Game Debrief: What Went Right And What Went Wrong?

They're athletic, long and physical. But they lack a PG to get them into spots to utilise that athleticism... I can see them having issues in the playoffs as the game slows down and execution matters a ton. For much of the regular season they're just used to out hustling teams, thriving on second chance opportunities and transition scoring. I think they'll be quick work for teams that can slow them down and stop those second chance opportunities - Spurs should dice them up for example.

I'm not sure how well we will do, the next game will be a nice barometer as it's got that playoff back to back feel. Never easy to beat an NBA team twice in a row.

 

Have to say, this has been one of the better 2 week periods since at least 2020.

 

Another win against a good team

Lakers win the 3rd 32-23

Go cold in the 4th with 17 pts, but Rockets colder with 12 pts

We shot 24% from the 3 line

Rockets 19%

How often is that going to happen?

Role players

Smart 11 pts 1 ast

DA 7 pts 11 reb 1 stl 1 blk

Jake 7 pts 4 reb 3 stl

 

Huuuuge Win!
Just finished.
When Houston went up late in the third, I went “Uh, Oh…”
Then our guys remembered that when they lead after three, they are nearly guaranteed victory.
The fourth quarter, minus our misses, is exactly the type of ball I enjoy. Slugfest, all five guys selling out on defense, and acting like it’s game seven of the Finals. Money be damned(I know) give me a shortened 40 game season of this, with an added round of the Playoffs and I would actually start spending my hard earned coin on live games again.
I think this would actually save the NBA from its sharp decline in viewership, but I know, the insanely greedy billionaire owners, and Alienboy would never go for it.
Anyway, this season has officially turned around for me.
Well done coaching staff and players, even LeBron.

 

Durant is a phenomenal scoring machine but will never be great enough to lead a team, or win a Chip as the 1A, without his Benedict Arnold All Time Soft Move to the Dubbs. Curry was still the leader of the squad, even after Charmin Boy joined up.
Stats are one thing, actually LEADING an entire team to glory is something else.

 

i have low expectations for tonight; i'd just like to see us keep some good habits going, particularly in terms of just playing solid defense. if we defend, but don't make shots or they just make tough shots, i'll be fine.

 

Back-to-back game so I think Lakers gotta try and snag this one and just take it easy against the Heat. Also is a tie-breaker so Lakers would get homecourt if they do face off. Wouldn't be upset if they had a bummer of a game, either, though. Lakers are due for one honestly lol

 

To make it worse, it's a B2B game so Lakers gotta try and win this one and maybe forfeit the Miami game. It'd be a shame if they spent full ammunition this game and lose to both the Rockets and Heat.

Must-win game here IMO and just lose the Heat one.

 

Put Sengun into the blender every possession - I'm totally in favor of AR in particular matchup huting Sengun here. Do it over and over again till KD loses his cool

Just need some roleplayer to be able to his some open 3's to punish the rotation that will inevitably have to come

 

Luuuuuukaaaaa!!!!
This dude is a baaaad man.

 

Lakers play Rockets again, in HOU, two days later, win the 1st Q by 9, the 2nd by 3, go into halftime up 12 and I was impressed.

Then the Rockets came out and won the 3rd 37-22. KD Got goin' a little, HOU's defense got us turning the ball over. Rockets' offense started to look rhythmic, and with a little over 2 minutes left in the 3rd, Jabari Smith pulled up and hit a 12 footer to put HOU up 6, and I felt like how abeer did (see above): just play a solid game; I was impressed by our showing and thought it's probably time for us to lose. But of course I wanted us to come back.

We did.

19 secs later Luka hit a 26 footer: HOU by 3.
Luka hits 1 of 2 FTs: HOU by 2.
D F-S hits a 3: HOU back up 5.
Luka scores underneath the rim: HOU by 3. End of 3rd Q.

Lakers outscore them 35-24 in the 4th. Luka had looked like Volume Shooter Luka through 3: lots of points, but lots of misses, and his bad FT shooting drives me nuts some times. But he was an assassin the 4th, and reminded me of the Mamba.

Lebron James: 13 of 14 from the field: 30/5/2 with a steal and 2 blocks. Not bad for 41.

Right now we look like we can win it all, but I really don't think we're better than OKC, SA, BOS, DET, maybe DEN. Still, with the effort on defense and the team's chemistry on offense looking better all the time, I wonder if we're not better than I thought. This run lately after some dismal performances - remember all those games where, if we lose, we just give up and lose big? We were 10 games over .500 and yet our point differential was around even? I hated that lax team - because no team that plays like that, not matter how talented, wins in the playoffs...that team that just gave up in the 3rd Q when they weren't playing well, the "It's a long season" team? That is not this team, right now.

And if effin' RAWKS, man. It does. It almost seems too good, know what I mean? I'm looking around, as a Laker fan and asking, "Am I on Candid Camera?" What's going on?"

 

After the game was over, it was past 9pm here. So, what? 11pm in Houston???? They had to pack and get on a plane to Miami to play a 5 pm game there tomorrow??? Lebron will not play, especially after that fall. I expect a loss, too hard on us now.

 

Another great win. We’re putting it all together at just the right time.

 

I don’t care if they’re better than us on paper, I think we would beat the Spurs in a playoff series. I’ve been around long enough to know that guys making their first trip to the playoffs don’t beat guys who have made deep playoff runs, been to the finals, and/or won championships.

 

It’s cliche but I definitely wouldn’t want to play us in the playoffs right now. We’re firing on all cylinders and are completely locked it.

 

Nice to beat a top team like Houston twice in a row

Huge confidence builder for the team

Are they gelling at the right time?

We'll see

Lost the 3rd 37-22

But came back strong in the 4th 35-24 to secure the win

Role players

Rui 8 pts 3 reb 1 blk

Jake 5 pts 3 reb 2 ast 1 stl 1 blk

LK 5 pts 1 reb 1 ast 1 stl

 

I don't know why Boston is better than us... they lost Jrue, KP and Horford in the offseason. They have Tatum, Brown, Derrick White, Pritchard and some other role players. Is that any better than Luka, Lebron, Reaves and Smart? I don't think so.

I also think Detroit isn't as good as the western teams and they'll have a tough time in the playoffs against the Knicks, Boston and Cavs.

OKC and Spurs are the clear best teams right now. We're in the next tier after that.