Aloha
My biggest takeaway from this game, was the energy we played with. If we had played this hard all year we would have a much better record. I also thought the ball moved better then it has for awhile.
Still the same problems that we have had all year continued.
20 turnovers led to 29 points. And the frustrating part was many of the turnovers we unforced. Plus there were too many thread the needle fails. They look great when they work but they seldom do.
16 offensive rebounds again killed us. Just way too many 2nd chance points.
Why did we sign Wayne if he is going to get 5 shots in 36 minutes. They didn’t make much of an effort to find him. Shooters need to shoot. This short handed he should have gotten twice as many. LeBron and Russ went 1 for 9 from 3, while the rest of the team shot 44%. This has to change.
8 missed free throws. Again.
Russ had 20 8 and 8. Normally that looks okay but 6 turnovers and as usual a few misses at the rim. The killer was that last miss at the rim with only 56 seconds left.
I think Alex would have looked very good in our starting line up.
Trevor only got 15 minutes but he looked like he was moving pretty well. His timing was understandably off but it’s really good to have him back.
IT did a pretty good job. He is earning a contract somewhere.
It was the energy that was encouraging for me. We really need to play this hard all the time.
Aloha, Michael.
As it’s impossible not to see, this season is looking more and more like last season. While we haven’t been knocked out, we’ve been banged up and beaten up and the injury to AD will now force us survive the next 22 games (average games missed for partial MCL tear) but coalesce as a championship team with a healthy big three over the last 30 games of the season. Of course, that assumes LeBron won’t injure himself trying to keep us above water in the meantime. Yes, we have a chance but at this point it’s only a puncher’s chance. And only because of Covid.
It was a chaotic game with lineups you never thought you would see and sporadic stretches of great and terrible play. It’s what we’re going to see a lot of unless Omicron isn’t as contagious as the experts think and Covid somehow becomes a non-factor. Otherwise, having AD take off the next 22 games could be the silver lining that saves this season, as long as LeBron and Russ stay healthy and don’t have to burn themselves out.
While Russ has been playing well, the Lakers know they need major upgrades to their starting lineup and rotations if they want to win the championship. And trading Russ is their only chance to get enough back in return to be better off. Russ, THT, Nunn, and their 2027 first round pick are their trading chips. They need to go after Myles Turner, Ben Simmons, Jaylen Brown, Jerami Grant, or Christian Wood. Size and defense upgrades. The real silver lining is every game we lose only reinforces how why we need to make a move. Pelinka needs to pull off a blockbuster. And we can’t wait until summer.
I agree with the title of this post. Excellent observations as always, Michael. They put up a valiant fight only to come up short.
I am very pleased with the way they played tonight. As a matter of fact, the Lakers looked like the better team for much of the contest, but their 20 turnovers, 16 offensive rebounds given up, and poor free-throw shooting did them in. You can’t be that careless with the ball, give up that many offensive rebounds, and expect to win against better teams in the league especially if you can’t make your free throws as well.
Also, you keep harping it, but it is time for the Lakers to find ways to give Ellington more shots and involve all the shooters as well. That’s one of the reasons Jordan Poole is emerging as a weapon for the Warriors. They set him up to always be in the position to shoot, and he’s not afraid to shoot.
Meanwhile, I am hoping we keep IT. He is one of the few on the team that can get to the free-throw line at will. That’s a luxury to have on this team. Overall, I am pleased with the team’s play tonight even in a loss.
Is it just me but is anyone paying attention to the minutes LeBron is playing? 40 minutes tonight is a lot in my opinion. I found that to be a bit concerning. He looked gassed in the fourth quarter.
A McKinnie sighting? Good to see him still have a home in the league. Well liked by players and fans alike. Happy for him.
Lots of good feelings for former Lakers last night. Was good to see Rondo and Alex smiling at that jump ball. Glad Alex had a good game since he was scoreless in his first game against us. And good to see Alfonzo get a chance to play. Also loved IT playing well again.