Normally this early in the season you don’t get playoff quality basketball- that was definitely not the case tonight. The Lakers and Rockets needed an extra period to settle the score tonight and I doubt any fans were complaining.
First Quarter: LAL 22 HOU 22
The game featured The Return of Ariza -I must say that it was strange seeing Artest battle for the Purple & Gold and Ariza suiting up for the Rockets. Ariza made a really nice gesture before the tip, and shared a tight hug with a true friend Kobe. They won a title together, and I doubt that’s a bond that will ever be broken. Once the ball tipped though, you could tell it was all business. Kobe was aggressive early, and had a quick ten to keep the Lakers in the game. It was obvious that the Rockets were hyped up for this game, and their energy somewhat overtook or surprised the Lakers. One has to wonder if this was a little fatigue due to this being the second game in two days. The Lakers were able to close the quarter strong and tie the game to finish.
1st Quarter Highlights/Notes:
• Andrew Bynum: You can tell he doesn’t have all of the explosiveness that was displayed before the second knee injury, but he’s becoming a man on the inside this season. His defense is much improved and although he still commits some careless fouls, I’ll take it on any night.
• Artest D: I’ll be talking about this more but his defense in the quarter was frustrating and aggressive. He had a great night on Ariza, sans a few plays.
Second Quarter: LAL 22 HOU 26
The Lakers kept the momentum that they closed the first with and continued to punish the Rockets with great execution. The bench rotations have been a little different each game; I think Phil got tired of the entire unit substitutions and is going with 3 subs, 2 starters. Towards the middle of the quarter the pace really slowed down and the game was taken over by the Rockets. They pounded the ball inside and were able to force the Lakers into contested jumpers.
2nd Quarter Highlights/Notes:
• Bynum Again: He was able to get to the line and knock down his free throws, which is a great ability for your seven-foot center to have.
• Kobe’s Aggression: Kobe’s continued aggression on the second night of a back to back was also unexpected, but impressive. He was able to get to the hole consistently against great defenders (Ariza and Battier mostly).
Third Quarter: LAL 29 HOU 26
From the moment the second half started it was obvious this was going to be a back and forth battle. It seemed as if no team could get ahead by more than a basket. Most of the Lakers offense early consisted of Kobe in the post and a lot of Triangle and isolation. The quarter closed with some nice moments for the struggling Bench Mob, including Farmar hitting a big three and Walton a nice jumper.
3rd Quarter Highlights/Notes:
• Artest: It’s amazing how different he looks in the offense compared to the first two games. His decisiveness on cuts is going to be huge when Gasol gets back into that pinch-post position. I expect to see Artest getting tons of easy buckets off hard cuts.
Fourth Quarter: LAL 19 HOU 18
Phil trusted the bench to start the fourth and it backfired instantly. The lineup was basically the bench – Odom + Artest. I love the bench, but without Pau, having Mbenga in there kills the Lakers at times. For some reason he feels that he has an amazing jump shot, and great touch around the basket. I love his intensity on defense, but I’d like to see him reign in the shot selection a little (please feel free to sound off in the comments re: Mbenga). After the Lakers went down 7 with about 8 minutes to go, it was obvious Phil was pulling the plug on the bench. Kobe and Bynum quickly were inserted back into the game, and what ensued was one of the better early regular season games I’ve seen. The teams battled back and forth, and eventually the Lakers went up 3 on a HUGE shot from Artest at the top of the key. This is his favorite spot for three’s, and it was nice to see him knock it down. Unfortunately, Ariza came down and hit a dagger shot to tie it up after a jump ball, which he forced. Phil said it was, “Poetic justice” for the two to exchange shots and give their teams a chance to win, and I’d have to agree. What a surreal moment for both players to lift their teams like that. The final possessions were exchanges in sloppiness and the game ended up going to overtime.
4th Quarter Highlights/Notes:
• Kobe Bryant: He absolutely owned the fourth quarter and eventually, the overtime period. He was absolutely terrific in the high post towards the end of this game hitting a myriad of ridiculous turnaround jumpers that reminded me of an OG Michael Jordan.
• Derek Fisher: Where did this defense come from? He absolutely frustrated Brooks throughout the final possessions. I haven’t seen him this intense on defense in back to back games in quite a while- he was great tonight.
Overtime: LAL 11 HOU 10
Initially the Rockets were out-hustling the Lakers, and it appeared that it might get out of hand, but the play of Artest, Bynum and Kobe really willed the Lakers to the victory. Kobe was ridiculous from mid-range, hitting shots over pretty much the whole team at one point. Artest’s defense on Ariza was amazing for the most part, forcing him into bad shots that were always contested. Bynum’s rebounding, free throws, and interior defense were exceptional at most times. This was a tough loss for the Rockets, but experience and defense are what got the Lakers this win. If you re-watch that last possession, Fisher gets a clean strip and is a microcosm of his play on defense the entire game.
Final Score: LAL 103 HOU 102
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