There was only one game in the NBA last night. There’s 14 games on Wednesday, then zero on Thursday. C’mon NBA. You couldn’t at least split up the Wednesday slate so that we could at least play DFS? Anyways, watching the game last night reminded me of the Running of the Bulls festival in Spain. The Bulls were allowed to run rampant and get any shot they wanted. The Lakers defense was matador-esque, at best. It got so bad that I started preparing the lede for the post with Antonio Blakeney, who scored 15 points, grabbed two boards, and dished out a dime in 18 minutes. Who’s Blakeney? Well, for a half, he was this. But then, the Bulls remembered who they were: tied for last in offensive efficiency and 25th in defensive efficiency. The Lakers started chipping away, the crowd at Staples started feeling it, and the energy kept elevating. And then….it was Randy Newman time.
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A couple of things before I begin. Big shout out to Brent, who filled in for me yesterday. I did not eat bad sushi last night, though. Had those chills. Put on a long sleeve shirt. A long sleeve shirt on top of the long sleeve shirt. A sweatshirt. A hoodie. Three blankets and I still had the chills. Of course, after finally getting to sleep, I’m woken up because I’m burning and sweating like a blind lesbian in a fish market (shout out to the person that posted that on Reddit). Second thing….F bullfighting and all that’s associated with it. If you care, check out this vid I came across.
Ok, back to your regularly scheduled programming.
Kyle Kuzma scored 22 points, grabbed three boards, and dished out five dimes in 40 minutes. He went 7-of-15 from the field and 4-of-7 from downtown. My favorite Laker from the Showtime Era was Michael Cooper. Cooooooooooooop. I believe Kuzma has earned the Kuuuuuuuuuuuuz chant.
Lonzo Ball scored eight points, grabbed 13 boards, dished out four dimes, and liberated one. He shot 3-of-13 from the field and 2-of-8 from downtown. Ball doesn’t finish strong at the rim, but more concerning, is that he’s hesitating on pulling the trigger. The only way to get out of a slump is to shoot. It’s all in his head right now. I do believe he turns it around. He’s too talented, but I do recognize that it may be a bumpy road, as he is still a rookie.
Brandon Ingram scored 17 points, grabbed five boards, dished out five dimes, liberated one, and blocked two. He’s going to be a stud. He reminds me of Giannis and Simmons when he drives to the basket. They all have that crazy length that makes them look like Plastic Man. Plus, he’s able to muscle through contact now. Last year?
Just keep working on that J.
Brook Lopez scored four points, grabbed nine boards, dished out a dime, liberated one, and blocked two in 25 minutes. He shot 2-of-10 from the floor. Robin Lopez won the family battle last night, as he scored 14 points, grabbed three boards, dished out two dimes, and blocked one. So, here’s my question. I assume Brook would respond to Robin with, “Scoreboard.” But is a player from the winning team allowed to respond with “Scoreboard” if they had a shitty game?
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored 21 points, grabbed nine boards, dished out four dimes, and liberated three on 6-of-11 shooting from the field and 4-of-7 from downtown. I love KCP, as he can shoot and plays good D on the perimter. What I most love about him, though, is that he has the same agent as LeBron James.
Julius Randle scored 10 points, grabbed 10 boards, dished out two dimes, and blocked two in 28 minutes. He was a beast and instrumental in the Lakers’ comeback. He shot 4-of-10 from the field and 0-of-2 from downtown, but he was doing work on the glass. He’s getting minutes at both forward and center, but we will wait to see how things shake out when Larry Nance Jr. returns to the mix.
Jordan Clarkson scored 12 points and dished out a dime in 16 minutes. If your name is Jordan and you can’t score a basketball, then you just become a philospher and ponder on the question: “What is life?”
Lauri Markkanen, aka the Markksman, scored 13 points grabbed 14 boards, dished out a dime, and blocked one. He did not have a good shooting night (4-of-17 from the field and 2-of-9 from downtown), but I really like his game. He’s willing to battle down low and his stroke is super silky.
Denzel Valentine scored 17 points, grabbed nine boards, dished out four dimes, and liberated two in 38 minutes. Mel broke it, broke it, broke it down HERE.
Kris Dunn scored 12 points, grabbed five boards, dished out six dimes, liberated one, and blocked one in 32 minutes. Jerian Grant scored five points and dished out three dimes in 16 minutes. The point guard competition is Dunn.
Justin Holiday scored 10 points, grabbed 10 boards, and dished out three dimes in 41 minutes. He shot 2-of-12 from the field and 2-of-10 from downtown. Jrue Holiday is the South Korea in the Holiday family. He receives top-notch guidance chips in order to hit the target. Justin is the North Korea. Bootleg guidance chips that would make Sadaam’s Scuds look like precision weapons.
Bobby Portis scored eight points, grabbed nine boards, dished out two dimes, liberated one, and blocked one in 20 minutes. I so wanted to put the clip from the Last Boyscout, but I refrained.
