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Post by Blunashun on May 3, 2021 11:16:06 GMT
The Lakers lost again. Another day, another loss. They're 36-28 / .563 overall. 7th place in the Western Conference. www.espn.com/nba/team/schedule/_/name/lalThey've been losing since Davis & James went down, & they acquired Drummond. (6-11. 4-9 with Drummond playing. 1-6 over their last 7.). Part of that is getting Davis & James back in tip-top shape. Another is Vogel & the Lakers learning each other. I said before they needed time on the floor together. Vogel has to figure out who plays with who too. Starting 5 should be... Davis - PF James - SF Drummond - C Pope - SG Schroder - PG Primary bench... Harrell - PF Kuzma - SF Gasol - C Tucker - SG Caruso - PG I knew when they got Drummond that Andre & Harrell couldn't be on the floor at the same time. They're too much alike. Right now Vogel is cutting Harrell's minutes (from 20 to 30 down to 15 to 20) & doesn't seem to be sure what to do with him. That's a waste of talent. Gasol is capable of playing further from the basket & doesn't have much of an offensive game left anyway. He can do the little things on the second unit. Harrell would be the inside presence offensively. Kuzma plays small forward (despite his length) & loves to shoot threes. Davis is shooting just 25% on his three pointers this season & I really wish he would knock it off. But this is the 2020's & the way the game is played nowadays. So we have to deal with that. Drummond is strictly an inside man. Fans today would say that necessitates Davis playing further from the basket to clear up space. No it doesn't That's lazy thinking. No one really plays defense anymore. Guys like Parish & McHale used to play side by side when big men played defense. I really hope Vogel doesn't waste the talent he's been given. I couldn't believe getting Harrell. Then they doubled down by picking up Drummond. Harrell can't be a happy man right now. |
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Post by Blunashun on May 6, 2021 19:16:40 GMT
The Lakers beat the Nuggets in their last game. Some interesting revelations though if you read the box score.
Nikola Jokic, Denver's MVP caliber center, took Andre Drummond apart. 22 minutes for Andre. NO...repeat - NO rebounds. I didn't think that was possible. How do you keep a rebounding beast like Andre Drummond off the boards? Answer- get him in foul trouble. 5 fouls in 22 minutes. Jokic had 32 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals & a blocked shot.
At least Anthony Davis played better. So did Gasol. But Harrell only played 10 minutes. It's pretty obvious Frank Vogel doesn't like him. I had high hopes for that guy.
LeBron reinjured his right ankle.
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Post by Blunashun on May 7, 2021 20:01:15 GMT
The Lakers got trampled by the Clippers last night, 118-94. It was 65-42 at the half.
Oh yeah. Anthony Davis had back spasms & only played 9 minutes.
Under those circumstances, Harrell got to play 20 minutes.
It's hard not to be disgusted.
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Post by Blunashun on May 8, 2021 14:18:53 GMT
It was the Portland Trail Blazers turn to beat the Lakers. This time by a score of 106-101. So at least it was interesting.
Anthony Davis played despite his excruciating back spasms. He had 36 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists & a blocked shot. So I suspect he was just removed from the previous game once it got out of hand. (Shortly after the opening tipoff.).
Caruso went 8-16 from the field. 2-2 from three point land. 6 rebounds. He's handy to have around.
Pope had a good game. 5-9 from the field. 1-4 on threes. 6-7 from the line. He scored 17 points, grabbed 4 rebounds & dished 5 assists.
Drummond fouled out in 22 minutes. 22 minutes seems to be his new bar.
Montrezl Harrell didn't play last night. Coach's decision.
Lakers fall to 37-30 / .552. That puts them in a scramble with Dallas, Portland, Golden St. & Memphis for a playoff spot.
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Post by Blunashun on May 10, 2021 4:24:21 GMT
The Lakers entered the fourth quarter with a 21 point lead against the Suns. They've been outscored 23-14 so far.
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Post by Blunashun on May 10, 2021 4:44:36 GMT
The fourth quarter score was 33-25 for the Suns. That wasn't enough to make up a 21 point deficit though. Lakers win 123-110 behind Davis' 42 points.
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Post by Blunashun on May 16, 2021 9:36:55 GMT
The Lakers have won 4 in a row & yesterday marked LeBron's return - again. It'll take a few games to sort out who does what & what the regular rotation of players will look like. Are they playing 82 games this season? The Lakers have played 71 so far. They're 41-30.
Davis played 36 minutes yesterday. That was 6 more than the next nearest teammate. He's definitely the indispensable one. He had 28 points, 10 rebounds & five assists.
LeBron fired up 22 shots in only 28 minutes. He was the one holding the team together when they almost wilted in crunch time though. He finished with 24 points, 7 rebounds & 8 assists.
Drummond played 29 minutes & only picked up one foul. He had 11 points, 15 rebounds & 2 blocked shots. His job is doing the dirty work. He needs to stay out of foul trouble to do that.
Shroder, like most guards nowadays, is a low percentage shooter. .437% on the season. .335% on threes. He's a hybrid point guard / shooting guard.
Caldwell-Pope is actually much more of a threat from downtown. He's shooting .411 from three point land & .430 overall.
Kuzma is 6'-10" & plays like a guard. He's depth off the bench. I really miss Brandon Ingram.
Harrell played 19 minutes yesterday. Next year's contract isn't guaranteed. I have to believe he's gone. Hopefully Vogel doesn't take this apparent hostility he has for Montrezl into the postseason.
Then Vogel will probably choose one more player to round out a squad of eight going into the playoffs. A guard.
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Post by Blunashun on May 20, 2021 3:52:03 GMT
Lakers playing Golden State. LeBron & Davis are a combined 6-25. Warriors lead 72-65.
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Post by Blunashun on May 20, 2021 4:00:12 GMT
Curry has 26 points at the end of the third quarter. Going for 40 again.
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Post by Blunashun on May 20, 2021 5:00:45 GMT
Lakers come back from a 13 point halftime deficit to win 103-100 behind resurgent performances by Davis & James. Caruso was solid throughout.
Curry winds up with 37.
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Post by Blunashun on May 20, 2021 5:17:11 GMT
A scary moment.
LeBron got poked in the eye too. He seemed to be okay.
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Post by Blunashun on May 21, 2021 1:30:00 GMT
So the Lakers open the playoffs Sunday against the Suns (51-21) in Phoenix. We'll see how important, or insignificant, the regular season is.
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Post by Blunashun on May 23, 2021 21:29:09 GMT
13 point lead through three for the Suns.
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Post by Blunashun on May 23, 2021 22:05:08 GMT
The Lakers never threatened & lose by a score of 99-90. The Suns take a 1-0 lead in this series.
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Post by Blunashun on May 24, 2021 16:03:26 GMT
Lakers' Andre Drummond: Falls just short of double-double
Rotowire 12 HRS AGO
Drummond registered 12 points (5-7 FG, 2-4 FT), nine rebounds, one steal and one blocked shot across 19 minutes in Sunday's playoff loss to Phoenix.
The veteran center put up a decent stat line despite logging only 19 minutes in the loss. However, he was vastly outplayed by opposing big man Deandre Ayton, who tallied 21 points and 16 boards. Drummond's role could be impacted by how the Lakers choose to match up with the Suns in the series, but as long as he's playing around 20 minutes, the big man should remain a constant double-double threat.
Lakers' Anthony Davis: Quiet in Game 1 loss
Rotowire 13 HRS AGO
Davis totaled 13 points (5-16 FG, 0-2 3Pt, 3-5 FT), seven rebounds, two assists and three blocked shots over 29 minutes Sunday in a loss to the Suns in Game 1 of the first-round playoff series.
The last time these two teams faced each other in the regular season, Davis went off for 42 points and 12 boards. His performance Sunday was a clunker by comparison, as the big man hit only five of his 16 field-goal attempts and never found a rhythm offensively. Davis did block three shots and avoided committing any turnovers, but his overall impact on the contest was minimal. He had an uneven regular season thanks largely to a groin injury that forced him to miss 30 straight games, so there's certainly a possibility of some lingering rust. Davis will look to ramp up his contributions in Game 2 on Tuesday.
Lakers' LeBron James: Unable to carry team to victory
Rotowire 13 HRS AGO
James tallied 18 points (6-13 FG, 3-7 3Pt, 3-6 FT), 10 assists, seven rebounds and three steals across 36 minutes in a Game 1 loss to Phoenix on Sunday.
James was aggressive in the first quarter, putting up eight points. He scored only 10 more points the rest of the way, however, and never really found a groove. The veteran finished with a fine stat line overall (aside from his five turnovers), but he was overshadowed by Devin Booker, who finished with 34 points for the Suns. James endured a scary moment in the fourth quarter, hitting the floor hard and immediately favoring his shoulder, but indicated after the contest that he'll "be ready for Game 2," per Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times.
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