Kobe Competes, His Teammates Don’t, Lakers Lose

In a moment of amusement in last night’s game, Kobe Bryant called Dwight Howard soft. But after the Lakers performance in Phoenix, he can affix that label to his entire team, with the exception of Ed Davis. Kobe had no help in any area of the game. As Stu Lantz, Lakers broadcaster noted, “he’s working too hard.”

Oct 29, 2014; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant (24) drives to the basket against Phoenix Suns guard Eric Bledsoe (2) in the first quarter during the home opener at US Airways Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

The Lakers rolled into Phoenix heavy hearted as they tried to redeem themselves from the embarrassment of last night. By now, the reality of Julius Randle’s absence has sunk in. As was the case last night against Houston, the Lakers start was sluggish with an inability to make shots. Kobe, determined and aggressive, played the hardest as he exerted every ounce of will and energy out of his 36 year old frame in the seven minutes he played in the first quarter even as he was bothered by a sore shoulder. The rest of the Lakers were bothered by their inability to make shots. Defending the three point line continued to be an ongoing issue as the Suns penetrated with their fast guards and dished it out to the perimeter. It didn’t take long for the lead to swell to 14 points and the Lakers couldn’t crack 20 points in the first quarter.

The second quarter lineup which included Ed Davis and a recovered, no longer concussed Wayne Ellington, outplayed the Suns second unit. Ellington, who had been a disaster in the preseason, made consecutive shots with a calmness and ease that has been the staple of his career. Davis provided good protection around the rim and athleticism in the paint, getting to loose balls. The Lakers went on a 11-1 run and trimmed the lead to 6. By the time Kobe returned, after soaking his shoulder in ice, he was back to Kobe form, draining jumpers, jumping into passing lanes, knocking balls away. The lead was trimmed to 4 before the Suns built it up to 9 at the half.

The Lakers began the second half with three points at the free throw line, cutting the lead to 6. And it went downhill from there. The offense included Jeremy Lin dribbling the ball and then late in the shot clock looking for Kobe. “Lin is thinking too much”, Byron Scott said, “he is playing with a lot of indecision. He has to get comfortable with what we are doing. He just needs to play his game.”

A dejected Lin said, “we have to get on the same page defensively. I have to find my niche and find my role. Sometimes it takes time to get used to it.” But he added, “it’s two games out of 82. I’m frustrated but I’m going to go home and figure out what changes I need to make and go from there.”

Kobe made some shots, he missed others but he was the only one on the Lakers who had the desire to do anything with the ball offensively. No driving to the rim, no jump shots, nothing. It was relying on Kobe who played as hard as he could but even he needs teammates.

Can he get one person who wants to score? Who can score? At one point the Lakers were down by 28 and Kobe was tying his man up, trying for a jump ball while his teammates just stood around. A few minutes later he got a technical. He finished the game with 31 points.

Defensively, the Lakers were a disaster at the rim, layup after layup for the Suns as if it was their practice drill. Goran Dragic and Eric Bledsoe took turns hounding Jeremy Lin. The Lakers were no better guarding the three point line. The lead ballooned to 30, a repeat of the night before minus the Dwight/Kobe scuffle so it was a bore.

No excuses here. The Lakers weren’t dismal because of Julius Randle or because of playing last night. Their point guards have been awful these last two games, failing at their basic responsibility to get their teammates good shots. In the first two games the Lakers point guards are 6-24 with 15 assists and 8 turnovers. Makes you miss Kendall Marshall, right?

Byron is going to have to retool his offense to find players who have desire and aggression. He might be better served having Kobe play the small forward and starting Wayne Ellington at shooting guard. But Ed Davis has been a bright spot. He had 14 points and 9 rebounds, 2 blocks and 2 steals and will get his turn in the spotlight as his role increases. “It’s a long year”, Ed Davis said. “Take one day at a time. Today is over with. Last year at Memphis we started 3-8 and won 50 games.”

In the Time Warner SportsNet Studio, Robert Horry was disappointed in Carlos Boozer. Booz had 8 turnovers. “We used to have a saying- a body like Tarzan, play like Jane.” James Worthy tried to give Boozer some slack. “He can’t have these kind of games.”

The Lakers lose in Phoenix by 20 but it felt like a 100.

Phoenix 119, Lakers 99.