Unfortunately the Blazers had a 10-0 run to end the half; they were beating the Lakers in rebounds, points in the paint, and most importantly second chance points. L.A.’s whole rhythm was visibly thrown off defensively without Andrew Bynum clogging the lane. 
His presence is enough to deter some from driving inside and without him there, Portland attacked our weaker spots inside.
Assistant coach Chuck Person made a good point when he told the sideline reporter that rebounds shouldn’t be all on the bigs: everyone has to help out and secure the ball. It is a team responsibility, not the responsibility of one or two players.
The struggles continued in the second half, with Portland extending their roll to 13 unanswered points and Fish picking up his fourth foul. It was clear that the Lakers would keep struggling offensively until their inside game got back on track; it’s a double edged sword because offensive struggles also put pressure on your defense and minimizes the mistakes that can be made.
The Lakers did close out with some great plays including a soaring block from Shannon, a full court pass from Lamar to Pau for an easy deuce, and yet another steal by Matt Barnes which ended in another LO assist and a three point opportunity for Brown. The very best, though, was Barnes’ half court bank shot at the buzzer to end the third quarter! It was baller, and a great momentum carrier into the last 12 minutes.
