The Los Angeles Lakers almost did the unthinkable on Thanksgiving eve. After leading by 27 points against a hobbled and aged Brooklyn Nets team, they nearly blew the game. With less than two minutes to play, the Lakers and Nets were level at 92 points a piece. How did the Lakers let this happen?
Well, the Lakers only hit one field goal over the final six minutes of the game. Then, how did they win this game? Well, the Nets only made two field goals over the final six minutes of play.
To say this game was ugly at the end would be an understatement. It was definitely emotionally painful and borderline unwatchable. If the Lakers had lost, Thanksgiving would have been ruined across LA.
Thankfully, that did not happen. The Lakers ultimately won 99-94.
When Mike D’Antoni and the Lakers look back at Wednesday’s win, they will notice that they took far too many 3-pointers. Jordan Farmar started hot shooting 4-5 from distance in the first half. Farmar’s shooting was not much of an issue, as the former Net only attempted three 3-pointers in the second half. He finished 5-7 from behind the arc.
Nick Young, the other consistent scorer on the Lakers’ bench finished 4-6 from distance and led all scorers with 26 points on the night. The duo of bench players combined for 9-13 shooting from distance. The remainder of the Lakers shot a dismal 4-17.
Unlike Tuesday night's loss against the Wizards, however, the Lakers played gritty defense late in Wednesday’s game. They held the Nets to six points over the last five minutes. Ultimately, that was the difference, as the Lakers were able to hold on and return to .500. Although it did not exactly look convincing, the Lakers earned their second win on the road.
“A win is a win,” Farmar summed up the shared Laker sentiment. “We’ll take it.”
Notes: Young hurt his finger late in the game and may be forced to play with a splint in Friday’s game against the Detroit Pistons. Pau Gasol continued his resurgence by scoring 21 points. Gasol has scored 20 or more points in three of the last four games. Steve Blake recorded 10 assists, the sixth time he has hit that mark in the last eight games. Finally, the Lakers debuted their new black "Hollywood Nights" jerseys.
