three the other way. LeBron was barely keeping them in it, but the DJ, Ariza, Ellington, Rondo, IT lineup was the backbreaker. DJ and Rondo, man, these guys are barely hanging on in the league. IT barely in it.

Key Substitution: Down 20 with 5 to go and we brought back LeBron with his ankle? I question that one. Just let your new guys get some run.

Key Stats: Painful 7-35 (20%) three shooting and 15-23 (65%) freethrow shooting. Lakers had just 38 points in the second half.


Last edited by DancingBarry on Tue Dec 21, 2021 10:38 pm; edited 1 time in total
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mhan00
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PostPosted: Tue Dec 21, 2021 10:24 pm    Post subject:

Lebron doing his best, but the rest of the team keeps letting him down.
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Killer_Z
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PostPosted: Tue Dec 21, 2021 10:34 pm    Post subject:

Thanks DB.

These games continue to be difficult to watch. Hoping for better days.
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PostPosted: Tue Dec 21, 2021 11:19 pm    Post subject:

Having Ariza back is a huge help. Hopefully he has plenty left in the tank for the rest of the season + playoffs, especially on D.

We saw some stupidly small lineups from Fizdale tonight that killed us, especially on D where the Suns were able to simply pass the ball over the top and find Ayton/McGee for easy layups.
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A Mad Chinaman
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PostPosted: Tue Dec 21, 2021 11:46 pm    Post subject:

one of those games where I turned off during the third quarter
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PostPosted: Wed Dec 22, 2021 12:25 am    Post subject:

Thanks DB.

Injuries, roster turnover, roster construction...dog days ahead I'm afraid. Going to be a rough ride rest of the season.
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deal
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PostPosted: Wed Dec 22, 2021 3:41 am    Post subject:

IF the Lakers were a "good" team they would at the very least compete
even without AD. This is a poorly constructed team and it shows.


Thanks DB !
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PenG_
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PostPosted: Wed Dec 22, 2021 5:10 am    Post subject:

haha

Quote:
THT and IT went 2-24. And I’m not sure they were the worst players on the court.


Thanks DB... rough game.
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danzag
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PostPosted: Wed Dec 22, 2021 6:14 am    Post subject:

Ugh. This roster is fundamentally flawed. Not even LeBron playing All-Star level basketball can save this.
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governator
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PostPosted: Wed Dec 22, 2021 6:37 am    Post subject:

A LeBron-Westbrook-Ellington/Ariza-Melo-Dwight team should be playoff bound by itself and not get blown out at home, ever
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A Mad Chinaman
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PostPosted: Wed Dec 22, 2021 8:12 am    Post subject:

Why did Dwight Howard didn’t play

Why did Jordan play over Dwight

Would Jordan (given his lack of mobility) be more effective if the perimeter defense was able to funnel the opposition to specific areas of the court, like what the Spurs used to do

How can the Lakers (Westbrook, Lebron, AD/when healthy and THT) more efficiently use DJ like your what CP3 did when they were with the Clips

If (in a parallel universe) the Lakers had Gobert playing at the 5, would his effectiveness be similar to DJ - noting that he is years younger while remembering that we had Marc Gasol last year while having headaches seeing how ineffective DJ was in this game

Just wondering
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Laker7
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PostPosted: Wed Dec 22, 2021 8:16 am    Post subject:

SSDD

Same (bleep) different day.

Out rebounded, out scored in the paint, out shot from three. Same as almost all season.
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DancingBarry
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PostPosted: Wed Dec 22, 2021 11:19 am    Post subject:

A Mad Chinaman wrote:
Why did Dwight Howard didn’t play

Why did Jordan play over Dwight

Would Jordan (given his lack of mobility) be more effective if the perimeter defense was able to funnel the opposition to specific areas of the court, like what the Spurs used to do

How can the Lakers (Westbrook, Lebron, AD/when healthy and THT) more efficiently use DJ like your what CP3 did when they were with the Clips

If (in a parallel universe) the Lakers had Gobert playing at the 5, would his effectiveness be similar to DJ - noting that he is years younger while remembering that we had Marc Gasol last year while having headaches seeing how ineffective DJ was in this game

Just wondering


I missed why Dwight didn't play. I don't know. Curious if anyone does.

As for DJ, I think you need to stick a fork in him.
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PostPosted: Wed Dec 22, 2021 1:22 pm    Post subject:

DancingBarry wrote:
A Mad Chinaman wrote:
Why did Dwight Howard didn’t play

Why did Jordan play over Dwight

Would Jordan (given his lack of mobility) be more effective if the perimeter defense was able to funnel the opposition to specific areas of the court, like what the Spurs used to do

How can the Lakers (Westbrook, Lebron, AD/when healthy and THT) more efficiently use DJ like your what CP3 did when they were with the Clips

If (in a parallel universe) the Lakers had Gobert playing at the 5, would his effectiveness be similar to DJ - noting that he is years younger while remembering that we had Marc Gasol last year while having headaches seeing how ineffective DJ was in this game

Just wondering


I missed why Dwight didn't play. I don't know. Curious if anyone does.

As for DJ, I think you need to stick a fork in him.


There we go. Sounds like Dwight had some lingering ill effects from the virus


Fizdale says Dwight Howard did some work today and should be able to play tomorrow. Not 100 percent sure, but trending that way.

https://twitter.com/kylegoon/status/1473765282564898817?s=21
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A Mad Chinaman
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PostPosted: Thu Dec 23, 2021 1:42 am    Post subject:

TDRock wrote:
DancingBarry wrote:
A Mad Chinaman wrote:
Why did Dwight Howard didn’t play

Why did Jordan play over Dwight

Would Jordan (given his lack of mobility) be more effective if the perimeter defense was able to funnel the opposition to specific areas of the court, like what the Spurs used to do

How can the Lakers (Westbrook, Lebron, AD/when healthy and THT) more efficiently use DJ like your what CP3 did when they were with the Clips

If (in a parallel universe) the Lakers had Gobert playing at the 5, would his effectiveness be similar to DJ - noting that he is years younger while remembering that we had Marc Gasol last year while having headaches seeing how ineffective DJ was in this game

Just wondering
I missed why Dwight didn't play. I don't know. Curious if anyone does.

As for DJ, I think you need to stick a fork in him.
There we go. Sounds like Dwight had some lingering ill effects from the virus
Fizdale says Dwight Howard did some work today and should be able to play tomorrow. Not 100 percent sure, but trending that way.

https://twitter.com/kylegoon/status/1473765282564898817?s=21
One wonders why LBJ/AD (since they have a large influence in deciding which players are on this roster) ar not utilizing DJ more. If not, why is he on the roster?

Interesting that THT/IT got extended run - maybe Fitzdale trust them more than the others???
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governator
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PostPosted: Thu Dec 23, 2021 5:23 am    Post subject:

A Mad Chinaman wrote:
TDRock wrote:
DancingBarry wrote:
A Mad Chinaman wrote:
Why did Dwight Howard didn’t play

Why did Jordan play over Dwight

Would Jordan (given his lack of mobility) be more effective if the perimeter defense was able to funnel the opposition to specific areas of the court, like what the Spurs used to do

How can the Lakers (Westbrook, Lebron, AD/when healthy and THT) more efficiently use DJ like your what CP3 did when they were with the Clips

If (in a parallel universe) the Lakers had Gobert playing at the 5, would his effectiveness be similar to DJ - noting that he is years younger while remembering that we had Marc Gasol last year while having headaches seeing how ineffective DJ was in this game

Just wondering
I missed why Dwight didn't play. I don't know. Curious if anyone does.

As for DJ, I think you need to stick a fork in him.
There we go. Sounds like Dwight had some lingering ill effects from the virus
Fizdale says Dwight Howard did some work today and should be able to play tomorrow. Not 100 percent sure, but trending that way.

https://twitter.com/kylegoon/status/1473765282564898817?s=21
One wonders why LBJ/AD (since they have a large influence in deciding which players are on this roster) ar not utilizing DJ more. If not, why is he on the roster?

Interesting that THT/IT got extended run - maybe Fitzdale trust them more than the others???


THT/IT are the only other guards that can drive into the paint beside Brodie
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