Tuesday night in the battle of Western Conference bottom dwellers, the Lakers prevailed
Let’s be honest, with Kobe Bryant playing in limited minutes due to a sprained Achilles and Pelican’s star, Anthony Davis, sitting with a sore back, this game was not necessarily on the top of any NBA fans’ watch list.
Prior to the game it was announced that Kobe, alongside D’Angelo Russell who sprained his ankle in the comeback attempt against the Sacramento Kings a week before, would be giving it a go to the delight of fans everywhere. Considering his current health situation, the fact that Kobe still comes out and try to play every night is commendable.
Kobe Bryant AND D'Angelo Russell ARE playing tonight, according to Byron Scott
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) January 13, 2016
With both Davis and hard nose defender Quincy Pondexter out, the Lakers finally had a chance to show what their offense could do against a team with little defensive resistance and did so when it mattered.
As expected, both teams got off to a sloppy start, as the Lakers only had seven points, eight minutes into the first quarter, seeming to duplicate their start against the Kings. Only this time, the Pelicans seemed to struggle equally as much, as the teams combined for only 79 points in the first half.
Byron Scott continued to ride with the lineup of Jordan Clarkson, Russell, Anthony Brown, Julius Randle and Brandon Bass off the bench, but instead of sparking the team, the lineup was just as stagnant as the first unit. One positive from the first half was that the Lakers only had four turnovers. The Lakers have seemingly become a fourth quarter, comeback team edging the Pelicans by 4 down the stretch.
In other news, Kobe Bryant had to leave the game early, which should be cause for concern for those trying to catch their last ever live Mamba moment.
Next: The Lakers Refusal To Give Up In the Fourth Quarter
The Lakers’ Resiliency Is No Fad
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In three of their past five games, the Lakers have been down by double digits in the fourth quarter but managed to come back. Tuesday night was the first time they were actually able to come away with a win, losing to the Oklahoma City Thunder and Sacramento Kings after impressive come back efforts, and could be a sign of things to come.
This entire season, it has been a rare occurrence for the Lakers to come out hot, and put away an opponent early. Instead, it has actually been just the opposite, with teams beating the Lakers down in the first half by double-digits and sitting their starters in the fourth.
However, the Lakers are attempting to, and succeeding, at bucking the trend. Before, the young Lakers would get down on themselves and give up early, but that is far from the case in recent contests. Now, when trailing by double-digits in the fourth quarter, the Lakers are seemingly energized by the adversity and turn up the intensity.
Sadly, Tuesday night, D’Angelo Russell was not on the court to finish the game, replaced by Lou Williams who was actually instrumental in the comeback win with key buckets down the stretch. The team is definitely more confident than they were a month ago which is a good sign for fans everywhere.
Next: Lakers First Line of Defense Needs to Improve
Lakers First Line of Defense Desperately Needs Help
Even though the Lakers are assumed to be happy with their guard duo of the future in Clarkson and Russell, if they continue to play defense the way they have been, their offensive abilities won’t even matter. At the end of the day, defense comes down to effort, something which the Lakers’ back court players seem unwilling to exert on a nightly basis.
What makes this even more frustrating is the fact that both Clarkson and Russell have the potential to be formidable defenders. The Byron Scott blame can only be pushed so hard, so despite the fact that his defensive schemes are horrid, the Lakers should heed his advice and “man up.”
A common occurrence for the Purple and Gold this year is for the first line of defense to break down which puts their interior defenders in near impossible situations. Roy Hibbert is often blamed for over helping or not rotating fast enough, but it is the guards that put him there in the first place.
Tuesday night, the Lakers young back court continued to get dominated by opposing wing men, even letting lesser guards, Tyreke Evans, Norris Cole and Jrue Holiday, get to the rim at will. When you add in the fact that Brandon Bass has become Byron Scott’s preferred rim protector, the problems expand exponentially.
Next: Lakers Need To Target 3-Point Threats
LA Must Target 3-Point Shooters at the Deadline and In Free Agency
On top of their defensive struggles, the Lakers also failed to hit a three pointer for the entire first half, shooting a horrendous 0-of-12. Yes, five of these were Kobe Bryant’s heavily contested attempts, but the problem still remains, the Lakers are 29th in the league in three point percentage.
Looking down the Lakers’ roster, three point shooters are hard to come by. Aside from Lou Williams, and perhaps Anthony Brown and Nick Young, the Lakers have absolutely no three point threats. Though Jordan Clarkson has improved his shooting touch from almost every area on the floor, similar to D’Angelo Russell, it will take time before the Lakers can consistently count on either from behind the arc.
In a league that is steadily trending to small ball, with stretch fours and fives the current craze, the Lakers need to get with the times and embrace this trend because at the end of the day, threes are better than twos.
Next: Demar DeRozan is Not the Answer Sway
With teams like the Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs leading the way, the Lakers cannot afford to continue to be as stubborn as they have been in the past.