Los Angeles Lakers Handed Embarrassing Reality Check and Monday NBA Takeaways
You could see it coming a mile away, but the inevitability of the Los Angeles Lakers' complete collapse on Monday didn't make it any easier to watch.
Playing their third game in four nights and, more importantly, coming down from the emotional high of Kobe Bryant overtaking Michael Jordan for third place on the all-time scoring list, the Lakers were bound for a letdown.
Of course, "letdown" undersells what happened in L.A.'s 110-91 loss to the Indiana Pacers. Categorical implosion is more like it.
Or, if words aren't painting the picture for you, consider this poignant image of Carlos Boozer:
Yeah. It was that kind of night.
The Pacers, ranked 28th in the league in offensive efficiency coming into the game, fell just one point short of their season high in scoring, led wire-to-wire and by as many as 39 points. Six Indy players cracked double figures, and Rodney Stuckey fell just three assists shy of a triple-double (20 points, 10 rebounds and seven dimes).
The first half was a bloodletting, as Indiana got whatever it wanted offensively and the Lakers tested the limits of just how badly a team could shoot while, ostensibly, trying to make shots.
There were no bright spots in this one, as most of the Lakers' seemingly improved play in the second half was the result of the Pacers taking their foot off the gas. It's almost impossible to maintain intensity with a 60-27 lead at the break, and Indy clearly knew it had this one wrapped up after the first 24 minutes.
Still, Bryant gets credit for refusing to give in.
He raged at officials, earning one technical foul and flirting with a second until calling it a night in the fourth quarter. He continued to shoot, of course, getting up 26 attempts in 30 minutes and connecting on just eight.
Essentially, all of the worst aspects of this lost Lakers season—the defensive ambivalence, the standing around on offense and, yes, Bryant hoisting up low-percentage shots—cropped up at once on Monday, and they doubly killed Los Angeles because physical and mental fatigue amplified their effects.
Even if head coach Byron Scott insists on denying the circumstances that led to one of the most lopsided losses by any team this year, everyone watching knew: The Lakers were wiped out. They had nothing. The Lakers' Twitter feed quoted Coach Scott:
Three straight wins and a historic achievement by Kobe may have been the high point in a low season for the Lakers, a pleasant dream in the midst of an ongoing nightmare. Indiana brought them back to reality.
The good news: L.A. has three days off to rest, recalibrate and hope for the best against an Oklahoma City Thunder team hitting its stride.
The Lakers learned something valuable on Monday: Savor the good times.
They'll be few and far between from here on out.
Around the Association
The Cavs Got After It Early
If the entire contest between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Charlotte Hornets had gone like the first six minutes, we'd be talking about history.
As it was, Cleveland's red-hot start was more than enough to keep the Hornets at bay for the duration. Kevin Love put up 22 points, a season-high 18 rebounds and five assists, while LeBron James stuffed the stat sheet with 27 points, seven rebounds and 13 assists in the Cavaliers' 97-88 win.
James has been dishing prolifically this year, and though it's taken time for him to learn his new teammates' preferences on offense, his commitment to facilitation seems to be paying off.
This was a game the Cavs needed after dropping two straight to the Thunder and New Orleans Pelicans. They'll look to keep the momentum going against an Atlanta Hawks squad that just keeps winning.
Speaking of which...
There's Good and Great News in Atlanta
The good news: Atlanta quickly recovered from the 100-99 loss to the Orlando Magic on Dec. 13 that snapped its nine-game winning streak by starting a new one. The Hawks beat the Chicago Bulls 93-86 on Monday behind what was probably the best performance of the season from Al Horford.
That's the great news, by the way: Horford seemingly getting his feel back after a shaky start to the year.
His 21 points, 10 rebounds and six assists helped the Hawks get past the Bulls while improving their record to 12-2 at home.
A healthy Horford combined with a share-the-ball offense, good shooting and yet another step forward from Jeff Teague has the Hawks looking legit.
The Bucks Had a Complicated Night
Khris Middleton's buzzer-beating banker gave the Milwaukee Bucks a jubilant 96-94 win over the Phoenix Suns, earning the upstart Deer their 13th win of the year (they had just 15 all of last season) and moving them above the .500 mark.
Earlier, though, rookie stud Jabari Parker had to be helped off the floor after his knee awkwardly buckled on a non-contact play in transition.
The Bucks are calling it a sprain, but that's a typical practice until an MRI offers more information. ESPN's SportsCenter provided an update:
A win is nice, particularly an exciting one over a foe from the superior Western Conference. But long-term growth still matters much more to the rebuilding Bucks than any single victory. They'll be spending a night with fingers crossed.
Maybe they can watch this on a loop to lighten the mood:
Philly Brings Out the Best in Everyone
Boston Celtics big man Kelly Olynyk looked like a star on Monday, putting up a career high 30 points on just 17 shots in a 105-87 win over the 2-22 Philadelphia 76ers.
Olynyk has had success against the Sixers before. The Celtics' Twitter feed relayed this comment from Olynyk:
The building? Yeah, I'm sure that's it. It's definitely not the ragged collection of castoffs wearing 76ers jerseys that make it easy on him. Couldn't be.
Check back with takeaways daily to see which fringe NBA rotation player notches his next purely coincidental career high against Philadelphia.
Don't Give Kyle Lowry a Reason to Try
A sloppy first half marked by a seven-minute stretch without a field goal had the Toronto Raptors in a hole against the Magic. But something happened after the break that shook notoriously cranky competitor Kyle Lowry out of his slumber.
Toronto blitzed the Magic in the third, outscoring them 27-13 and getting incredible plays like this that brought a subdued crowd back to life.
Amazing, right? Landry Fields hit a three!
The Raps cruised home from there, winning 95-82 to run their record to 19-6.
It's not always a great sign when a team can flip its "start to care" switch at will; it can lead to dangerous bouts of complacency. At the same time, the ability to take control of a game at any point is the mark of a good squad.
The Raps are certainly one of those.
Ettore Messina Is Progressing Nicely
You don't leave your legend status as a European coach behind to become an assistant for the San Antonio Spurs unless you've been given a wink-wink promise that you're next in line for the big job when Gregg Popovich calls it quits.
That's pure speculation that Ettore Messina is going to coach the Spurs within a few years, if you're scoring at home.
Anyway, if Messina is going to fill Pop's shoes someday, he'll need to have lots of disgusted, "can't we do better than this?" faces ready.
He looks ready to me.
The Portland Trail Blazers caused that face by beating the Spurs, 108-95. San Antonio rested Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, David Robinson, Jaren Jackson, Bruce Bowen and Avery Johnson...so we probably shouldn't read too much into this one for San Antonio.
The Blazers, though, will leave this encounter with a lasting issue: Robin Lopez could miss some time. Trail Blazers reporter Casey Holdahl quoted coach Terry Stotts:
That's bad news for a club that will now have to rely on Chris Kaman to protect the rim.
Clips Right the Ship
We close with the Los Angeles Clippers knocking off the Detroit Pistons by a final score of 113-91 for two reasons.
First, it was the final game of the night.
Second, it was the most predictable outcome of the evening and is therefore the least interesting to discuss.
There was just no way L.A. was going to lose three straight games against the Eastern Conference, especially with the reeling Pistons in town. The Clippers dropped back-to-back tilts to the Washington Wizards and Milwaukee Bucks on Dec. 12 and 13, a nasty slip-up that dampened enthusiasm of their previous nine-game winning streak.
Detroit was on the tracks when the train came through. Wrong place, wrong time. And it was ugly.
Los Angeles gets the Pacers on Wednesday, and Glen Davis, for one, looks very focused.
