This game was already going to be a tough one no matter what for the Lakers since it was a battle of contrasting styles: control vs. speed. Being still without Pau Gasol, playing the game on the road, and having it be the second of a back-to-back spelled disaster for the Lakers. They dropped tonight's contest to the Nuggets 108-119.
The Nuggets essentially ran the Lakers out of the gym. They controlled much of the game by double digits. In the first half the Lakers had 12 turnovers that the Nuggets made them pay for seemingly every time. The Lakers tried to battle back by getting Dwight in position down low. The Nuggets, who aren't short on available big men, simply elected to send Howard to the free throw line. It worked as he shot 3 for 14 from the free throw line.
Defensively the Lakers even had trouble stopping Denver in half court sets due to poor rotations and size mismatches. Whenever Howard would contest the shot of a driving Nugget, no one would rotate over to cover his man, leading to buckets for McGee and Faried. That can't happen. It just can't. Could be due to having no legs after a tough win in Dallas last night, but there's no room for errors like that. Lastly, the Nuggets milked some size mismatches with Wilson Chandler being guarded by Jodie Meeks, and Andre Miller being guarded by the Lakers' point guards.
Notables:
The Good:
- Kobe's second half offense (wound up with 29 points, 6 rebounds, and 9 assists)
- Overall team offense was good. Shot 55% and scored 108 points.
- Didn't quit
The Bad:
- Turnovers in the first half
- Putrid free throw shooting (45%)
- Lack of rim protection when Dwight sits
- Inability to defend the fast break
Kobe, Nash, Dwight, and Jamison all seemed to get to minor tweaks/aggravations to injuries tonight. The Lakers have only 1 game in the next 5 days. It's the perfect time to get healthier, regroup, and then get some more wins in the race to get a playoff spot. They can't look past Minnesota on Thursday though, that will be yet another important game.
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