Month: December 2015

OKC Thunder 120 — LA Lakers 85

OKC beat the wretched, punchless, feeble Lakers this time in an amazingly full Staples Center by a 120-85 count.

The game wouldn’t have been this close if Billy Donovan had kept his woeful bench unit by his side on the bench in the first half and just gone the first twenty-four minutes with his starters. OKC would have easily led by fifty if Donovan had done so. Which either means OKC’s starters were absolutely sublime or OKC’s passive bench couldn’t keep pace with these horrific Lakers.

Just look at OKC’s starters plus/minus and no more need be said. Ibaka + 38,  Durant +41, Adams + 39, Westbrook + 33, Roberson +45. Then glance at Waiters -7, Morrow -9, and Kanter -6 and I think one might kind of get a feel for the dynamic in Oklahoma City currently. OKC’s starting unit is soaring, but the bench has become a liability and this is without Kyle Singler in the rotation.

I’ll go one even further, if Billy Donovan hadn’t trotted out that lineup of Augustin, Singler, Waiters, Collison, and Kanter to start the fourth period in Cleveland—there’s a reasonable chance OKC is in the midst of a ten game winning streak.

OKC’s bench took the floor Wednesday night with a 25-10 lead. Yet, at one point late in the second period the Thunder actually trailed by four points before the Thunder starters put the dumpster fire Lakers back  into their reality space with a run which gave OKC a 57-46 halftime lead.

Then, with Kobe having no legs whatsoever beyond halftime—the Thunder carpet bombed the Buss kids’ pathetic Lakers with a 22-0 run to open the second half for a standing eight count and the merciful end of this basketball game for practical purposes.

I’ll say this for Jack Nicholson who is my favorite actor right there with Al Pacino—he still sits there at courtside being the supportive Laker guru  and all, but it’s time he has a chat with the Buss children as far as the management of the Lakers.

Andre Roberson is my No. 1 Star of the Game with a career high 15 point scoring night. But more than that it was his energy defensively creating turnovers, making passes, winning loose balls, initiating overall team energy. Granted-it was against these Lakers, but I thought it was the best game of Roberson’s career to date.

I’ll end with this and go no further because it’s Christmas Eve and I don’t want to be the Grinch Who Stole Thunder Christmas, but Sam Presti and Billy Donovan have some serious issues with this bench which is a shame because the starting unit is playing some great ball.

Bulls in Oklahoma City for a Christmas afternoon game.

Merry Christmas!

Note…sorry for the late recaps on these Lakers games, but they suck and it’s hard to stay up late pounding the keyboard with no inspiration.

Mike Jackson

 

I’ll do what I can on here tonight to give this the feel of a big NBA game. I feel as if it’s my job as a rogue Thunder blogger.

I feel somewhat guilty not even attempting to write a preview for this OKC Thunder @ LA Piece of Shit Dumpster Fire game tonight. So, let me put this on here to give some topical background info on Kobe, the Buss children, and the overall state of the Lakers. I know over at Daily Thunder —  Alex will be pounding out 2,000 or so words on this epic battle about to unfold—so this is my way of answering that call.

Thunder plays the Lakers tonight in Los Angeles. Lakers actually coming off a win against Denver in a game in which Kobe Bryant scored 31 points in thirty-two minutes. You can either view that in two ways…he might be a on roll tonight, or he may not be able to walk. Either way—I don’t see much point in going through a lengthy preview.

Instead this is my preview for today. A look back at just how good the Lakers used to be on the court.