First Quarter LAL 36 – GSW 22
The Lakers opened the first with aggressive post play from the bigs. There was a conscious effort to get the ball down low and it paid off. Watching the first quarter it was obvious that the length of the Lakers was impacting what the Warriors wanted to do. Defensively, the Lakers were able to close on all the shots taken and really change everything inside. This resulted in 3 really nice blocks from Pau who was especially active down low. Overall, this was one of the better quarters the Lakers have played; great execution on offense, effective outside shooting and aggressive defense.
First Quarter Notes/Highlights:
- Kobe Bryant: He was never able to get anything going, and ended up taking an early exit with about five minutes left in the first. He was visibly frustrated and even picked up a T arguing a call against Derek.
- Pau’s D: Pau was dominant down low, changing many of the Warriors attempts in the paint. His defense (3 blocks) was the reason the Warriors shot 37% in the first.
Second Quarter LAL 60 – GSW 50
With an almost perfect first quarter under their belts, there was nowhere to go but down it seemed. Initially the Lakers were playing quite well, pushing the ball up-court on the Warriors and getting anything they wanted inside. Kobe was still cold throughout the second quarter but was able to get his first hoop with 9 minutes or so left in the second. With the lead stretched to 17, it seemed as if the Lakers relaxed and let up defensively on the Warriors. This enabled the Warriors to close the gap by hitting open shots- the Lakers seemed to lose the fire defensively that served them so well in the first quarter.
Second Quarter Notes/Highlights:
- Early Lakers Defense: When the Lakers stretched the lead to 17, it was because of plays like the ones Shannon and Jordan were making. Farmar got away with a foul against CJ Watson but overall pretty good defense.
- Gasol: Definitely seems to be getting his legs back- he had some really nice dunks and rebounds in the second.
- Turnovers: A lot of the Lakers turnovers come on forcing the ball to Kobe in the post. I wonder if they’re afraid to go away from Kobe when he’s working so hard for the ball?
Third Quarter LAL 98 – GSW 75
The beginning of the third was more of the same: post play and open jump shots. The Warriors were able to cut the lead to 9 with some great play from Ellis and Curry, but the Lakers stretched it back to 16 halfway through the quarter on baskets from Pau and Artest. It feels as if the Lakers are toying with the Warriors at this point, because whenever they make a run, Kobe just starts eating up the post and making midrange jumpers. Unfortunately, Bynum hasn’t really got it going in this quarter- it seems as if Pau and Bynum can’t both get it going at the same time, but that might be too much to ask for. Aside from the bigs, Fisher definitely was shooting the ball much better tonight. It’s good to see D-Fish get involved in the action because he has definitely been struggling this season. Artest also had a strong quarter, capitalizing on a breakaway layup, which finalized a 17-6 run. At this point the Lakers had taken total control and pushed the lead to 21. The quarter finished with the Lakers expanding on the already huge lead by force-feeding the dominant Gasol inside. Artest also had a nice quarter hitting some open threes and getting some easy layups off fast-break opportunities. It wasn’t pretty, but Artest got it done. I love watching him bully his way through the defense and muscle up layup after layup.
Third Quarter Notes/Highlights:
- Lamar: Was quiet most of the night but had a really nice play to Gasol. Dribble penetration led to a lob to Lamar. The pass was almost out of his range, but he volley ball tapped it to Gasol who layed it in for the and-1. Great play.
- Gasol: He is absolutely owning the game tonight shooting 9-10 from the field at this point. He was also involved on some of the nicer/more physical plays of the game. It all started with a fastbreak alley oop from Farmar. Pau hung on the rim and was T’d up, but I don’t really think he was on there long enough to warrant it. After this, it seemed as if Randolph was mad at Gasol for some reason and eventually ended up in his face. Maybe he thought Pau was showing him up? Who knows…
Fourth Quarter LAL 130 – GSW 97
Kobe came out firing to start the fourth and had a few nice shots inside as well as a dead on three from the top of the key. Kobe and Monta had a pretty intense battle going on throughout the third quarter and it continued into the early moments of the fourth as well. I love when Kobe takes offense to something in a meaningless game and goes into “hitman/Black Mamba/killer instinct” mode. He was blatantly sticking it to Ellis on every early play, whether he made the shot or not. After four minutes, the massacre was in full effect with a 105-79 lead. Phil cleared the bench at this point and got Brown and Morrison in the game. I’m kind of shocked Phil hasn’t gone to Powell, or even given Sasha more minutes in situations like these. It’s a sign of the way things have been going for Sasha when Ammo is getting in the game before he does. The end of the game was another great showing of garbage time, with another high-flying dunk from Shannon Brown on a breakaway. Man, can this cat jump or what?
Final Thoughts
The Lakers used great defense and one of their more explosive offensive showings of the season to absolutely own the Warriors. Kobe started out slow, but came out firing in the second half to put in 20 for the game. The play from the frontcourt tonight was near perfect, with 53 points coming from our starting frontcourt on 21-33 shooting. Throw in double digit scoring nights from Fisher, Brown and Farmar and you have a 33-point win. Hopefully the bench can keep this up, as our schedule won’t be this easy much longer.
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