The Lakers took on the New Jersey Nets in a battle of the best versus the worst. As expected, the Lakers prevailed easily- but not before some questionable first half play and a little bit of Kobe magic.
First Half
The first quarter was relatively close for the first 9 minutes. Andrew picked up two quick fouls and sat for the rest of the quarter. It’s unfortunate to have Andrew sitting so early, but it does give Lamar a chance to start finding his rhythm again off the bench. The two teams played even through the majority of the first until the Lakers turned on the jets and took an 8 point lead into the second.
Once the second quarter started, it was obvious that the Nets were not going to quit. The Lakers had a quick burst to start the quarter that saw them up 12, but eventually that lead was completely wiped away. How did this happen? DEVID HARRIS. Dude went off for 17 in the second, and a good majority of that against D-Fish. Unfortunately Derek was once again on the wrong end of some ridiculous highlights- let’s hope he doesn’t make this a habit in 2010. The outstanding play of Harris enabled the Nets to carry a 2 point lead into the half. This was a sluggish first half, which saw the Lakers playing on two days rest. One would think after the half the team would come out a little crisper and show some renewed defensive effort…
First Half Notes/Highlights:
- Farmar: Once again he’s playing great, but it is a contract year. If he can keep this up, I can definitely see the Lakers trying to bring him back. After all, is there really a better option?
- AMMO: Adam got some EARLY first half run do to the foul trouble of Bynum, and didn’t play bad at all. It was nice to see him get into a game where the score isn’t Lakers +25.
- Zone Defense: The Nets went to a zone in the second quarter and it completely messed with the Lakers flow on offense. Look out for the next team to run zone and see how the Lakers respond.
Second Half
Kobe Bryant is not human. He hit shots in the third that honestly are impossible, let alone with a full assortment of in tact phalanges. The Lakers were able to turn that first half deficit into a 10 point lead heading into the fourth, and that was mostly due to the play of Kobe who was all over the court. Blocks, rebounds, shots, getting to the line… what didn’t he do? And then to have players like Lamar (14pts, 12reb, 4ast) and Pau (14pts, 14reb, 6ast) stepping up… how can you lose?
With the Nets down ten to start the fourth, it didn’t seem as if they were going to be able to get back into the game. There was a large run in the third of, I believe, 11 points, which really took the life out of the home team. Once the fourth started, the Lakers really pressed the Nets and quickly built up a ridiculous 20+ point lead and never looked back.
Second Half Notes/Highlights:
- Kobe: He toyed with the Nets in the second half with 9 fingers- this is unfair. You got the feeling he was just waiting to see if the rest of the ream was going to step up before going off.
- Ron Artest: Completely absent tonight, but I’m not complaining. He made the extra pass most of the night and only took 5 shots. Didn’t help us… but definitely didn’t hurt us.
Overall this was a decent win for the team. You could say the Lakers played 1.5 quarters of inspired ball, but hey- we won! Tomorrow will be a bigger test for the team as Detroit has been playing well as of late- let’s get a new winning streak going.
Game Highlights & Box Score
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