Game Grades: Lakers Down Pistons For Second Straight Win
By Jacob Rude
106. 20. Final. 96. 64
MVP: Jordan Hill with his 22-point, 13-rebound outing that helped seal the Lakers victory late in the game. After the reserves squandered the 20-point lead, Hill and the starters reentered and finished the deal, with Hill cleaning up many misses and finishing off the Pistons. It still makes the most sense for the Lakers to trade Hill, and if they do, he’s going to get them a BIG return.
LVP: Ronnie Price, who played 18 minutes, did not score a single point, managed just one rebound, and dished out only two assists. I seriously just can’t find words as to why he plays anymore.
Stat of the Night: 33-90. Some might consider this good defense by the Lakers, but anyone who watched will tell you that the Pistons missed open shots. Either way, it was the biggest factor in the Lakers victory tonight. Had the Lakers loss, the finger would have been pointed at Kobe Bryant‘s 10 turnovers. Luckily, the Lakers won.
The Starters
B-. <strong> 33 min, 4-11 FG, 1-3 3P, 3-3 FT, 12 PTS, 5 REB, 13 AST, 2 STL, 0 BLK, 10 TO</strong><p>What Bryant did to distribute the ball he negated by turning the ball over. If not for a classic Bryant burst in the third quarter that saw him score 10 points, it would have been a really bad night. Clearly, the fatigue is an issue at this point.</p>. SG. Los Angeles Lakers. KOBE BRYANT
C. Los Angeles Lakers. JORDAN HILL. A. <strong> 31 min, 10-15 FG, 2-2 FT, 22 PTS, 13 REB, 1 AST, 1 STL, 0 BLK, 1 TO<br /></strong><p>I talked about his game in the MVP section, but man has he been a rock this year. Second best player after Bryant.</p>
B-. <strong> 30 min, 2-5 FG, 2-4 3P, 5-7 FT, 11 PTS, 4 REB, 5 AST, 0 STL, 0 BLK, 0 TO</strong><p>After writing about<a href=. PG. Los Angeles Lakers. JEREMY LIN
<strong> 29 min, 5-6 FG, 3-3 3P, 0-1 FT, 13 PTS, 2 REB, 2 AST, 1 STL, 4 BLK, 1 TO</strong><p>Johnson has become a somewhat consistent player, but he’s still just not a good player. If not for the <a href=. SF. Los Angeles Lakers. WESLEY JOHNSON. C+
ED DAVIS. C. <strong> 26 min, 7-13 FG, 0-0 FT, 14 PTS, 7 REB, 2 AST, 2 STL, 0 BLK, 0 TO</strong><p>Not much else to say about <strong><a href=. PF. Los Angeles Lakers
The Bench
SG. Los Angeles Lakers. NICK YOUNG. B+. <strong> 21 min, 5-13 FG, 3-6 3P, 6-7 FT, 19 PTS, 1 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 1 BLK, 0 TO</strong><p>While he isn’t quite out of his shooting slump, <strong><a href=
F. <strong> 18 min, 0-3 FG, 0-3 3PT, 0-0 FT, 0 PTS, 1 REB, 2 AST, 1 STL, 0 BLK, 0 TO</strong><p>I present this stat line without comment. It speaks for itself.</p>. PG. Los Angeles Lakers. RONNIE PRICE
C-. <strong> 17 min, 1-8 FG, 1-2 FT, 3 PTS, 1 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 1 BLK, 0 TO</strong><p><strong><a href=. C. Los Angeles Lakers. ROBERT SACRE
Los Angeles Lakers. WAYNE ELLINGTON. B-. <strong> 16 min, 4-7 FG, 1-1 3P, 0-0 FT, 9 PTS, 2 REB, 0 AST, 2 STL, 0 BLK, 0 TO</strong><p><strong><a href=. SG
ED DAVIS. B. <strong> 19 min, 1-1 FG, 1-2 FT, 3 PTS, 11 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 0 BLK, 2 TO</strong><p>It’ll be interesting to see how <strong><a href=. C. Los Angeles Lakers