Every time the Los Angeles Lakers (28-18) went up big, the Houston Rockets (25-22) fought back, and eventually went on to win the game last night, 107-104.
In a game that saw the Lakers put up 40 points in the first quarter and Andrew Bynum get ejected in the third, the Lakers once again managed to let another game slip away against a mediocre team on the road.
The Lakers jumped out to a 40-25 lead in the first quarter, led by the “Big Three”; with Bynum having 12 points, Kobe Bryant with nine, and Pau Gasol scoring eight.
However, the Rockets would come back and were down just 56-51 at halftime behind Chase Budinger’s seven points in the second period.
At the end of the third, the Lakers managed a six point lead of 79-73, but lost their All-Star big man–Andrew Bynum–in the process. Bynum appeared to be talking to a referee during a free throw break when the official briskly walked over to the scorer’s table and signaled a technical foul on Bynum, his second of the game. With Bynum ejected, the Lakers had to play the entire fourth quarter without their center.
The Lakers came out of the third quarter hot, and went on an offensive run led by newly acquired point guard Ramon Sessions. The Lakers held a comfortable lead with 10 minutes left, 85-73. They still led by 12 with under six minutes to play, but the last four minutes of play saw a 15-2 run by the Rockets, who were able to surge their way to a 107-104 victory. For a team that prides themselves on their defensive abilities, the Lakers collapsed in a big way on the road once again.
The Numbers
Bryant finished the game with 29 points (on 10-27 shooting), four assists, and three rebounds while Pau Gasol had 21 points (on an efficient 10-14 from the field), four rebounds, and two assists. Andrew Bynum tallied 16 points and seven rebounds in just 23 minutes of play (due to the ejection, of course). Recently acquired point guard, Ramon Sessions, played quite well off the bench with 14 points (on 6-9 shooting) and four assists in 29 minutes of play. Matt Barnes had eight points and five rebounds while Metta World Peace had seven points and four assists. Troy Murphy and Josh McRoberts combined for seven points and six rebounds, as Steve Blake scored just two points and dished out three assists (with three turnovers, however).
For the Rockets, they had multiple all-around contributors. Luis Scola (three rebounds, one assists) and Courtney Lee (five rebounds, four assists) led the way with 23 points apiece. Goran Dragic filled up the stat sheet with 16 points, 13 assists, seven rebounds, and two steals. Chandler Parsons tallied 13 points and seven rebounds as center Samuel Dalembert had eight points and four rebounds. Off the bench, Patrick Patterson scored 10 points and grabbed five rebounds while Chase Budinger put up eight points, four rebounds, and two assists. Marcus Camby had four points and four rebounds, and Courtney Fortson scored just two points.
Now, let’s break down the loss.
Next Page: The Breakdown
Here are a few aspects of last night’s 107-104 loss to the Rockets to analyze:
Rebounds – The Lakers were out-rebounded 40-31 (and 16-9 on the offensive glass) last night by the Rockets. For a team with two seven footers, this should never be the case. Even though Andrew Bynum was ejected the the third quarter, the big-man tandem of Bynum and Pau Gasol combined for just 11 rebounds. We all know they can both do better in that department, and they usually do.
Free Throws – The Rockets shot 11 more free throws than the rockets (the Lakers attempted 16, and the Rockets attempted 27). This is a combination of two things. On the defensive end, the Lakers didn’t play with their normal tenacity, giving up 107 points. Instead of committing to defense, they instead looked lazy at times and bailed out the Rockets. On the offensive end of the floor, they weren’t aggressive enough throughout the whole game.
The Lakers started out with great ball movement and put up big numbers, but weren’t able to sustain the effort. Much of the onus again falls on Bynum and Pau Gasol, who combined for just four free throw attempts. Both big men are extremely talented and hard to defend. Obviously, Bynum felt he wasn’t getting certain calls because he eventually got booted for likely being upset about not getting a foul call or two, but he and Gasol must continue to be aggressive despite not getting certain calls.
Road Woes/The Fire – We’ve touched on the road woes, as well as the lack of fire that the Lakers seem to have on the road. At home, the Lakers appear to have a certain passion and really thrive off the energy of the fans. However, as soon as they step foot on the road, they often play well, but manage to give up big leads to mediocre teams and lose.
There really seems to be no explanation for these mental lapses, but now the burden is on head coach Mike Brown to somehow spark his team on the road. Bad habits are just that–habits–and will not go away at the flip of a switch when the Lakers truly need it in the playoffs against a strong team like Oklahoma City or San Antonio. Whatever mental block the Lakers have when it comes to the road, it needs to stop now if they plan on going far in the postseason.
Ramon Sessions – Despite the tough loss, there was one bright spot for the Lakers: Ramon Sessions. Sessions is still getting acclimated with his new team, but appears to be learning quickly. He played nearly 29 minutes, and exhibited signs of brilliance at the beginning of the fourth quarter. He showed that he can shoot the ball, drive to the basket and finish, as well as set up his teammates, all in bunches. If he can expand on this going forward, he may prove to be an exceptional pickup for the Lakers.
Unfortunately for the Lakers, they still cannot find a way to put teams away on the road. However, they get another crack at it tonight as they are set to face off against the Dallas Mavericks.