The Lakers eek out a victory with an offensive tip-dunk by LeBron and a game saving block by Tyson Chandler.
Ball game. #LakeShow pic.twitter.com/6EoASCu5GG
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) November 12, 2018
3 Observations
The Hot Start
Lonzo got going early in the first quarter. After a sloppy 9-0 start against, the Lakers proceeded to go on a 13-2 run. The momentum turned when Taurean Prince was called for a flagrant foul on LeBron James in transition. Lonzo had a couple drive and dump plays to McGee, and even set up LeBron James for an open three on a delayed dribble-hand-off series. Surprisingly, the Lakers had another 4-minute stint of zero field goals against by the Hawks in the mid first quarter. They’ve been setting the tone defensively early. The small-ball lineup came up with 9 points of their own, a Josh Hart 3-pointer and another two made three-pointers by KCP. They closed the quarter 28-22, finishing on a 28-13 run.
JaVale with the flush#LakeShow (????: @SpectrumSN) pic.twitter.com/sKflHBrRat
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) November 12, 2018
15 First Half Turnovers
Whether it’s back-to-back games, at home or on the road, this is simply unacceptable. Ingram had 5 turnovers. LeBron had 3 turnovers. All NBA teams can punish the opposition when possessions are given up like that. Despite Atlanta shooting 38.5 percent from the field and 21.1 percent behind the arc, they had a 53-52 point lead at the half. The Hawks also outrebounded the Lakers 27-21.
Small Ball Didn’t Work Tonight
After just breaking even to close the first quarter, Rondo, Hart, KCP, and Lance were all part of the lineup that erased what was once a 15 point lead late in the 3rd. Even when the starters came back in, they lacked offensive rhythm for the rest of the quarter, especially with Lonzo on the bench. Hart and LeBron didn’t sink free throws. The Lakers even gave up the lead to be down by 3 points late in the 4th. How bad was it exactly?
Net ratings:
Rajon Rondo: -17
Lance Stephenson: -18
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope: -24
Josh Hart: +1
Two Questions
Why didn’t Lonzo Ball close the game?
At one point in the 3rd quarter, Lonzo Ball was +21 and LeBron James was +23. Lonzo pushing tempo and creating easier opportunities, even when shots weren’t falling, still kept the Lakers going. He was playing Trae Young physically all game, not allowing him to get into any kind of real shooting rhythm. Lonzo had the best motor on both ends of the floor and had the team playing at a higher level.
When will the Lakers learn to close games?
This was an issue against Portland, so the Lakers ran LeBron and Rondo in pick-and-roll situations with Rondo as the “big”. This allowed for high level playmaking on the short roll to create shots. Against the Hawks, LeBron settled for two pull-up 3-point shots. The rest of the team was stagnant. LeBron wasn’t exploiting any mismatches off the dribble or around the rim. Perhaps, it was justifiably so, considering LeBron draws a lot of contact around the rim, but hasn’t gotten those calls consistently.
Part of this is due to lineup issues. The first half looks pretty set, with hockey substitutions becoming a trend. If it’s not the starters in, it’s the small-ball lineup. But in the second half, sometimes there’s a blended lineup, and the cohesiveness just isn’t there.
Outside of lineup issues and playbook issues, the Lakers simply don’t make free throws. Josh Hart and LeBron James missed free throws down the stretch.
Prediction
The next game is on Wednesday against Portland at home. No doubt, practices will be ran, but there’s a solid two days in L.A. to solidify some closing game sets. Hopefully, the lineups don’t remain as hockey substitutions, but I’m not particularly hopeful. Certain plays and certain lineups just aren’t ran to close games, and any fan idea of a death lineup barely gets playing time.
As rough as the game was, the Lakers won 5 of their past 6 games. If there’s a silver lining in all of this, it is that good teams can win in a variety of ways. Good teams don’t always dictate tempo and leave an imprint on the game. Good teams find their way into the playoffs by winning games, especially the ugly ones.
This was an ugly game, but the Lakers are now above .500.
