Photo courtesy of Brett Deering from Getty Images

Literally – the Lakers gave away this game. With 2:08 min left in the fourth quarter, the visitors holding a 7-point lead, and the Thunder having only scored eight points in 10 minutes, the Lakers just fell apart. Instead of the playing the lockdown defense they had played in the first 45:52, and running the offense through the paint, they spent the remainder of a game that was in their control by loosening their grip before it was time.

They led by a point after the first quarter, were down just three points at the half, led by three going into the fourth and, until those last two minutes, had their biggest lead with seven. They controlled the pace of tonight’s game, controlled OKC’s Big Three in Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and they even put the Thunder’s main defenders in Thabo Sefalosha, Serge Ibaka and James Harden in to some early foul trouble. OKC’s jumpers weren’t falling like they did in Game 1 and they turned the ball over nine more times than they did in Monday’s contest. They weren’t exactly faltering in this game, but they were struggling enough due to the Lakers’ efforts but the Lakers just didn’t take advantage of it.

After they created that 7-point lead, OKC took a timeout and just like that, outscored the Lakers 9-0 and now head to L.A. up 2-0.

HIGH POINTS that ended up LOW POINTS
The list of high points was a lengthy one…until that late-game collapse. Now, none of it seems to matter.
That Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol came out and produced a 34-point and 20-rebound game doesn’t make much of a difference since their advantage apparently wasn’t good enough to use to close out the game.
Kobe Bryant’s 20 points, four assists and four steals is marred by that turnover that gave Kevin Durant an uncontested dunk; the missed fadeaway that gave James Harden another layup; and the missed three that resulted in Durant’s floater and OKC taking over the lead. Bryant could’ve made more plays for the bigs in the end. He should’ve taken better care of the ball. Bryant just didn’t play up to his Mr. 4th Quarter title tonight.
The Lakers’ defense was a high point too. Kenny Smith said before the game that it’s not only the Lakers’ experience and size that should help them in this series. He said everything also needed their full commitment, citing the defense of the Thunder pick-’n’-roll as a paint point that needed their attention. OKC too easily attacked the inside with little to no resistance from the Lakers in Game 1, but tonight they were held to just 34 points in the paint, 14 points less than Monday’s game. The Lakers also kept OKC off the offensive glass (just 6) and allowed only four second chance points. They held OKC to just 12 points on 27% shooting in the third quarter and kept Russell Westbrook from going off like he did in Game 1, allowing only 15 points on 5-17 from the field. Even Kevin Durant’s game was slightly muted than usual, thanks to the efforts of Metta World Peace. He had 17 points but had only attempted 13 shots…until those two minutes where he scored five of OKC’s 9-0 run to end the game. James Harden only had nine points in the game until, again, those last two minutes where he accounted for four of that late run by the Thunder.
The Lakers showed a lot more energy and focus in this game as well and showed that OKC, when challenged properly, can be handed a loss. Unfortunately, they didn’t carry through with that focus until the end of the game and they lost a chance to take over the homecourt advantage.

MORE LOW POINTS
One of these days, hopefully in the next two games at the very least, the Lakers’ point guards can get going because so far, they’ve done a lot of nothing. Steve Blake’s Game 7 heroics were nice…in Game 7…in the last series. That last three he missed tonight didn’t cost the Lakers the game since they shouldn’t have put themselves in that position in the first place, but there are other things he isn’t doing…like playing the point. The same goes for Ramon Sessions. It’s ironic that they’ve been placed against the former point guard who the Lakers felt they weren’t getting enough from, because here are the younger Sessions and Blake, providing even less than what Derek Fisher was able to produce in the playoffs.  The ball movement has been missing from this Laker team in this series, and the point guards have to play a more active role in reawakening that strength in this team.

Late-game collapses were the Lakers’ badge of dishonor this past regular season. They lost big leads to bad teams and, unfortunately, it doesn’t appear the postseason has solved that issue. Yes, this game showed that the Lakers can keep up with the Thunder, but by allowing OKC to come back from a deficit so late in the game, only strengthens their will to take this series. Just ask the Clippers.

Box Score

Photo by Brett Deering | Getty Images

Western Conference Semifinals – Game Two

It is May 16, 2012 and the (3) Los Angeles Lakers are set to make the necessary adjustments and get back into the series against the (2) OKC Thunder. The Lakers looked old and tired and in need of a collective B12 shot against the young, rested and well-coached OKC Thunder team en route to a 119-90 blow out. The Lakers, a tired and weary team from a long grueling seven-game series with the Nuggets and were simply outplayed.

The Thunder had a nine-day layoff after quickly dispatching the defending champion Dallas Mavericks in four games. Before the game, the question of rest versus rust arose, after the game it was clear that OKC was ‘lying in wait’ for L.A.

Russell Westbrook, the 23-year old former Leuzinger High Olympian & UCLA Bruin is a blur, dangerous on the perimeter; this All-Star’s game has matured. Defensively, the Lakers are in need of multiple efforts on the pick-and-roll play and the guards have to fight over the screen or trap the pick and roll.

Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, James Harden and OKC’s hot shooting and bench scoring were too much for the Lakers in game one. It is easy to say that the Lakers have to control the impact of the trio of Durant, Westbrook and Harden, but much a harder task to accomplish.

The Lakers have to put the game one debacle behind them and correct their mistakes. L.A.’s defense on the pick-and-roll play has to improve dramatically. It is imperative that the Lakers play with more energy, control the tempo, stop the dribble penetration of the guards, get back in transition, contest shots and control the boards.

The Thunder led the league in turnovers; however, that was not a factor with only four in game one. The Lakers have to do a better job of pressuring the ball and getting into the passing lanes to cause turnovers. Offensively, the Lakers ball movement and player movement has to improve.

The ball has to go inside to Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol; both are in need of more touches and have to be much more aggressive when the ball gets inside. OKC is doing a good job of denying passes to the post and literally sitting in both Andrew Bynum & Pau Gasol’s laps daring the Lakers to make perimeter shots and L.A. has failed to do so with any consistency.

Ramon Sessions was non-existent in game one and has to be more of a factor. Sessions has to be able to attack Russell Westbrook off the dribble and get into the paint. The Lakers have to make protecting the paint a team effort with everyone getting involved. The Lakers reserves will have to step their game up and knock down shots.

Lakers: R. Sessions, K. Bryant, M. Peace, P. Gasol, A. Bynum

Thunder: R. Westbrook, T. Sefolosha, K. Durant, S. Ibaka, K. Perkins  

Tip-off: 6:30 pm pst

Television -

• Los Angeles: TNT
• Oklahoma City: TNT

Radio -

• Los Angeles: 710 ESPN (John Ireland & Mychal Thompson)
• Oklahoma City: 640 AM & 98.1 FM (Matt Pinto)

Injuries -

Lakers:

• Matt Barnes (Sprained Right Ankle) Probable
• Devin Ebanks (Middle & Ring Finger Contusions, Left Hand) Probable

      Thunder:

• Eric Maynor (Torn Right ACL) Out

Predict the amount of total points and rebounds both Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol get in Game 2. (Example: Points 42, Rebounds 23.)

Leave us your best guess either on our Facebook status, or in the comments section below anytime between now and tip-off (6:30pm PT, 5/16).

Good luck, and while you’re trying to come up with your submission, be sure to check out Phiten’s entire NBA collection and follow them on Facebook for exclusive discounts and savings on hundreds of great products.

Guest hosts have taken the place of Kutcher in this season’s edition of Punk’d and the Lakers very own Metta World Peace got punk’d courtesy actor and friend Dax Shepard.

Check it out below:

Photo by Harry How | Getty Images

Be sure to subscribe to the VOTN YouTube Channel for your chance to win prizes weekly! Voice of the Nation hosts, David Brickley, Jason Riley and Kevin Figgers discuss the Lakers top story-lines of the 2011-12 NBA Season.

Rundown

• Lakers Chances Against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Question of the Show: Can the Lakers win this series against OKC? (Comment Below)

Getty Images | Dillip Vishwanat

It happened in the exact opposite way of what we hoped, and it was exactly as bad as we feared it would be. That the Oklahoma City Thunder swept the Dallas Mavericks in the first round and got 9 days of rest, and the Lakers had to play the full seven games to eliminate the Denver Nuggets, was there really any surprise that the younger, fresher team got the best of the older, weary one?

The Lakers started well enough, hitting six of their first seven shots, but that was as good as they got the entire game. OKC’s lead after one quarter was a manageable seven points. After the half it was, still, a manageable 15. Then the third quarter began, and faster than you can say Thunder Up, the lead ballooned to an insurmountable 35 points.

The Thunder were relentless and the Lakers were, well, they were relented. I don’t think that’s a real word but really, there are no combination of words on dictionary.com that could describe how the Lakers got murdered tonight. They were bruised and beaten to a bloody pulp.

During a huddle, with Oklahoma City’s crowd blaring in the background, Kobe Bryant tried to encourage his teammates, “They score, it’s ok. Don’t get down. Just communicate, work it out. Just go harder, that’s all. You gotta keep playing.” Maybe they were just tired. Maybe they needed to hear it from Derek Fisher. Whatever the case was, Bryant’s words didn’t go far and the Lakers were buried in the first game of the series.

HIGH POINTS
Good start – Just like they did in the regular season against the Thunder, the Lakers got off to a good start, hitting 6 of their first seven shots to take an early four-point lead. Metta World Peace made two from downtown, Kendrick Perkins couldn’t stop Andrew Bynum, Pau Gasol hit his first fadeaway jumper and Kobe Bryant wasn’t forcing any shots. After Bynum’s reverse dunk five minutes into the game, however, the Lakers didn’t score for the next three minutes until Bryant’s free throw, and didn’t hit a field goal until over a minute after that. In the last five minutes of the first quarter, the Lakers scored just five points and that was just the beginning.

LOW POINTS
Bad Finish – If all’s well that ends well, all’s badly ends even worse. In the final three quarters, the Thunder outscored the Lakers 89-67, highlighted by a 39-point third quarter that really pushed them over the edge…way over the edge. The Lakers’ offense was unrecognizable of anything remotely resembling any sort of playmaking. There were passes for the sake of passing, and shots early in the clock that resulted in 15 turnovers and 13 fast break points for OKC, zero for the Lakers. The Lakers scored just about evenly in the paint with the Thunder (44-48), but even after outrebounding them by a pair of boards, it was OKC who took the edge in second chance points, 21-11. There was no purpose in their ball movement. They averaged just over 21 apg in the regular season, third in the NBA, while OKC was eighth in the league with just 17.5 apg. That the Lakers’ offense was so stagnant is not shocking when, in 48 minutes, they handed out just 14 assists in 35 made field goals.
The defense couldn’t have just been better. It would’ve been nice just to have SOME, but OKC was just too much for anything that the Lakers tried. For all the accolades Metta World Peace has gotten for guarding Kevin Durant well, his effors tonight still yielded a 25-point, 50% shooting night for the regular season scoring title winner. Kobe Bryant took on Russell Westbrook on occasion, but for the most part, he was left to the incapable hand ands feet of Ramon Sessions and Steve Blake, and he led the game with 27 points on 10-17 from the field and handed out nine assists.
Pau Gasol – Where Gasol’s motivation comes from these days, we may never know. After a no-show in Game 6 against the Denver Nuggets, he led the team to a win in an inspiring Game 7 victory. Tonight, he reverted back to that Game 6 no-show, exhibiting no signs of leadership whatsoever at a time when his team needs him the most. In the first half, he had just six points on 3-9 from the field, seven rebounds and an assist. Maybe Serge Ibaka just defended him too well and he was frustrated, but that’s what the second half is for – a chance to adjust. Unfortunately for the Lakers, Gasol was done doing work after halftime. In 12 minutes of playing time in the final two quarters, Gasol managed to contribute just four points on 2-2 but didn’t grab a single rebound or hand out a single assist. Stu Lantz used to refer to him as Mr. Consistency, but in this post-season, Gasol has been anything but.
Pointless Point-guards – Come on, even Derek Fisher scored five points, more than twice the combined contribution from Ramon Sessions and Steve Blake. Sessions has been on and off in the post-season. His numbers upon arrival were just what the Lakers needed. In 23 games, he averaged 12.7 ppg and 6.2 apg. In the playoffs, so far, his minutes per game are up but his stats are on a slow decline. His offense, however, isn’t the larger issue. Sessions can find his way to the rim and his midrange is okay. It’s his defense that needs honing. He may not be as quick or as big as Russell Westbrook, but he’s not slow either. His speed on the offensive end needs to somehow channel through in his defensive efforts. Kobe Bryant can’t be assigned to Russell Westbrook the whole series. He’d have little left on the offensive end. Sessions needs work on the other end of the floor and he has little time to start practicing.
Steve Blake, after playing such a huge component in two of the Lakers’ notable wins in the first round, did very little tonight. He grabbed four rebounds and handed out four assists, but only attempted a single shot. Blake isn’t expected to scored 19 points in every game, and he’s not expected to shoot 5-6 from downtown each night either, but as a point guard, the other expectations of his position have to come into play when the scoring isn’t there, and tonight would have been the perfect time to do that. Create more plays, make the opposing point guard work harder to defend you.

The Thunder played a nearly perfect game, and to have any chance of being a true competitor against such perfection, the Lakers needed to play a flawless game too and they didn’t come close. Bynum’s 20 points and 14 rebounds weren’t enough, and neither were Bryant’s 20 points. With Game 2 scheduled for Wednesday, and Games 3 and 4 slated for a back-to-back situation this coming weekend, the Lakers don’t have a lot of time to meander. They need to pinpoint their errors, correct them, and then make another push in a couple of days. They’re undoubtedly tired, but even if they were to survive this round, it certainly doesn’t get any easier so they have got to fuel themselves, otherwise, they could be making vacation plans as early as this weekend.

Box Score

Photo by Getty Images | Artwork by Kam Pashai

Western Conference Semifinals Game 1

It is May 14, 2012 and the (3) Los Angeles Lakers are set to battle the (2) Oklahoma City Thunder tonight at Chesapeake Arena.

The Lakers are facing an uphill battle dealing with the talented, young and rested OKC Thunder team. This second-round matchup is the first series since Pau Gasol came to L.A. that the Lakers are the underdogs.

The Lakers lost the season series to the Thunder (1-2) this season. Here is how both teams matchup.

Starter Match Up’s

PG Ramon Sessions 6’3” 190 lbs. 4^th Year, Avg.11.3 Ppg, 5.5 Ast, 3.3 Reb, 0.7 Stl.      PG Russell Westbrook 6’3” 187 lbs. 3^rd Year, Avg. 23.6 Ppg, 5.5 Ast, 4.6 Reb, 1.7 Stl.

Sessions vs. Westbrook is a matchup of two athletic veteran guards. Both bring speed and quickness, the ability to be dangerous on the pick and roll play attacking the basket or shooting from the perimeter. Sessions will have his opportunities to penetrate the painted area to set up teammates, attack the basket or score in the midrange game. All-Star guard Russell Westbrook has taken his talent to the next level by being able to use his speed and quickness to score on the perimeter, knock down mid-range shots, attack the basket and finish with the best in the league. Slowing Russell Westbrook down will have to be a team effort. Advantage -Thunder

SG Kobe Bryant 6’6” 205 lbs. 16^th Year, Avg.27.8 Ppg, 4.6 Ast, 5.4 Reb, 1.2 Stl.          SG Thabo Sefolosha 6’7” 215 lbs. 5^th Year, Avg. 4.8 Ppg, 1.1 Ast, 3.0 Reb, 0.9 Stl.

Kobe vs. Sefolosha is always a good match up to watch. Sefolosha is a solid wing defender with good size and lateral movement. Sefolosha is a very good rebounder. Sefolosha known, for his defense, but he can score. Kobe Bryant is a devastating post-up guard who makes midrange jumpers over the top of the defense. Kobe is an excellent ball handler for his size, sees the floor, is a natural scorer who can create and finish. Advantage – Lakers

SF Metta World Peace 6’7” 260 lbs. 12^th Year, Avg.7.7 Ppg, 2.2 Ast, 3.4 Reb, 1.1 Stl.    SF Kevin Durant 6’9” 235 lbs. 4^th Year, Avg. 28.0 Ppg, 3.5 Ast, 8.0 Reb, 1.3 Stl.

MWP vs. Kevin Durant is another excellent matchup to watch. Metta World Peace stepped his game up, improved his shot selection, started knocking down shots and finished the season strong raising his scoring average to 15.1 points in the last nine regular season games. MWP is an elite one-on-one wing defender with quick hands, superior strength and good feet.

Kevin Durant is a problem for everyone. Durant the NBA’s scoring champion, is a tall, long-armed scoring prodigy with an unblockable release who is deadly in transition. Durant has a good handle for his size and a strong free throw shooter.  Advantage – Thunder

PF Pau Gasol 7’0’ 250 lbs. 10^th Year, Avg. 17.4 Ppg, 3.7 Ast, 10.4 Reb, 1.4 Blks.          PF Serge Ibaka 6’10” 235 lbs. 2^nd Year, Avg. 9.1 Ppg, 0.4 Ast, 7.5 Reb, 3.7 Blks.

Pau Gasol and Serge Ibaka were teammates on the Spanish National team, the reigning European champions that won Eurobasket 2011. Serge Ibaka’s game has progressed leaps and bounds in his two-year NBA career and is destined to continue to improve. Ibaka is an athletic, long-armed shot-blocker. Ibaka was a key component for a Thunder team that recorded the highest blocks per game (8.2) by a team in the NBA in nearly 20 years. Ibaka is the NBA leader in blocked shots.

Pau Gasol is a long, highly skilled post scorer, and a dexterous big man with range. Gasol is a smart player that sees the floor well and can score with either hand. Gasol is an excellent rebounder and shot blocker. Gasol has added the role of part-time facilitator to his bag of tricks. Advantage – Lakers

C Andrew Bynum 7’0” 285 lbs. 6^th Year, Avg. 18.7 Ppg, 1.4 Ast, 11.8 Reb, 1.9 Blks.     C Nazr Mohammed 6’10” 250 lbs. 13^th Year, Avg. 2.7 Ppg, 0.4 Ast, 2.7 Reb, 0.7 Blks.

Nazr Mohammed will probably start due to Perkins’ injured hip. Mohammed is a cleaver big man a solid reserve with above-average footwork, good positional rebounder and uncanny short-range scoring. All-Star center Andrew Bynum is a dominant scorer inside, solid rebounder, excellent shot blocker, good passer, good post defender and basket protector. Advantage – Lakers

Bench

The Thunders’ bench is deep and talented with reigning Sixth Man of the Year James Harden, Derek Fisher, Nick Collison and Daequan Cook. The Lakers bench production has been an issue all season, but Steve Blake, Jordan Hill, Matt Barnes and Devin Ebanks have done the heavy lifting and need to continue to become a factor in this series. Advantage – Thunder

Predication: Thunder in Six

The outcome of this series is not a forgone conclusion. The Lakers have a punchers chance. The Lakers have to control the tempo, control the glass, do a solid job of defending the pick-and-roll play, stop the dribble penetration of the guards, get back in transition and protect the paint.

Tip-off: 6:30 pm pst

Television -

• Los Angeles: TNT
• Oklahoma City: TNT

Radio -

• Los Angeles: 710 ESPN (John Ireland & Mychal Thompson)
• Oklahoma City: 640 AM & 98.1 FM (Matt Pinto)

Injuries -

Lakers:

• Matt Barnes (Sprained Ankle) Probable
• Devin Ebanks (Middle & Ring Finger Contusions, Left Hand)

      Thunder:

• Kendrick Perkins (Strained Right Hip) Day-to-Day (Game-Time Decision)

Photo courtesy of Harry How, Getty Images

It’s not supposed to come easily. Otherwise, what would be the point, right? After wasting two chances to close out this series with Denver, the Lakers came into a do-or-die Game 7 and reminded everyone, probably including themselves, what happens when they play with the right attitude and stick to the game plan. You know, similar to how they played 3 games ago when they went up 3-1! They couldn’t take back those two embarrassing losses, so they did exactly the only thing they could do. Carpe diem. Seize the day.

Unfortunately, Denver did the same, refusing to go away even when they got down by as much as 16 points in the third quarter. That the Lakers, this season, have made a bad habit of attaining and then giving away big leads, it wasn’t the biggest surprise that the Nuggets fell behind by such a large deficit and then took a 4-point lead to begin the final quarter.

If they’ve learned anything in this series, it’s that Denver isn’t a team who gives up, so that run 22-9 to end the third shouldn’t have surprised the home team. The Lakers didn’t allow themselves to get down for too long though, not when the Bigs were finally starting to live up to their nickname, Metta World Peace was back from serving his suspension and Steve Blake came off the benching swinging. That four-point Denver lead quickly disappeared when Blake and MWP hit two in a row from downtown. After that, the Nuggets tied the score on a handful of occasions, but it was all Lakers until the final buzzer

HIGH POINTS
Steve Blake – “I hate Steve Blake tonight,” George Karl said. “But I love him as a player.” Coach Karl said when this series began that he didn’t want any wild cards, and Steve Blake, well, he was a wild one tonight. Getting to the podium twice in one series as a reserve – take that Lamar Odom, who I don’t remember getting to the podium much even when the Lakers won back-to-back championships. Blake was spectacular tonight, to say the very least. His first shot was a long three, after a pass from Andrew Bynum with the shot clock close to 0.0. He followed that up with a mid-range jumper and at halftime, he had 11 points while the entire Nuggets bench had 12. Each time the Lakers needed to extend the lead, or needed a hoop, there was Blake, standing in the corner with ne’er a navy blue jersey to contest his shot. He finished with 19 points on 7-11, 5-6 from three(!), a pair of rebounds, three assists, two steals and some scrappy defense on Ty Lawson in the fourth quarter, who went 0-5 on Blake’s watch in the final 12 minutes. “Steve’s insanely competitive,” Kobe Bryant said of his teammate. “I knew Game 7, he’d be ready for that challenge.” Boy was he ever!
Metta World Peace – Welcome back, MWP! You were sorely, sorely missed! As has been the case for Metta since he became a Laker, defense is his calling card, and scoring is gravy. After spending the previous seven games watching his teammates duke it out on the floor without him, Metta came back, gravy boat and all. His presence can be instantly seen on the field goal percentage of the players he guarded: Danilo Gallinari, three points on 1-9; Andre Miller, three points on 1-10. He had 15 points on a not-so-hot 5-15, but three of those were timely three pointers, he had five rebounds, handed out a pair of assists, had four steals, two blocks and whole slew of other things that can’t be itemized on a stat line. His long arms and quick hands were all over the Denver Nuggets’ offense and his energy, well, it was signature MWP.
Playing Big – After failing to play with any passion in the Lakers’ last two losses, the seven-foot tandem of Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol came ready to make up for their previous no-shows. Andrew Bynum, who continued to struggle from the field, due in large part to Denver’s great defense on him, didn’t let his lacking offense hinder the rest of his game. He finished with 16 points, 18 huge rebounds, an assist, steal and six blocks. The key to his game – engagement, engagement, engagement. He had two double-doubles in those two losses, but it barely felt like he even played. Tonight, his presence (mind and body) were there and Denver felt it. Pau Gasol, even moreso than Bynum, had a lot of ground to make up for his Game 6 disappointment. No captain of any team should put up such meager stats and his three points and three rebounds in Denver were as meager as he could get. Tonight, his efforts and his passion were unmistakably there. 23 points on 9-19, 17 rebounds, six assists, five personal fouls (which means he wasn’t afraid of contact), a steal, four blocks and a singular turnover. They make the difference in every game and George Karl said it best: “Power won over pace … size won over speed.”
Kobe Bryant – He tried to do everything in the last two games because he wasn’t getting much from anyone else, but tonight, Bryant was afforded the luxury of a relatively easy, all around game because he wasn’t working alone. He did everything in this game but rebound the ball (just one board). He scored (17 points on 7-16), made plays (eight assists and a slew of passes that led to assists) and he even blocked a shot. His timing, most of all, is always key and never shows up on the box score. With 35 seconds left in the fourth and the Lakers needing just one more dagger to seal the game, he leaned forward then back, there in the corner, Arron Afflalo guarding him closely as he’s done all series, then rose up to hit a three-pointer with a hand in his face. Swish, of course. As he ran back on defense, he slapped hands with Justin Timberlake who sat courtside.
Second Chances – The Lakers had four less rebounds than the Nuggets, and just one more on the offensive end, but they converted those offensive boards to 23 points compared to Denver’s 12.
3-point shooting – Not known for the their offense from long-distance, the Lakers hit 11-24 from behind the arc, 46%. That is all thanks to Metta World Peace (4-11), Kobe Bryant (2-2) and hot hand Steve Blake (5-6).

LOW POINTS
Matt Barnes and Ramon Sessions – Matt Barnes hasn’t been the same punch off the bench since his ankle injury against OKC in the Lakers’ second to last regular season game. His jumper is clearly not happening for him, but he hasn’t gotten to the rim as often either. Unfortunately, there isn’t much time for him to heal as the first game of the next series is Monday. If he can somehow get the opportunities to cut to the basket, he can help with the offense a great deal. Sessions didn’t do much tonight, just four points on 2-8, 0-4 from three. Coach Mike Brown opted to stick with the productive Steve Blake and didn’t use his normal point guard tandem as he’s had to do with MWP out.
Free throws – The Lakers got to the free throw line 23 times and missed eight. Especially in a series-defining game, every point counts. Had they made half of those misses, they probably would have been in better shape.
Lost Lead – …again. When Denver scores, they score in bunches and runs. If the Lakers are ever able to build a double-digit lead against the likes of OKC, they better hang on to it, because if they think the Nuggets can go on high-energy runs, they’ve got a whole other thing comin’ with the Thunder.

It was a series that ran longer than it should have, but it was a means to an end, and if the end meant advancing to the next round, there’s not whole lot to complain about because going back in time to change the journey isn’t an option. The only hope is that the Lakers take this series in which they faced a whole slew of adversity, and learn from it in order to improve on the next one. The Thunder are a different beast, but work just as fast as the Nuggets. Round 2 – FIGHT!

Box Score