Game Debrief: What Went Right And What Went Wrong?

Really solid win on the second night of a back to back against a decent Hawks team. All of a sudden we have pretty good size out there! Outside of garbage time, we didn’t play anyone shorter than 6’5”. We can always have good wing size out there with LeBron/Rui/DFS/Cam and are pretty big in the backcourt too with Reaves/Max/Knecht/and now Shake. The rotation just makes sense with Hayes playing all the non-AD center minutes and Rui and DFS each in the mid 20s. Cam can really go all out in limited minutes.

My only relative complaint is I’m a little concerned that we’re going to wear down Austin. 36 minutes last night, 39 minutes tonight. Only guy other than LeBron that can reliably do anything off the dribble. Will be interesting to see the minute distribution between Gabe and Shake when Gabe gets back soon.

 

Lakers 119; ATL 102 at Crypt. Spurs went into DEN and beat them; Cavs went into DAL and beat them: we're in 4th in the West and the days when we gave up competing in the 3rd Q - that putrid stretch starting with the loss to ORL when we couldn't make FTs late - seems like a long time ago.

What went right: everything that mattered. We won all 4 quarters. Lakers shot 49% for the game, and the Hawks are not a bad defensive team. There were a couple of defensive breakdowns, but with DF-S we're bigger and out D has ratcheted up a notch. Good win on a BTB against a pretty good team that plays really well in the paint. We out-offensive rebounded them 17-13.

Lebron had a really good night. 13 for 20. He looked 30, not 40, tonight. In a BTB!
AD 18-19 with 3 steals and 3 blocks but it felt like 8 blocks to me. If ya know what I mean.
AR 20-7-6 and just all-hustle, ballin'.

DK hit his first 3 3s! He had a good game, but needs to work on his predictability when he goes to the rack. After having a nightmare December shooting from outside, let's hope he's out of that. His stroke from deep is magnificó.

Max/Cam/DFS giving us good defense.

Play of the night: Lakers drive into the paint, but it's clogged: dish out to D F-S in the corner, who has his 3 blocked, he catches the blocked ball near the baseline, drives to the rack, is met there, so takes it low, reverses and makes the layup. A big wing defender who can do that! Hell yea.

What went wrong:
We all got a good look at the Dyson Daniels, who was credited with only 5 steals this game. Couldda swore it was at least 9. Talk about a perimeter defender!

Hawks have had Capella for a long time: a 6'10 dude who is a 9 points, 9 rebounds guy. He's still only 30? Seems like he's been playing for 15 years. So the Hawks went out and drafted Okongwu of USC, a 6'10" guy who's basically the same guy as Capella, only younger. Okongwu actually had a better game than Clint, with 14-11. He may have slightly better shooting range than Clint, who can hit from as far as 5 feet away, while Onyeka is a threat from 8 feet away.

We got a bit lucky in that De'Andre Hunter had a horrific night shooting: 1 for 12. Last I look he was the NBA's leading scorer off the bench.

Man! The ups and downs with this team! Amirite?

 

another close winnable game we dropped.

they made 3 consecutive difficult contested shots in a row and Austin missed an open 3, then Lebron's offensive foul just killed us.

still liking this version of the Lakers more than the one with DLo, you can feel the grit on D with DFS in there.

 

that jalen green shot was crap: oh well one of those games if there was 5 minutes left felt the Lakers would have run away with it.

Still feels their another offensive player away though need a scorer off the bench to balance out the offensive punch of the starters
Defense OTOH looks good: feels like they can put the clamps on when needed

 

Lakers lose to impressively improved young HOU, 119-115. What was a lousy game became thrilling after we shot the lights out in the 3rd Q.

We got kinda blitzed from the tip 36-22 in the 1st Q and inched back and couldda tied it with 37 secs left, but Lebron got called for an offensive foul, which was crushing. Lakers down 67-49 at halftime and it was looking like a hopeless one. Then, we came out in the 3rd and did what they did to us in the 1st: Lakers win the 3rd 40-24, which is a far far cry away from those "gave up in the 3rd Q" games earlier this year. The 4th was a dogfight, and we came up short. We were 16 for 36 from deep. Usually if we shoot that well from beyond Arc-town we win.

Tough loss, but I thought we played well. Lakers had 10 turnovers for the game. But HOU only had 6.

HOU out-rebounded us 49-39, and that's telling.

Unabrow: 30/13 and shot 10 for 18. With FIVE blocks. Them's Wemby number territory.
Bron: 21/13/9. 40 year old just misses another trip-dub.
Austin "I'm HIM!" Reaves: 21 with 10 dimes.

We shot 48% for the game and our defense is coming around. If we're more competitive from the opening tip we win this muthuh.

Udoka's done a fabulous job with the young Rockets squad.

Next up: in DAL. Gotta get that one.

 

Fakeback has not ended

 

F the Rockets!!

 

Not having Reddish for the second half sucked quietly: Jalen Green was a bit too much for Max in this one and JJ didn't put DFS on him

 

sucks to be on the wrong end of a good jalen green game. he's very up and down, but when he's up he can look like a superstar.

 

Was not optimistic heading into this one. The Rockets are the exact kind of young, athletic, high energy and effort team that gives us problems in the regular season. I was really glad to see the second half comeback though, even if they still lost. A month ago, I think this team would have packed it in and lost by 30. This team believes in itself more than it did a month ago.

 

Why does it seem at least every team we play comes out red hot from 3.... contested or not?