New Orleans Pelicans vs. Los Angeles Lakers: Game Grades and Analysis for Lakers
After putting forth a poor outing this past Friday in a 96-85 loss on the road against New Orleans, the Los Angeles Lakers (4-5) made sure that wouldn't happen twice in a matter of days, blowing out the Pelicans (3-5) at Staples Center with a 116-95 victory Tuesday night.
Jordan Hill led the Lakers with 21 points and 11 rebounds in a starting role, while Nick Young came off the bench and contributed 17 points in his own right.
After dropping a career-high 32 points on Friday against Los Angeles, Pelicans star Anthony Davis found himself in foul trouble for a majority of the game, scoring just 15 points in 26 minutes.
The difference in shooting percentage was astronomical, as the Lakers hit a scorching 55.7 percent from the field, while New Orleans struggled in a big way, nailing just 40.5 percent.
After allowing the Minnesota Timberwolves to put up 47 first-quarter points this past Sunday, Los Angeles tightened up its defense and held the Pelicans to just 19 points through the first 12 minutes.
The Lakers will now travel to Denver to do battle with the Nuggets at the Pepsi Center Wednesday night, while the Pelicans will close out their three-game road trip with a game against the Utah Jazz Wednesday as well.
Point Guard: Steve Blake
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With Steve Nash out of action for the next few weeks with nerve root irritation in his back and hamstring, Steve Blake will take over the reins at point guard.
Prior to Tuesday night, he had been averaging 15.3 points while hitting 11-of-18 from three-point range over his last three games.
While his shooting wasn't on display against the Pelicans, his ability to run the offense efficiently and make crisp, accurate passes was.
Blake finished with five points and 10 assists.
We know he can put up points when he needs to, but on this night against New Orleans, all Blake had to do was get the rest of the Lakers involved and create opportunities off the dribble.
He knew who had the hot hand at all times and where he needed to get them the ball in order to put points on the board. What more can you ask for from your point guard?
Final Grade: A
Shooting Guard: Jodie Meeks
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Through eight games this season, Jodie Meeks is shooting 45.9 percent from behind the arc.
That shooting stroke was out in full force against the New Orleans Pelicans, as Meeks went 3-of-5 from three-point range en route to 15 points and three rebounds.
Is it just me, or were those 15 points relatively quiet?
Final Grade: B+
Small Forward: Wesley Johnson
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Wesley Johnson was inserted into the starting lineup as a way to give the Lakers more energy and athleticism right out of the gate.
If that was the plan, then mission accomplished.
His final numbers of four points and five rebounds aren't anything to write home about, but even in limited minutes, he made his presence felt.
Johnson's leaping ability is out of this world and vastly underrated. There were a couple of moments where he soared above the rim to grab rebounds, which is something the play-by-play crew took notice of.
Too bad he couldn't have completed that alley-oop slam in the final moments of the game, as that could have easily joined Xavier Henry on the SportsCenter Top 10.
Final Grade: B
Power Forward: Jordan Hill
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Along with Wesley Johnson, Jordan Hill was also added to the starting lineup at power forward, with Pau Gasol moving to center and Chris Kaman coming off the bench.
This move paid immediate dividends, as Hill played tremendously in the first half, leading the Lakers with 11 points and six rebounds. He even shot 5-of-6 (7-of-8 on the night) from the free-throw line, which is a solid number for a player shooting just 35.3 percent on the season.
The fifth-year pro out of the University of Arizona appears to be building some nice chemistry with Steve Blake, as Hill was the recipient of many passes off the pick-and-roll and down the lane, which led to easy looks at the basket.
Hill finished the night with a double-double of 21 points (career high) and 11 rebounds.
After this performance, expect Jordan Hill to remain a staple of the starting unit for the foreseeable future.
He's not one to be creating his own shot, but if he can get himself open, his teammates will be looking for him.
This can work.
Final Grade: A+
Center: Pau Gasol
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Pau Gasol was absolutely dominated on both ends of the court in his matchup with Anthony Davis the last time these two teams squared off. Davis scored a career-high 32 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and blocked six shots, with a majority of those rejections coming against the 7'0" Spaniard.
That wasn't the case Tuesday night. Davis battled foul trouble early on, picking up his third early in the second quarter.
Even when the two were banging down low in the paint, Gasol used his veteran savvy and kept the 20-year-old close to his body, which made it difficult for Davis to block or alter his shot attempts.
Gasol also showed amazing control with the basketball, occasionally becoming a facilitator in the paint, looking for his cutting teammates.
Not having to contend with Davis surely helped, but regardless of that, Gasol truly had a great, great game.
In just over 25 minutes, Gasol had 14 points, eight rebounds and three assists.
There really isn't a lot to complain about. This is a Pau Gasol Lakers fans can get used to.
Final Grade: A
Sixth Man: Chris Kaman
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Chris Kaman had a season-high 16 points on 7-of-13 shooting from the field on November 8 in New Orleans.
His scoring numbers weren't nearly as profound this go-around, but that's because he wasn't the starting center.
Kaman's big play of the game came in the second quarter, outrunning Greg Stiemsma for the loose ball and throwing a bullet pass to Nick Young under the basket. Not bad for a 7-footer who weighs in at roughly 265 pounds.
He showed good movement without the basketball, catching slick passes from Pau Gasol, leading to some easy dunks. That's when Kaman really shined.
During the fourth quarter, his play got rather sloppy and his interior defense became a tad weak, but with the lead Los Angeles had, someone on the team was bound to get complacent at some point.
His passing game also deserves some love, as Kaman finished with six assists, including a nice feed to Jordan Hill with 5:42 remaining in the game.
Final Grade: B/B+
Bench
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Nick Young has started six of eight games this season for Los Angeles, but after some changes with the starting lineup, he was moved to the bench against New Orleans in favor of Wesley Johnson.
No matter. Young made an impact for the second unit as soon as he hit the court, hitting four of his first five shots, including a nice layup off of a midcourt alley-oop pass from teammate Jordan Farmar.
He would finish the game with 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting.
Xavier Henry was also a positive off the bench, hitting two early three-pointers (he had three on the night) and nailing a sweet runner in the lane. He did fumble the basketball on the fast break while also picking up two offensive fouls in the first half.
By the way, in case you need a new screen saver for your computer, be sure to check out Henry's monster slam dunk over rookie Jeff Withey.
I needed to shower after that one. That jam was the definition of dirty.
Jordan Farmar chipped in a solid all-around line of nine points, eight assists and seven rebounds in 20 minutes of action, including a nice backhanded layup over Anthony Davis.
How about Ryan Kelly and his near four-point play? How can you not love Kelly?
On the year, the Lakers bench leads the league in scoring at 51.5 points (they scored 56 against New Orleans), which is a full 7.9 points ahead of the second-place Milwaukee Bucks. Tuesday night was further proof as to why Los Angeles has one of the strongest second units in the NBA today.
Numbers never lie.
Final Grade: A+
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