There might have been no better chance to close out the series and get a little extra rest before facing the living hell that OKC will be. What started so well finished so weakly and the Laker took another collective step backwards. The game just finished so I’m writing this a little ticked off.
- DeAndre Ayton is a playoff performer. Playing the game like a man, taking hits, grabbing boards, blacking shots and all without his number really being called in the second half. He single-handedly kept us alive in the 2nd half when the shots dried up. Had we won I’d have given DA the game ball. In general, the Lakers are doing themselves a disservice to themselves by not having Ayton go at Sengun a little more often, force him to play defense without fouling. Ayton was honestly the lone bright spot in the entire 2nd half.
- So…many…….turnovers. Between Smart dribbling the ball off his foot and throwing a chest pass into a double-team or LeBron and Reaves with super loose handles we just kept shooting ourselves in the foot. The steal Sheppard had on LeBron late in the 4th was a true rally killer. Credit the Houston defense because they’re showing lanes and snapping them shut, although one could argue they ought to have been called for an illegal defense or two in the second half, not that it would have altered the outcome…
- Free Throw Woes. So many missed free throws in the second half, left too many pints in the two categories we’ve been vulnerable in all season: turnovers and missed free throws. You can survive one, or some times both of your three ball is falling but…
- Laker three point shooting utterly dried up and Kennard has vanished as quickly as he came on. 0-4 from Luke who was a major focus of the defensive game plan for the second straight game. Coaches need to figure out how to jump start his offense, preferably by Friday night. James, Kennard, Vando, Reaves were a combined 2-17 from three. We can forgive Vando, making it would have been the outlier, but LeBron and Kennard put up donuts from deep. I don’t think Reaves made one in the 2nd half (yes, he’s finding his legs…I believe it is still the playoffs…yes…yes it is). Rui was 2-3, Smart 3-7 but Rui took one solitary three in the 4th and Smart didn’t make one in the 4th. If we’re going to be sloppy and/or miss free throws we need to hit threes.
- Why is anyone focused on OKC, by the grace of the basketball gods we’re not down 3-2…OKC ain’t the problem for anyone to be solving right now. We’re 2 losses away from the kind of history LeBron definitely doesn’t want to be a part of. The Crypto crowd was flaccid, which sucks because you know the Houston crowd is going to go bananas.
Weak second half, not sure who thought the Reaves/Kennard/LaRavia/Rui/Hayes lineup was a good idea but it failed spectacularly. I was wondering when Ime would adjust, now I’m curious what JJ’s counter is to their ball pressure and paint denial. We’re not scoring in transition enough, only 10 Fastbreak points all game. Need to get the ball out of Sengun’s hands and not let him work from the high post without pressure.
I got nothing.