It started like so very many Laker games have started this season. Easy buckets, poor transition D, offense that looks rudimentary and general malaise about the team. The Lakers seesawed back and forth with the Kings in the first half and would get within five before watching the Kings run out to a 12 point lead before the half. Then Malik Monk made a three point shot at the buzzer to close the first half. It all turned around after that.
- Dwight Howard’s impact. This game is a perfect example of why I favor playing Dwight over DeAndre in just about every conceivable situation. His energy is better, he knows the frank Vogel defense inside and out, he compliments AD better and he’s never afraid to mix it up down low. If we are going to play a big is simply has to be Dwight and the arguments against are paltry and flimsy, at best. Dwight’s stat line won’t be going in any record books (12 points, most of those in the first half to help keep us close, 13 Union man rebounds with 5 coming on the offensive glass, 2 steals and 2 blocks) but his effort and intensity are what we need as much as his production. Unleash Dwight, Frank, you know you want to.
- Malik Monk proving his worth and earning his role. Monk hit 6 of 10 threes, accounting for over half of the team makes from distance, played pretty solid defense and continues to be a solid guy to have on the team. If he plays like this all season he’ll likely play his way right off of our team and I, for one, hope he does. We need this kind of impact from someone other than the big three and after THT went out with a leg injury in the first half Monk really shined. His three to close the half started a Laker run that basically went on throughout the rest of the game. He isn’t just a three point specialist, either, Monk can get to the rim, score in the paint and make plays for others. Monk was stellar off the bench for the Lakers last night.
- Laker bench showed up big. 58 points were put up by the Laker bench and that wasn’t the best stat, in my opinion. The bench also nabbed 30 rebounds and were a huge factor in a game that actually saw AD and Russ sitting on the bench in a win to end the game. I’m not sure that’s happened yet this season, if it has it hasn’t been often enough. The bench came to play, and we need it happen a lot more often.
- AD and Russ leading the way, of course. Anthony was solid throughout the game, scoring more in and around the paint as has been his way this season. I’m all for it. Yes, he can stretch the floor and of course his three point shot is a weapon. There is just so much more to his game than that and when he relegates himself to spot up shooter or stands around on the perimeter our team suffers for it. Westbrook started slow and got hot to start the second half. While not his best shooting night (some of that due to questionable non-calls) we needed these guys to step up and play large with LBJ going into the NBA health and safety protocols for a minimum of 10 days.
- 65-26 run to take control of the game, outscored the Kings 67-33 in the second half. The saying “A tale of 2 halves” is a common one and it certainly applied here tonight. The Lakers utterly dominated the second half tonight and hopefully this signals the end of our terrible third quarters. While it’s nice to see consistent effort and great production in every quarter if we have to choose one area to dominate in I will take the second half every time. You can’t win a game in any half, it’s a slow build to a finale’. But if you’re going to have a dominant stretch I feel like the second half is the place to make it happen.
All in all, a solid win. Something to build on in terms of the defensive intensity in the second half. Beating a team we should beat in a convincing fashion is certainly something to carry forward. The next 5 games can really help to turn the narrative and the season around. It’s unlikely LeBron plays in any of them except for, maybe, the 5th as the King has 9 days, minimum, remaining in NBA H&SP. The Lakers have all the tools they need to start to turn this around and redefine a season that has, thus far, been defined for the things they lack rather than the weapons they have. Time to turn the beat around. Go Lakers!