The Thunder win it tonight 114 to 108, moving the Thunder to 16-4 on the year.
This game ended a lot closer than the game felt the whole night. The Thunder led by as much as 19 in the second half at one point, but the Lakers kept it close towards the end, with Kobe making shots like only Kobe Bryant can make.
The Thunder played the Lakers nearly even in the first quarter, with the Lakers ending the first quarter up 27 26 with Westbrook hitting the sweet buzzer-beater to end it. Who knew that would define the whole rest of the half?
Westbrook would go off in the second half, pushing the Thunder point total in the second quarter to 41, first half total to 67, and his own first half point total to 27, the most points scored in a half by Westbrook in his whole career. Russell went 5-6 for three pointers in the first half, making the most 3-pointers in a half of his career.
The game would even out in the third quarter with both teams scoring the same amount leaving the lead at 16 by the end of the third. Russell cooled off considerably after his hot-as-lava first half, going 0-8 from the field, struggling even to make free throws. Serge Ibaka and Kevin Durant would pick up the scoring duty for the third quarter, with Durant scoring 10 points and Ibaka scoring 6.
The fourth quarter would be much of a colluded mess, with the Lakers constantly pulling the lead down to less than double digits, threatening to make the game much closer and leaving the possibility of a comeback. However, the Thunder's new renewed defensive focus held the Lakers at arms length and ensured the win tonight against the Lakers.
The Thunder shot well tonight against a pretty non-existent defense of the Lakers. Thunder shot nearly 50 percent from the field, with Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook shooting very efficiently from the field, the arch and the line. The Thunder once again had an assist total over 20 tonight, totalling up 22 assists with 8 of them being from Westbrook. Both KD and Russell scored 30+ tonight, with 36 and 33 respectively. This is the 21st time that Westbrook and Durant have scored 30 or more in the same night in their careers. Collison added 13, Serge added 14, and Kevin Martin scored 11 to round out the double digit scoring for the Thunder tonight.
OKC played good defense against the Lakers, holding them to 43 percent from the field and 39 percent from the arch. The Thunder ran away with the game for the most part, outscoring the Lakers in the fast break 28-8. However, the Thunder lacked inside presence, allowing the Lakers to score 44 out of their 108 points in the paint.
Showing posts with label Lakers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lakers. Show all posts
Saturday, December 8, 2012
Friday, December 7, 2012
Pregame 20: Lights! Camera! Action!
Hollywood finds its way to the "Peake" tonight (quick, someone call TMZ!).
The Thunder play the Los Angeles Lakers tonight for the first time this season, playing in a rematch of the Western Conference Semifinals from last season. Both teams have completely new looks this season, with LA doing away with Bynum and acquiring Steve Nash and Dwight Howard and the Thunder trading James Harden and acquiring Kevin Martin (man, I am going to definitely miss those Kobe V. Harden match-ups). So even though this a rematch, it feels like we have two different teams coming into tonight.
The Thunder step onto the court tonight riding a 6-game win streak, most notably with a win against the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday, 117-111. The Thunder are tied for the best record in the NBA with the Spurs, both teams being 15-4.
The Lakers, however, have been a disappointment to NBA fans and their own because of the lack luster season they have had so far. The Lakers have started out with a record under .500, at 9-10. The Lakers were staged for one of the best season of all time with 4 future Hall of Fame candidates, but because of injuries to Steve Nash and Pau Gasol and an offense and team that has yet to gel, the Lakers have failed to live up to their potential.
Tonight will be a defining game for both teams. The Thunder can prove for good that there team is still what it was last year even without Harden, a Finals contender. The Lakers can show the NBA tonight that they are still one of the best teams out there and still have a team that can live up to its potential.
Steve Nash and Pau Gasol will be out for this game, Nash with a fracture in his shin and Pau Gasol with tendinitis in his knees.
Now onto the stats
“It is not light that we need, but fire; it is not the gentle shower, but thunder. We need the storm, the whirlwind, and the earthquake." ~Fredrick Douglas
The Thunder play the Los Angeles Lakers tonight for the first time this season, playing in a rematch of the Western Conference Semifinals from last season. Both teams have completely new looks this season, with LA doing away with Bynum and acquiring Steve Nash and Dwight Howard and the Thunder trading James Harden and acquiring Kevin Martin (man, I am going to definitely miss those Kobe V. Harden match-ups). So even though this a rematch, it feels like we have two different teams coming into tonight.
The Thunder step onto the court tonight riding a 6-game win streak, most notably with a win against the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday, 117-111. The Thunder are tied for the best record in the NBA with the Spurs, both teams being 15-4.
The Lakers, however, have been a disappointment to NBA fans and their own because of the lack luster season they have had so far. The Lakers have started out with a record under .500, at 9-10. The Lakers were staged for one of the best season of all time with 4 future Hall of Fame candidates, but because of injuries to Steve Nash and Pau Gasol and an offense and team that has yet to gel, the Lakers have failed to live up to their potential.
Tonight will be a defining game for both teams. The Thunder can prove for good that there team is still what it was last year even without Harden, a Finals contender. The Lakers can show the NBA tonight that they are still one of the best teams out there and still have a team that can live up to its potential.
Steve Nash and Pau Gasol will be out for this game, Nash with a fracture in his shin and Pau Gasol with tendinitis in his knees.
Now onto the stats
“It is not light that we need, but fire; it is not the gentle shower, but thunder. We need the storm, the whirlwind, and the earthquake." ~Fredrick Douglas
Monday, December 3, 2012
The Blame Game
The Blame Game is a problem that has plagued the NBA for many years of its long history. Players have blamed each other, coaches have blamed players(and players blamed coaches), fans have blamed refs, and the Spurs have blamed David Stern. It is a prevalent part of the game that can either be justified with horrendous play calls or horrendous officiating, or turn in to whining on the part of a player who seeks attention for themselves. Recently the Blame Game has affected the Showtime Lakers 2.0. Or is it 3.0? or 2.75? The court is still out on that one.
To give context to the situation, and information to anyone who has decided to live their lives under a rock for last 5 months, the Lakers brought together a super team of 4 future Hall of Famers, with the longtime Lakers Pau Gasol and Kobe Bryant, and adding on to the duo with Phoenix Suns guard Steve Nash and Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard. Everyone and their dog in LA immediately believed that this team would destroy everyone in their path and start off as one of the greatest to ever grace the planet. However, things like that rarely ever turn out the way they seem in the NBA. The Lakers have hobbled out to a 8-9 start with losses to sub .500 teams such as Sacramento (who has a total of 4 wins, one of which is against the Lakers), Dallas, Portland, Indiana, and finally Orlando, Dwight's previous team, in a 113-103 stinker of a game. Now, remember, Steve Nash is out with a fracture of his shin bone, but 3 future HOF should be enough, right? With arguably the second best player ever in the NBA, arguably the best center since Shaq in his prime, and with one of the best shooting power forwards, the Lakers have very much underachieved.
Even with all this underachievement and none of the 3 playing to the best of their abilities, with the possible exception of Kobe Bryant, the Lakers and and their coach Mike D'Antoni are not focusing on their real problem of cohesiveness and team ball but are more focused on blaming each other for the current state of their team.
To give context to the situation, and information to anyone who has decided to live their lives under a rock for last 5 months, the Lakers brought together a super team of 4 future Hall of Famers, with the longtime Lakers Pau Gasol and Kobe Bryant, and adding on to the duo with Phoenix Suns guard Steve Nash and Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard. Everyone and their dog in LA immediately believed that this team would destroy everyone in their path and start off as one of the greatest to ever grace the planet. However, things like that rarely ever turn out the way they seem in the NBA. The Lakers have hobbled out to a 8-9 start with losses to sub .500 teams such as Sacramento (who has a total of 4 wins, one of which is against the Lakers), Dallas, Portland, Indiana, and finally Orlando, Dwight's previous team, in a 113-103 stinker of a game. Now, remember, Steve Nash is out with a fracture of his shin bone, but 3 future HOF should be enough, right? With arguably the second best player ever in the NBA, arguably the best center since Shaq in his prime, and with one of the best shooting power forwards, the Lakers have very much underachieved.
Even with all this underachievement and none of the 3 playing to the best of their abilities, with the possible exception of Kobe Bryant, the Lakers and and their coach Mike D'Antoni are not focusing on their real problem of cohesiveness and team ball but are more focused on blaming each other for the current state of their team.
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