The Los Angeles Lakers battled through an ugly game to win Game 4 of the first round of the playoffs against the Denver Nuggets, 92-88.
After 12 minutes of play, Denver led the Lakers 28-26. Andrew Bynum led the way with nine points, while Kobe Bryant had seven points, three rebounds, and three assists in the period. Andre Miller came off the bench and put up 10 quick points in just five minutes of play to give the Nuggets the advantage.
By halftime the Nuggets stretched their lead to six, outscoring the Lakers 51-45.
In the third, the Lakers got going a bit as Bryant and Bynum looked for their respective shots and cut the deficit to one, 71-70, after 36 minutes of play.
The fourth quarter was a battle as both teams stayed close throughout. That was until Andrew Bynum dropped in a hook shot and Kobe put in a bucket of his own to give the Lakers an 86-82 lead with just over three minutes to play.
Danilo Gallinari hit two free throws with three minutes left to cut the lead to two.
Then, Gallinari hit a long two-pointer to tie the game with just a minute left.
However, Ramon Sessions then dropped in a huge three-pointer with 48 seconds left to put the Lakers up, 89-86.
Finally, Steve Blake–who had eight big points in the fourth quarter–converted on a crucial three-pointer of his own with 19 seconds left to seal the victory as the Lakers went on to win, 92-88.
The Numbers
Kobe Bryant led the Lakers in scoring with 22 points (on a tough 10-15 shooting), and also had eight rebounds, and six assists. Andrew Bynum added 19 points (on 8-12 shooting), seven rebounds, and three blocks. Pau Gasol had another solid all-around game with 13 points, nine rebounds (five offensive), and six assists. Ramon Sessions tallied 12 points, four rebounds, and two assists. Jordan Hill was active off the bench and contributed 12 points and 11 rebounds (seven offensive). Steve Blake finished with 10 points (eight in the fourth quarter), three assists, two rebounds, and one blocked shot (a rarity for Blake). Matt Barnes added just four points, four rebounds, and two assists in a limited 17 minutes of play. Devin Ebanks, who has been starting in place of the suspended Metta World Peace, was scoreless in 20 minutes of play.
For the Nuggets, Danilo Gallinari led the way with 20 points, six rebounds, and two assists while Andre Miller added 15 points, seven assists, three assists, and three steals of the bench. Ty Lawson added 11 points and six assists. Al Harrington had nine points and six rebounds as Javale McGee had eight points, four rebounds, and four blocks. Corey Brewer added seven points in 13 minutes of play. Aaron Afflalo (three rebounds, three assists), Kenneth Faried (seven rebounds, three blocks), and Timofey Mozgov each had six points.
Now, let’s break down the victory.
Next Page: The Breakdown
Here are a few aspects of last night’s 92-88 victory we will analyze:
Rebounds – The Lakers managed to out-rebound the Nuggets, 48-38, and also took down more offensive rebounds, 19-13. Jordan Hill was the main contributor of both. The Lakers have to out-rebound virtually every opponent in order to give themselves the best chance to win. Last night, they did their job.
Kobe Bryant – Bryant didn’t have the best shooting night, but he made the correct plays down the stretch by getting the ball to the right guys at the right time. Anybody that has ever seen Kobe play knows that he will have a better shooting night next time around.
Steve Blake – Steve Blake came up huge for the Lakers, scoring eight of his 10 points in the fourth quarter. Not only that, but he hit a huge three-pointer to give the Lakers some separation (six points) with under a minute to play. With Derek Fisher gone, it will be up to Blake to provide clutch outside shooting down the stretch of ball games. He can create plays during the game, but in the fourth quarter, his precise shooting will be sorely needed. Although he’s not exactly known as a shooter, Blake is possibly the best shooter on this team.
Ramon Sessions – Sessions hasn’t quite been as aggressive offensively as we would like, but he hit perhaps the biggest basket of the game, connecting on the go-ahead three-pointer with under a minute to play. Much of the play-making has gone through Pau Gasol and Kobe Bryant in these playoffs, but Sessions will have to assert himself offensively and give the Lakers what they acquired him for–aiding and complementing Kobe Bryant.
Jordan Hill – Jordan Hill continues his impressive play despite barely being throw into the rotation two games before the playoffs. His activity and offensive rebounding has been a huge plus for the Lakers, and is providing the Lakers with consistency behind their starting big men.
Matt Barnes – Matt Barnes is still struggling with his ankle injury. Before the playoffs, Barnes was playing brilliantly and his activity level was unmatched on the floor. He appears to be moving okay, but Mike Brown obviously sees some weaknesses on defense due to the ankle. This has also forced coach Brown to go with a lineup of Sessions, Blake, Bryant, Gasol, and Bynum down the stretch. So far, it has worked out just fine.
Big Men – The Lakers’ big men were relatively quiet last night, but managed to get the job done. Gasol has been incredibly consistent, and is basically the biggest play-maker in this series. Bynum had a solid night offensively, but wasn’t as effective on defense as he is capable of being. Look for both big men to step it up big and assert themselves in Game 5 at home.
New Clutch Shooters? – With Ramon Sessions and Steve Blake hitting big shots last night, and having each proved their abilities to knock down big shots towards the end of the regular season as well, it begs the question if they will be able to fill Derek Fisher’s clutch shooting shoes. So far, the pair have collectively stepped up and provided the kind of shooting we have seen from Fisher in the past. Fisher shot the ball well with his new team–the Oklahoma City Thunder–in the first round of their playoff series, and appears to be providing the same kind of killer instinct we saw here in Los Angeles for many years.
Perhaps Kenny Smith of Inside The NBA said it best. When Shaquille O’Neal asked if Sessions and Blake were on the same level as Derek Fisher when it comes to clutch shooting, Smith replied that although they are hitting these open shots, Fisher looks for those shots, and basically lives to put daggers in teams late in games.
However, Kobe stated after the game that he is comfortable with Blake and Sessions, and noted that even after both of them missed shots along with Matt Barnes in succession, he continued to pass the ball to them. It definitely paid off. Sessions and Blake may not have the same mentality of Bryant and/or Fisher down the stretch, but they have earned the confidence of Bryant. As long as the Black Mamba’s confidence and trust keeps rubbing off on his fellow guards, they should be just fine.
When Metta World Peace returns, however, it will be interesting to see whom Mike Brown sticks with at the point guard position. In the Oklahoma City game just before the season ended, Brown opted to go with with Steve Blake who was playing well throughout the game, and it worked out perfectly. At the same time, Sessions has also shown his worth in late game situations as well. Perhaps it will be on a game-by-game or opponent-by-opponent basis as to whom he decides to go with.
The Lakers were able to pull out an ugly victory in Denver. Game 5 will be in Los Angeles, and hopefully they can take care of business at Staples Center.
Three down, one to go.