Archive for the 'Post-Game' Category

We broke down some of the more intriguing numbers from LAL’s 106-97 win at Orlando:

39.8
Orlando shot just 39.8 percent from the field, the second straight game L.A. held an opponent under 40 percent. The Magic, though, managed to hang around for much of the game in large part due to 27 second-chance points off 13 offensive rebounds.

39
Season high in points for Dwight Howard, plus 16 rebounds and three blocked shots in his return to Orlando. He also shot 39 free throws – making 25 – tying an NBA record he set while playing for Orlando at Golden State on Jan. 12, 2012. He drilled 16 of 20 in the second half, 23 of his last 30 and also 16 of 20 when Magic coach Jacque Vaughn employed the Hack-a-Howard strategy. In the last four games, the big man is averaging 24.8 points, 16.3 rebounds, 4.0 blocks and 2.0 steals.

8
Steve Blake dished out eight assists, a season-high for the Lakers backup point guard. Four dimes came during a stretch at the beginning of the fourth when L.A.’s bench unit of Antawn Jamison, Jodie Meeks and Blake helped extend their lead from 79-68 to 88-72, essentially putting the game away. Since his return on Jan. 29, the Lakers are 15-6.

2
Triples from Earl Clark in the third quarter, the first one spurring a 15-2 run that turned a 57-56 Lakers deficit into a 71-59 advantage. Clark’s two 3-pointers were his only buckets of the game, but came during an important time for L.A.

0.5
The Lakers (34-31) find themselves a half-game ahead of Utah (33-31) for the No. 8 seed and just a half-game in back of Houston (34-30) for the No. 7 seed. It was L.A.’s fourth straight win and their ninth in the last 11 games post All-Star break.

We broke down some of the more intriguing numbers from LAL’s 118-116 come-from-behind overtime win against Toronto:

22
Points for Steve Nash, a season-high. The 16-year veteran scored 19 after halftime, with 12 of them coming in the third quarter. His game-tying 3-pointer in overtime gave way to a 6-1 Lakers run to end the game – a play called by coach Mike D’Antoni in the timeout prior. Nash explained: “He said,’Let’s run the same play. But instead of going to Kobe (Bryant) in the corner, try to come off Dwight (Howard) and look for your shot.’ I tried to hesitate a little bit when I came off to confuse them so I could get free, and I was able to get some space.”

6
Fastbreak points for Toronto in the final three quarters of regulation and overtime, after recording 11 in the first 12 minutes. Many of those transition points came off six of L.A.’s 13 total turnovers to a team that ranked 28th in the league in fastbreak points per game (9.1). The Raptors led 37-25 after the first and by as much as 15 at one point.

5
Blocked shots for Howard, including two key swats – one on Rudy Gay and one on Alan Anderson – near the end of the fourth and overtime. The big man finished a plus-14 on the evening – a team-high – and also notched his second straight 20-point, 10-rebound game with 24 and 13. “Defensively, he was spectacular all night,” Bryant said.

3
Triples drained by Kobe in the final 1:41 of regulation, the last one coming with 5.5 seconds to force overtime before Toronto’s Rudy Gay missed the potential game-winning jumper. Bryant finished with 41 points, 12 assists and six rebounds – the first Laker to put up 40 and 10 in consecutive games since Jerry West. Bryant scored 30 after halftime, converting on 7 of 12 field goals (11 of 22 overall) and 5 of 8 on 3-pointers to cap L.A.’s second straight double-digit comeback. “He has been unbelievable and milking him has honestly been a beautiful thing,” Nash said.

0.5
The Lakers find themselves just a half-game behind Utah, who has lost six of their last seven, for the No. 8 playoff spot. L.A. has won 15 of their last 21 contests since Jan. 25 and are 7-2 post All-Star break. “We¹re just focusing and we¹re determined,” Bryant said. “We obviously we got off to bad starts (at New Orleans and vs. Toronto), but since the break we’ve been playing well enough to win, we’ve been very determined, we’ve stuck together through adversity and we’re pulling through.”

We broke down some of the more intriguing numbers from LAL’s 99-98 win against Atlanta:

21
Turnovers for the Lakers, which led to 29 points for Atlanta, allowing the Hawks to get back into the game after trailing by as much as 16 points in the third quarter. Many of L.A.’s miscues allowed the Hawks to get out in transition, too, which led to 24 fastbreak points.

17
Lead changes in the contest, plus six ties. In the fourth quarter alone, both teams traded leads 10 times, the difference being Kobe Bryant’s bank shot over Josh Smith with nine seconds remaining. “At a certain point, it becomes all about heart,” coach Mike D’Antoni said. “Tonight we had it. It can’t be pretty all the time. We had plenty of looks I thought that we could have knocked down to kind of keep the score where it needed to be. Some nights you just don’t hit them and somehow you have to find a way to win, and we did.”

16
Points apiece off the bench for Devin Harris and Kyle Korver, the two single-handedly carrying Atlanta late in the third quarter and early fourth. During one stretch, Harris and Korver accounted for 20 straight Hawks points, which erased an eight-point deficit and tied the game at 80-all with 10:42 remaining.

10
Assists for Steve Nash, the first time he had reached double-digit assists in a month. The 6-foot-3 guard also scored 15 points and finished a plus-20 on the evening, a team-high.

6
Straight points from Bryant to end the game, including a thunderous slam dunk over Smith to put the Lakers ahead at 95-94 with 2:17 remaining. The 16-year veteran finished with 34 points (25th time this season scoring at least 30-plus), six rebounds and four assists. “I don’t know where he’s getting his legs from,” D’Antoni said. “The last three or four possessions, he just went to the rim and made some incredible shots.”

.500
With the win, the Lakers reached the .500 mark at 30-30 and sit two-and-a-half games back of Houston and Utah for the final playoff spot. L.A. is 5-1 since the All-Star break, 13-5 since Jan. 25 and have won eight of their last nine at STAPLES. “We’re playing much, much better,” Bryant said. “It’s going to be a big test for us on Tuesday (at Oklahoma City) in a building where it’s going to be a playoff-like atmosphere and one of the teams we could see in the first round of the playoffs. I’m excited for that.”

We broke down some of the more intriguing numbers from LAL’s 119-108 loss at Denver:

78
Paint points for Denver, with 26 of their first 35 points coming inside. The Nuggets, who lead the league in points in the paint (nearly 57 per game), held a plus-28 advantage in this category. It was also the second time this year they had scored 78 inside the key, the other time occurring on Dec. 22 vs. Charlotte.

45.2
Free-throw percentage for the Lakers, most of their misses coming way of Dwight Howard, who finished 3 of 14 from the charity stripe. Howard made his first two of the game, but then hit 1 of his last 12. “You can’t go 14 of 31 on the road against a good team,” coach Mike D’Antoni said.

33
Fastbreak points for the Nuggets, most of them coming off the L.A.’s 15 turnovers (eight in the second quarter alone). Denver scored 22 in transition during the first two quarters to take a 13-point lead into halftime. “They just continually pushed the ball,” Kobe Bryant said. “Their shots go up and guys are already leaking out to go along with the speed so they got a lot of easy buckets.”

24
Home wins for Denver to just three losses after the win, which ties Miami for the best mark in the league. The Nuggets also improved to 14-0 when scoring 110-plus points at the Pepsi Center.

23
Points from Wilson Chandler, who started in place of Danilo Gallinari (a late scratch with a thigh bruise). Chandler, who has missed most of the year due to injuries, shot 10 of 18 from the floor, including 3 of 5 from the 3-point line. He had 16 in the second half – nine in the fourth quarter – to help Denver put away the Lakers down the stretch.

3
Shots missed for Bryant in the second half (7 for 10 towards 19 points). In the last three second halves (vs. Portland, at Dallas, at Denver), he is shooting 26 for 35 (74.3 percent) from the floor. In total, Bryant finished with 29 points, nine assists and six boards.

We broke down some of the more intriguing numbers from LAL’s 111-107 win against Portland:

40
Points for Kobe Bryant, the 117th time in his career he’s reached that mark. Bryant scored 29 in the second half (10 of 14 from the floor, 9 of 9 free throws), including 18 of the Lakers 27 points in the third quarter to help push L.A. past Portland. Also of note: Bryant nailed his first 3-pointer in three weeks, after entering the contest just 1 for 34 in his last 15 games.

16
Rebounds for Dwight Howard, to go along with 19 points. The big man had already recorded a double-double by halftime (15 points, 10 boards), but re-injured his right shoulder before halftime. Even so, he still finished the game, but of more importance, it was his second strong performance in a row. Postgame, Howard acknowledged the team’s overall energy directly correlates with his play. “It starts with me,” he said.

11
Lead changes in the fourth quarter alone – 27 in the game – with Steve Nash’s one-footed jumper in the lane putting the Lakers up for good with 1:44 left. Portland had three opportunities to tie the game or take the lead after that, but Damian Lillard missed a 3-pointer, Nicolas Batum was charged with a lost ball turnover after an official review and LaMarcus Aldridge missed a fadeaway jumper. Bryant then closed the game with four free throws.

7
Plus-rating for Antawn Jamison, who finished with 16 points and six boards on the night. In his last four games, he is averaging 16.8 points and 6.3 rebounds on 52.1 percent from the floor. “I know exactly what is needed of me, especially with the second unit,” Jamison said. “When I’m out there on the court, I’m just trying to make a difference, and just try to contribute as much as possible.”

2
Field goals for Nash, out of 11 attempts. None was bigger than his jumper in the lane that broke a 105-all tie with 1:44 remaining. Uncharacteristically, Nash also missed his only free-throw attempt off a Wesley Matthews technical foul. Postgame, though, he stated his back had been bothering him the entire game. “I tweaked my back in the first quarter, it just kept locking up and was tight the whole game,” he said. “At the end of the game, you just try to fight through and make a play.”