Whatever Matt Barnes caught in Minnesota he passed along to Pau Gasol. Two nights after Barnes buried the T-Wolves with a perfect shooting night, Gasol did the same to the Golden State Warriors.
Not that GSW has ever played much defense but they were pretty much defenseless in Los Angeles. The Lake Show annihilated the Warriors in a lopsided 117-89 butt whooping.
Look no further than Pau’s perfect night as evidence of just how much of a scrimmage this contest was. Gasol gouged the Golden States Warriors’ soft interior D dropping 28 on a Bo Derek inspired 10 of 10 from the field and going 8 of 8 from the line. Mix in 9 boards, 5 dimes and 4 blocks and Gasol just added another entry into his All-Star resume.
The Renegades are proving to be the best second unit in the NBA. Just when the Warriors thought they could make a run, in comes Shannon Brown who poured in 11 of his 17 points off the pine during his first 8 minutes on the court.
That type of production combined with a focused first team equaled a game that was over after the first quarter.
For the Lake Show this makes it four in a row following a two-game skid. What a difference a week can make.
Just last Sunday the Lakers were burned by the run-and-gun Suns. One week later and they put the clamps on an up-tempo Warriors team.
On Tuesday the Bulls blow into Staples. Chicago notwithstanding, the schedule doesn’t take a turn for the more competitive just yet. None the less, these upcoming games are still very important for the Lakers. By defeating lesser competition in such convincing fashion, the Lake Show is clearing the path for early dibs on home court throughout the postseason. So long as the defensive effort continues to match the execution of the offense, it won’t matter who the competition is.