Man alive, Sunday was a beat-down at the Golden State Warriors' expense! 117-89, a game over for all intents and purposes well before halftime. Fun times enjoyed by all, whether in the postgame locker room and in our Lakers Late Night! studio (of sorts). Tonight's show topics included:
We compare perfect games from Matt Barnes (Friday against Minnesota) and pathological thunder-stealer Pau Gasol (tonight against the Dubs).
The outstanding offense, and even better ball movement and decisions creating that production.
The way Ron Artest and Barnes joined forces to shut down Monta Ellis. Their ability to handle defensive responsibilities once ear-marked at least over stretches for Kobe Bryant only serves to lessen the 12-time All-Star's load. Along similar lines, it was another game with low minutes for the starters.
The latest on whether the Lakers will bring in another big man.
Sasha Vujacic's newest method of letting the refs know he's been fouled.
A look ahead at the games against the Bulls (Tuesday at Staples Center) and the Jazz (Thursday in Salt Lake City).
A reminder to check out Steve Blake and Devin Ebanks connect on a spectacular alley-oop.
And make sure to check out the postgame videos, including Gasol, Bryant, and Shannon Brown below the jump!
Kobe Bryant clarified how the Lakers aren't playing at a high level with the goal of getting home court advantage. Obviously, home court would be nice, but the true m.o. for winning is in fact winning. That's quite literally the gig.
"Your job is to play and your job is to win," explained Kobe.
Pau was characteristically modest comparing his perfect game (10-10 from the field, eight free throws in as many times) to Barnes'. For example, he acknowledged the close proximity for many of his shots vs. Barnes killing it from deep. Credit was equally given to teammates for setting him up for easy looks. Gasol also expressed amusement at his recent run matching high achievements. First came a triple-double two games removed from Kobe's, then the back-to-back perfect games.
Said Gasol with a facetious air of mystery, "What's next?"
More from Pau about perfection and the team's high level of play since hitting the road last week:
Shannon Brown explained why quality shot selection has helped maintain a scorching-hot hand. He also discussed the sequence referenced in Lakers Late Night! between him and Blake, where a good decision to give up the ball led to a cleaner look at a corner three.
More from Shannon, this time about the importance of putting teams away early whenever possible to decrease the wear and tear on the starters: