Lakers-Suns Breakdown

The Lakers hold a 50-44 lead over the Suns at halftime. Both teams struggled from the field. The Lakers are 20-of-45 from the field (44.4%). The Suns have connected on 18 of their 42 shot attempts (42.9%). The Suns hold a 24-21 advantage on the glass.

A few first-half observations:

• Shaquille O’Neal has been the focal point of Phoenix’ offense. Shaq averaged 8.2 shot attempts last season. O’Neal played 17 minutes in the first half and got 10 touches in the low-post. Shaq is 3-of-8 from the field, drew 2 fouls on Andrew Bynum, turned the ball over once, drew a foul on Gasol, converted the basket, and made the ensuing free throw.
• The Lakers involved O’Neal in 9 pick-and-rolls. Despite getting plenty of open looks, the Lakers managed only one basket and a trip to the line for their efforts.
• I counted only 5 Nash pick-and-rolls. 3 of those P&R’s resulted in made field goals.
• Nash had 7 assists in the first quarter.
• Kobe Bryant was 4-for-12 and forced the issue on numerous occasions.

Second-half:

• Bryant shot the ball poorly, but scored 11 of his game-high 24 points in the 3rd quarter to help stretch LA’s lead to 13 heading into the final period.
• O’Neal didn’t play in the final period.
• After handing out 7 assists in the first quarter, Nash mustered only 3 dimes the rest of the way.
• Radmonovic knocked down 2 three-pointers in the 3rd quarter and finished the game 5-of-5 from beyond the arc.
• Shaq received 6 more touches in the low-post to bring his game total to 16. O’Neal finished the game with 15 points and grabbed 9 rebounds in only 29 minutes of action.
• The Lakers involved O’Neal in three more pick-and-roll plays that resulted in a score from Bryant, a miss, and a foul from O’Neal that resulted in 2 made free-throws.
• The Suns ran 7 more pick-and-rolls for Nash, to varying degrees of success. Most of Phoenix’ P&R possessions resulted in harmless ball-reversals.

Final Thoughts:

• Nash finished the game with 8 points and 10 assists, but didn’t score his first bucket until the 5:47 mark of the 3rd quarter.
• Stoudemire scored a quiet 21-points on 9-of-21 from the field. STAT scored 8 of his 21 points in the 4th quarter, after the game had been decided.
• Six Lakers scored in double-figures.
• LA shot better from the three-point line (47.6%) than they did from the field (46.7% )
• There must have been a large contingency of Laker fans at the game. Chants of “Let’s go Lakers!” were clearly audible in the 4th quarter.

This game wasn’t as close as the Lakers 13-point victory indicated. Los Angeles dominated Phoenix on both ends. Kobe Bryant has yet to find his rhythm this season. Which makes LA’s early season success even more impressive.

O’Neal looked spry tonight. Shaq was active on the block, made several athletic spins to the baseline, found open teammates, and crashed the boards aggressively. Shaq entered the game shooting 59% from the field, and connected on 50% (6-of-12) of his field goals against LA.

It doesn’t make sense for O’Neal to be a role player like he was last season. But the Suns have to find a balance between feeding him on every possession and making him an afterthought on offense.