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Spurs Dismantle Lakers

February 26th, 2017

The Spurs issued the Lakers a good old fashioned beat down on Sunday afternoon at Staples Center, in a 119-98 win over LA.

This game was like watching the old man at the YMCA school the young athletic kid that thinks he’s invincible. The Spurs took a 16 point lead behind 16 1st quarter points from Kawhi Leonard after 12 minutes of play. They also had 14 assists on 15 made field goals.

Midway through the 2nd quarter, San Antonio already had 17 points off 10 Laker turnovers, and had built an 18 point lead. That lead ballooned to 61-41 by halftime.

There were a few bright spots for LA despite getting manhandled. One of them was Kareem Abdul-Jabbar getting honored at halftime for his various work in social activism. On the floor, Brandon Ingram scored a career-high 22 points, while D’Angelo Russell and Jordan Clarkson were productive on offense as well. Russell scored 18 points, and Clarkson scored 19, with each of them shooting an efficient 50% from the field.

Despite a better effort in the 2nd half from LA, the difference in the game was the Spurs efficiency at both ends of the floor. San Antonio had 49 baskets on 37 assists. The Spurs were led by Leonard’s 25 points, LaMarcus Aldridge scored 16, and Pau Gasol had 15.

The loss was the 41st of the season for LA, and their 4th straight defeat. San Antonio on the other hand improved to 45-13, and 3-0 against the Lakers on the season.

The Lakers continue their home stand on Tuesday night against Charlotte, when they’ll try to get back in the win column.

Trojans Let One Get Away

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February 26th, 2017

The USC men’s hoops team looked like they had this one in the bag, but Arizona State shocked the Trojans in the final 30 seconds. The Sun Devils defeated the Trojans 83-82 on Sunday in Tempe.

The Sun Devils rallied from 6 points down in the final 30 seconds, capped off by Tra Holders two free throws with 6.9 seconds left to play.

Trailing 82-76, Holder made a layup with 28 seconds left. USC’s Elijah Stewart missed the front end of a one-and-one and Kodi Justice followed with a 3-pointer to cut the Trojan lead to 82-71 with just 14 seconds left.

Then the improbable happened. Bennie Boatwright turned the ball over on the inbounds pass, which resulted in Holder driving the lane and getting fouled. He made two free throws, and just like that the Sun Devils were up 83-82. Boatwright had one final chance to win it, but his 3-pointer missed at the buzzer.

USC Coach Andy Enfield wasn’t as concerned with the final play. “That play shouldn’t have determined the game. We missed open shots, turned the ball over,” He said. “We were up eight and just threw it to the other team, we missed a front-end of a one-on-one, we missed a right-hand layup and we missed another free-throw.”

Justice scored a career-high 22 points, including 6 three-pointers. Boatwright led the way for USC with 22 points of his own, but it wasn’t enough.

The Trojans lost their fourth in a row, and fell to 8-8 in Pac 12 play. USC will try to snap out of their slump next week against the Washington schools, before traveling to Vegas for the Pac 12 Tournament.

Bruins Get Revenge In The Desert

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February 25th, 2017

They went into one of the toughest places to play in the country, and found a way. The Bruins defeated Arizona on Saturday night 77-72, which was their biggest statement win of the season.

The Wildcats had won 70 of 71 straight home games coming into Saturday’s game, and 21 in a row. However, the Bruins dominated the offensive boards, and used a big 19-4 run in the 2nd half to take down Arizona.

Thomas Welsh scored 12 of his 14 points in the 2nd half. He was one of 5 Bruins in double figures. Bryce Alford had 15, TJ Leaf and Aaron Holiday had 12 each, while Lonzo Ball had 11 points and 8 assists.

UCLA had a rough ending to the 1st half, missing 7 of their last 8 shots, as Arizona went on a 10-1 run in the final two minutes. The Bruins had been up by as many as 7, but they found themselves trailing 43-39 at halftime.

The Bruins decided to play some defense in the 2nd half, switching to a 3-2 zone, which slowed down the Wildcats. They also outrebounded Arizona 9-1 on the offensive glass in the half.

UCLA stretched the lead to 11 twice late in the game. The last at 73-62 on Welsh’s’ inside basket with 4:38 to play before Arizona managed one final charge finishing the game on a 10-4 run.

Arizona cut the lead to 75-72 with 29 seconds left. Aaron Holiday missed the first of a one-and-one free throw, which gave the Wildcats a chance to tie. However, Kadeem Allen air-balled a three-pointer in the final seconds. Allonzo Trier had a career-high 28 points in the losing effort.

The win tightens the Pac 12 race and likely puts Oregon in the driver seat to win the Pac 12 regular season title. Oregon and Arizona are tied for 1st, but the Ducks own the tie-breaker by virtue of winning their head-to-head matchup with the Wildcats. Arizona has one game left at Arizona State, while Oregon’s final game is at Oregon State.

As for the Bruins, they are now 1.5 games out of 1st place in the conference, with two games left against the Washington schools. UCLA is still likely to finish in 3rd place, which sets up a very important Pac 12 Tournament. The Bruins would potentially face Arizona in the semi-finals and Oregon in the finals. A #1 seed in the West Region would be on the line for the NCAA Tournament. It’s a tough road but after Saturday, UCLA gave us reasons to believe they can beat anybody on any floor.

Quick Returns & Kings Rally

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February 25th, 2017

For the first time in 59 games, Jonathan Quick was back in goal for the LA Kings. He looked as sharp as he usually is, despite missing nearly the entire season with a groin injury. Quick made 32 saves as the Kings got a much needed 3-2 win against the Ducks at Staples Center.

Quick was excellent throughout, making several big saves in the 1st period. However, the Ducks still managed to get one by the Kings goaltender late in the 1st. Andrew Cogliano tipped in a pass from Ryan Kessler for his 14th of the season, and Anaheim was in control at the 1st intermission.

Neither team scored in the 2nd period, and despite Quick’s efforts, it looked like another game where the Kings offense was going to come up empty.

Then in the 3rd period the Kings rallied. Tyler Toffoli put LA on the board 3:37 into the period after poking the puck past a sprawling Jonathan Bernier. Bernier was unable to cover the puck during a big scramble in front of the Ducks net. A little over 4 minutes later, it was Toffoli again, scoring his 12th after tipping in a pass from Jeff Carter on a 2-on-1. 17 seconds later, Dustin Brown re-directed a shot by Kevin Gravel, which made it 3-1 Kings.

The Ducks would pressure the Kings in the final 12 minutes, but Quick continued to turn back Anaheim. Finally, after the Ducks pulled their goaltender for the extra-attacker in the final two minutes, Jeff Carter scored his 30th goal of the season on an empty-netter. Carter took a pass from Anze Kopitar, who picked up his 2nd assist of the game on the play.

The game was physical throughout, which is usually the case when these two cross-town rivals get together. Things got especially chippy in the 2nd period, when a 10-man dog pile lead to a fight between Kings defenseman Brayden McNabb and Ducks Center Nate Thompson. Later in the period, Jeff Carter and Ryan Kessler squared off, with Kessler landing a big blow to the face of the Kings leading scorer. A fight involving either of those two skilled players is rare, but the blow may have woken the Kings up from their slump.

Patrick Eaves made his debut for the Ducks after being acquired from Dallas for a conditional second-round draft pick Friday. Slotted on a line with Corey Perryand Rickard Rakell, Eaves played 16:09.

For the Kings, Coach Darryl Sutter won his 216th game with LA, passing Andy Murray for most in franchise history. Sutter also scratched right wing Marian Gaborik for just the second time this season, after Gaborik had failed to score a point in the last 9 games. Gaborik was replace in the lineup by forward Jordan Nolan, who was activated from injured reserve after missing the last 9 games with a lower-body injury.

The win tied the season series between the Kings and Ducks at 2-2. More importantly though, it kept the Kings in the playoff race. LA now trails Nashville by 3 points for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference, and they are 4 points behind division rival Calgary. The Kings will face the Flames on Tuesday night in Calgary, which will be the 2nd night of a back-to-back after playing at Minnesota on Monday.

As for the Ducks, they will now have their bye week, and do not play again until March 3rd against Toronto. Anaheim is still tied for 2nd place in the Pacific Division with Edmonton, and only 3 points behind San Jose for 1st place.

Westbrook & Thunder Too Much For Lakers

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February 24th, 2017

Russell Westbrook was a human tornado as usual. Westbrook scored 17 points, 18 rebounds, and 17 assists, as the Thunder took down the Lakers 110-93.

The game was also the first for two new Thunder players who were acquired on Thursday. Those players were Taj Gibson, who scored 12 points, and Doug McDermott, who scored 8. That was impressive in spite of the fact that neither was able to participate in the morning shoot around Friday.

As for the Lakers, D’Angelo Russell scored 29 points, but the Lakers shot just 39.6% as a team. Russell picked up the scoring slack after the team’s leading scorer, Lou Williams, was traded a few days earlier.

“I knew at times we’d stall out offensively because Lou was such a big part of it,” Lakers coach Luke Walton said. “But I thought they did a great job.”

The Lakers acquired Corey Brewer from Houston, in the trade for Williams. Brewer scored 2 points in 4 minutes of playing time. Jordan Clarkson scored 14 points and Julius Randle had 13 points and 11 rebounds as well, but the Lakers shot just 7 for 35 on three-pointers.

The Lakers trailed throughout. Oklahoma City led 58-51 at the half, and quickly opened up a 73-58 lead in the 3rd quarter. LA got within 9 points with just over 4 minutes left, but free throw shooting didn’t help their cause. The Lakers were just 6 of 14 from the free throw line.

Lakers new President of Basketball Operations, Magic Johnson, made the trip to Oklahoma City in order to get a better feel for the team. D’Angelo Russell recognized the importance of this.

“It’s like you’re starting over and trying to impress,” Russell said. “Everybody has to look over their shoulders once again. It’s like coming to a new team. Trying to impress the GM and the guys in the front office with your play and off the court the way you handle yourselves. So it’s all different.”

Things won’t get any easier for the Lakers. They’ll take on the Spurs at Staples Center on Sunday.

Spurs Spoil Paul’s Return

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February 24th, 2017

Chris Paul returned for the first time in five weeks, but it didn’t matter. The Spurs took down the Clippers 105-97 on Friday night at Staples Center.

Kawhi Leonard battled through foul trouble to score 21 points. Pau Gasol had 17 points and 11 rebounds, while LaMarcus Aldridge added 15 points and 11 rebonds of his own.

This was the Spurs first game after a nine-day layoff, while it was the Clippers 2nd straight loss after the All-Star break.

Blake Griffin led the way for the Clippers with 29 points, and Paul scored 17 but committed 4 of the Clippers 12 turnovers. Austin Rivers poured in 23 off the bench, but it wasn’t enough. The Clippers were up 47-42 at halftime, but they couldn’t hold on. Paul seemed content with an evening that he could build upon though.

“I came out unscathed, which is great,” Paul said. “It was a tough loss, but it felt good to get through an entire game.”

The Clippers were up 68-59 midway through the 3rd quarter. However, for the 2nd night in a row, their opponent erupted at that point. The Spurs went on a 16-5 run, to take a 77-73 lead into the 4th quarter.

At one point, Blake Griffin was hit in the face by Spurs reserve Dewyane Dedmon. Griffin went down on the court bleeding, and went to locker room for a moment. However, he came back out with a band-aid beneath his right eye.

The Spurs now lead the season series with the Clippers 2-1. LA dropped into 5th place in the Western Conference behind Utah. The Clippers host Charlotte on Sunday, where they’ll look to get back in the win column.

Warriors Still Have Clippers Number

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February 23rd, 2017

I’m not saying the Warriors have the Clippers number or anything. However, I am saying that after last night they have beaten LA ten times in a row. The Warriors handed LA a 123-113 loss at Oracle on Thursday, in a game that felt more like a lion playing with its food before devouring it.

The Clippers led by 16 points at one point in the 2nd quarter, and took a 61-49 lead into the locker room. However, in typical Clipper fashion, DeAndre Jordan lost his composure and picked up a technical foul at the end of the half. DJ was upset that no foul was called on the final play of the half. That moment alone may have changed the momentum.

Golden State exploded in the 3rd quarter for 50 points, which was the first 50-point quarter in the NBA since the Lakers had 51 against the Knicks in March of 2014. The eruption was led by Steph Curry, who scored 17 of his 35 points in that 3rd quarter. Those 17 points came in a stretch of only 3:37. Kevin Durant scored 15 of 25 points in the 3rd as well, to go along with 15 rebounds and 7 assists.

“Well, we stopped playing,” Clippers Coach Doc Rivers said. “I thought the game plan was great. I thought we played with energy defensively. They scored 50 points in the third quarter and I was more upset with our offense.”

DeAndre Jordan had 17 points and 11 rebounds in the loss, while Austin Rivers had 19 points. LA even had 6 players in double figures, and their bench outscored the Warriors 51-32. Still, their efforts were no match for the Warriors trio of Curry, Durant, and Klay Thompson, who combined for 78 points.

I’m sure Doc Rivers is trying to convince himself that things could be different when Chris Paul came back. However, we’ve already seen that movie before. As great as Chris Paul is, the trio of Jordan-Paul-Griffin is no match for Curry-Durant-Thompson as well as Draymond Green.

The Clippers seem unlikely to catch the Rockets for 3rd place in West. They are tied for 4th place with the Jazz. However, they would probably be better off dropping into 6th place, so they don’t have to face the Warriors in the 2nd round of the playoffs. The Grizzlies are currently in 6th, 1.5 games behind LA. With 25 games left, the Clippers need to catch lightning in a bottle.

Kings Still Can’t Find Their Game

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February 23rd, 2017

The Kings are still trending in the wrong direction. The Bruins came in to Staples Center on Thursday night and defeated the Kings 4-1, handing LA their 6th loss in their last 8 games.

LA is now 4 points behind Calgary for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference with 22 games left to play. The Kings have two games in hand on Calgary, but it feels like they’ve been using that excuse to feel better about themselves for a few months now.

The Bruins scored four minutes into the game off a turnover from Jake Muzzin, which led to a 2-on-1. Brad Marchand streaked down the right wing and beat Peter Budaj with a wrist shot on the short side. The Kings answered with a goal from defenseman Kevin Gravel, the first of his NHL career, in the final two minutes of the 1st period. Gravel’s goal was set up nicely by rookie Adrian Kempe, who collected his 2nd NHL point on the play.

Boston would answer in the 2nd period on a goal by David Pastrnak, who broke a tie with a power play goal five minutes into the period. Patrnak broke his stick on a one-timer from the left side, which fluttered past Peter Budaj. The Kings pressed in the final 90 seconds of the game, pulling Budaj for the extra attacker. However, the Bruins would score two empty-net goals, which came from Dominic Moore and David Krejci, in the final 65 seconds.

Jeff Carter knows the Kings need to score more goals to get it done. “We didn’t have it tonight,” Carter lamented. “You’ve got to score goals to win. There were games … where we weren’t good enough to win. And games where we were good enough but we didn’t score enough goals.”

As well as Peter Budaj has played this season, the Kings style requires elite goaltending to win. They may get it from Jonathan Quick before the season is over, but that looks like it’s about two weeks away. The Kings need to win now, or else the playoff race will be over by the time Quick comes back. That also means LA needs to get more offensive production from its veteran leaders.

LA is allowing the fewest shots per game in the NHL, and the 5th fewest goals per game. However, only 7 teams have scored fewer goals than the Kings, and their power play is just 23rd in the league. It seems like the Kings hit a handful of goal posts every game, but they need to find a way to finish, or else their season will be finished soon.

Help doesn’t seem like it’s on the way either. General Manager Dean Lombardi said he doesn’t expect the team to make any big moves before the March 1st trade deadline. On one hand, the Kings control their own destiny, with 14 of their last 22 games at home, and 4 games against Calgary. Still, it’s hard to have any confidence that the Kings are going to make the playoffs given how they’ve played.

Bruins Hold Off Arizona State

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February 23rd, 2017

It was easy to look ahead to the big showdown Saturday at Arizona. The Arizona State Sun Devils nearly took advantage of that, but UCLA held on to beat ASU 87-75.

TJ Leaf lead the way with 25 points and 8 rebounds in the Bruins sixth straight win. UCLA also got 17 points from Aaron Holiday, and 15 from Bryce Alford.

The Bruins are known for their up-tempo offense, but on this night it was their size that wore down Arizona State. They won the rebounding battle 49-30, and outscored ASU 50-22 in the paint. UCLA also held the Sun Devils to 38% shooting despite the Sun Devils connecting on 14 three-pointers.

Shannon Evans II had a slam dunk that put Arizona State up 50-49 with 15:22 left in the 2nd half. However, UCLA went on a 14-5 run from there, which was capped by an Aaron Holiday three-pointer.

Holiday had what felt like a dagger with 7:29 left, nailing another three-pointer. That put UCLA up 74-60, and Arizona State went quietly after that.

Torian Graham led Arizona State with 28 points and Kodi Justice added 19, but it wasn’t enough. The Bruins kept their win streak alive on a quiet offensive night from Lonzo Ball, who scored just 4 points, but did contribute 5 assists and 11 rebounds.

The Bruins can still finish in 2nd place in the Pac-12, and possibly even improve upon their #5 ranking with a win at Arizona on Saturday. They’ll need Oregon to lose a game or two as well, but a win against the Wildcats would do wonders for their confidence in their chase for a National Championship.

Trojans Hot Early But Wildcats Hotter Late

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February 23rd, 2017

The Trojans looked poised for an upset of #4 Arizona in the 1st half on Thursday night. However, Lonzo Trier scored a season high 25 points, which included four three-pointers, as Arizona defeated USC 90-77. The win keeps the Wildcats in 1st place in the Pac 12, and completes a season sweep of the Trojans.

Bennie Boatwright scored 23 points and Chimezie Metu had 15 for USC. It wasn’t enough though, as the Trojans lost their third in a row to the top three teams in the conference.

USC was shooting 58% at point in the 1st half, yet only led by only 9 points. The Wildcats closed the half on a 12-2 run, and took a 44-39 lead into the locker room at halftime.

Arizona pulled away in the 2nd half, leading by as many as 16 points. USC finished the game shooting 52% from the field, but the difference in the game was the 11 three-pointers the Wildcats hit, and the Trojans 14 turnovers.

USC will try to get back in the win column on Saturday at Arizona State. The Trojans took down the Sun Devils at home last month, and will be going for the season sweep.

The Trojans are fading in the Pac 12 standings, but should be in good shape to make the NCAA Tournament. They’ll need to build some momentum though heading into the Pac 12 Tournament in two weeks.