Tank rank is back! On a night where the Lakers were thought to be seriously over-matched, the Warriors came out lethargic and lackadaisical and nearly choked away the lead late. But the Lakers lost in only a way they know how: fumbling the ball out of bounds, down by three points and under five seconds left on the clock.
Again, I’ll be grading/awarding the players based on how well they helped the tank.
MVP: I was ready to give this award to Jeremy Lin, whose two turnovers late in the fourth got him (rightfully) benched. However, Wesley Johnson took the Lakers’ fate into his own hands. Down by three, Johnson found himself in the open court with enough room to set up a nice look from half-court. Instead, he dribbled into Draymond Green, who knocked the ball off of him out-of-bounds, giving the Warriors the ball and the lead.
LVP: Jordan Clarkson, who came in and led the Lakers back once Lin was benched. His 17 points led the team, while 6 rebounds and 3 assists certainly didn’t help the tank. Most critically, when he entered the game in the fourth with LA down five, he assisted on a Boozer lay-up, made a lay-up, missed a fast-break lay-up (where he appeared to be fouled), then made two free throws. That aggressiveness.
Stat of the Night: 19. The total turnovers the Lakers had tonight, which turned into 20 points for the Warriors. Golden State has little trouble scoring as is, but giving them buckets off your empty possessions is the main ingredient in losing. And in a three-point game, that’s the ball game.
The Starters
The Bench
Next: Lakers Finding Diamonds In The Rough, Bargains In Rebuild
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