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David Lee, PF 37 MIN | 6-11 FG | 3-4 FT | 11 REB | 0 AST | 15 PTS | -3
Lee was opportunistic on offense; finishing at the rim off of passes from Monta and also with a couple of put backs. On defense, he did a decent job of battling Gasol for post position and not conceding too many easy attempts to the Spaniard. |
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Dorell Wright, SF 24 MIN | 4-8 FG | 0-0 FT | 3 REB | 1 AST | 10 PTS | -2
Dorell had the unenviable task of guarding Kobe early and often in the game and it was obvious that the Black Mamba was going to have a field day against the Warriors starting small forward. Nonetheless, Wright finally showed some signs of life, scoring 10 points in the second half against the Lakers. |
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Kwame Brown, C 34 MIN | 6-13 FG | 1-4 FT | 6 REB | 2 AST | 13 PTS | -11
Kwame’s defense was largely responsible for Andrew Bynum’s poor shooting night. The Warriors big man prevented the Lakers center from getting his usual deep position, which in turn meant Bynum had to shoot the ball from further than accustomed. |
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Monta Ellis, SG 39 MIN | 8-20 FG | 2-5 FT | 3 REB | 10 AST | 18 PTS | -7
Monta became hot for a stretch in the second quarter as he started to put up points in a variety ways. Once his jumper started to betray him in the third quarter, Ellis became a playmaker and repeatedly set the table up for Kwame and David Lee to keep the Warriors in the game. |
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Charles Jenkins, G 10 MIN | 1-2 FG | 0-0 FT | 1 REB | 0 AST | 2 PTS | -5
Jenkins was mostly ineffective during this game and saw most of his minutes during the game go to Nate Robinson. |
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Three Things We Saw
- The Nate Robinson era has officially begun and it had some mixed results. Robinson got himself on the scoreboard early and was aggressive in getting in the lane and converting shots. Mind you, every made shot gave Nate added confidence, which in turn led to him taking some questionable shot attempts later in the game.
- Mark Jackson had his team play zone in the second quarter and it helped keep the Lakers out of the lane and also forced some turnovers. The Warriors held out in the second half and only used the zone on a few quick possessions. In addition, the strategy helped force the ball out of Kobe’s hands. One can only wonder why the Dubs didn’t go to it a little more often, especially in the third quarter when Bryant had smoke coming out of his ears.
- Klay Thompson not only looked confident against the Lakers, but he looked like the shooter that the Warriors thought they were drafting when they acquired him in June. The rookie showed the ability to set up his defenders and create some separation coming off screens as well as the confidence and skill to catch, shoot and connect from the field.