1st Quarter
With two starters missing it was hard to imagine the Lakers producing a consistent offensive first quarter, and this was definitely the case throughout the first 8 minutes. There was a lack of consistency that was evident by the inability to get the ball into the post (who can blame them with Mbenga down there). With a starting lineup that consists of two great low post players, the Lakers were struggling with Lamar Odom and DJ Mbenga down low. Defensively one had to like the effort, but in general we could not get anything going. With the Lakers settling for outside jumpers to start the game, the Nuggets were able to establish an early lead. Anthony and Billups were playing aggressive defense and ran the court on fast breaks off missed jumpers on the other end. One great sign was the emergence of the “Lamar Odom Three” which has been absent throughout the preseason. Another trend that we have to love as Lakers fan is the court vision of Ron Artest- whether it is making heads-up backdoor cuts, or hitting the open man under the basket (within the flow of the triangle!) he has been impressive. Look for Ron Ron to become one of the go-to initiators of the triangle as the season progresses; he’s proven he’s up to it.
Highlights from the First:
- Lamar Odom hitting threes to keep us in it: He was off on the first attempt, but afterwards he was hitting outside jumpers from DEEP.
- Kobe’s Post Game: He showed off a few of the moves from this summer with Hakeem and definitely was patient with the offense.
- Ron Artest Court Vision: He’s making the right passes at the right time. A great example of this was the laser pass from the top of the key to Kobe underneath for the layup.
2nd Quarter
With the bench coming out to start the 2nd quarter with the lineup of Farmar, Vujacic, Walton, Powell and Morrison, the Lakers have to look to penetrate and kick to the open shooters or run the court. With this unit playing extended minutes, Farmar has to become the leader we all hope he can be. Unfortunately, they all seemed to run around without any real purpose offensively. This is somewhat surprising considering the amount of time they (probably) get on the court during practice. A lot of isolation with Luke will result in turnovers, even with his exceptional passing skills. Fortunately for the Lakers, the Nuggets continued to play sloppy basketball and commit turnovers, which led to easy baskets on the other end. Overall this was a, “glass half full” performance because the defense was strong. About half way through the 2nd Phil returned to a more powerful lineup including Kobe and Artest, and we eventually stretched the lead to 8 at the half.
Highlights from the Second:
- Lamar’s hot shooting continues: He sinks another 2 three’s to bring his total to 5 before the half
- Second unit D: Sasha, who TNT continually calls the “self proclaimed” machine, showed a lot of tenacity against the Nuggets and caused a lot of turnovers.
- Artest D: He bodied up Anthony every chance he had. This is the polar opposite of Ariza… Artest is bodying up while Ariza played for steals and jumped the passing lanes. How much will we miss this? Who on the team will take up the role of the “Quick defender?”
3rd Quarter
Phil returned to his “makeshift “starting lineup to begin the second half and the Lakers quickly established a defensive tone that would not letup throughout the entire third quarter. This defensive intensity was headlined by the play of DJ Mbenga who had some spectacular blocks (seven to be exact!), which would have been on the Top 10 of Sportscenter had it not been preseason. One especially amazing play came at the end of the quarter when Mbenga challenged Kenyon Martin on a two hand jam and sent him home packing. That being said, the defense had led to points all night long and nothing changed after the half.
Sidenote: I know it is preseason, but the Nuggets have to be somewhat disappointed with their effort offensively and defensively in this game; too many turnovers and absolutely nothing going on in the post aside from Carmelo forcing it all night long.
In general the play in the 3rd was the most consistent and intense, with a definite mamba-like approach from Kobe. With two steals, two breakaway dunks, and a multitude of eye-popping moves, Kobe dominated the third. There was a particular moment at the elbow where Kobe put Martin in the proverbial popcorn machine and frenzied the crowd. His footwork on those post moves is much sharper than it has been, and that is saying something. Either he is well rested, or his time with Hakeem this summer really paid off. Whatever it is, I’m excited for regular season action after this game!
Third Quarter Highlights:
- Fisher is definitely cold to start the preseason (0-for his life tonight) and he missed a wide-open corner three which he should have made. We need someone to start hitting this corner three!
- Kobe was playing great 1-on-1 d and ended up with two steals that led to fast break dunks
- Replacement Referees: It’s over, and we can be happy. This quarter was a perfect example of why we should be careful what we wish for. Horrible calls led to easy baskets by either team, and I’ll be happy to see the veterans return to action
4th Quarter
The Lakers ran the bench for the fourth and really stretched the lead. This is a good sign because the performance earlier in the game was definitely not something to be proud of. One constant throughout the game though was the Lakers effort on D. No matter who was on the court, the intensity on defense was there from start to finish. Once the preseason is over expect to see the Lakers carry this into the first stretch of games and hopefully the rest of the season!
4th Quarter Highlights:
- The Shooting: Brown, Morrison and Walton showed nice touch from the outside, which is a great sign for our second unit.
- The Confidence of Ammo: Adam Morrison has found himself this preseason; aggressive, good defense, and overall court awareness has me looking for more as the season progresses
Final Thoughts:
This was a nice win versus a team that gave us a lot of trouble in the playoffs last year. Overall the Nuggets killed themselves by committing 26 turnovers, twice as many as the Lakers. A lot of these can be attributed to defensive pressure, but overall this was just a sloppy game for the visitors. One major key to this game was the Nuggets inability to take advantage of the mismatches inside with Bynum and Pau sitting due to injury. Nene and Martin were unable to get anything going and Mbenga was much more of a force than I expected. With the rematch coming up tomorrow night, look for a more focused effort offensively from the Nuggets and a much closer game.
Final Score LAL 106 DEN 89
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