Showtime: The Los Angeles Lakers (NBA 2K9)

[Fly]

Let’s get right to it. I’ve decided to bring my LA Lakers franchise to life and start a thread here on OS. For starters, this is the best pro basketball game I've ever played. The big trades and high number of assists are the only minor things that bother me. I am currently 36 games into my first season, but I will have plenty of news and notes to get you caught up to speed on what has taken place thus far in the 2008-2009 season. Here’s a few things to get started, then I’ll give you a season recap to this point.

-I have turned CPU trades off for obvious reasons, as there were tons of blockbuster trades taking place in a span of a couple days, so I had to do a workaround and get the players back to their original teams. Some of you may not like that, but I enjoy a realistic approach, and when four players off the Celtics were traded (including Ray Allen and Leon Powe), I knew it was time to shut them off. The only significant roster change that will stay will be point guard Marcus Williams being traded from the Nets to the Warriors.

- I play 10 minute quarters on Superstar using a slider set that I got off of OS, but I honestly can’t remember which one it was. They are very accurate though. I believe they were actually 12 minute sliders and for HOF, but I tweaked a few things to my liking.

Now let’s take a look at some of the more important events that have led up to this point in the season:

AS OF JANUARY 13, 2009

CURRENT RECORD: 28-8

LAKERS INFO

- I traded Chris Mihm to the Thunder for a 2nd round pick next season. Traded Adam Morrison in a three-way deal to acquire Kelenna Azubuike from the Warriors.

- My starters are the usual: Fisher, Kobe, Odom, Gasol, and Bynum. Luke Walton is my sixth man, with Jordan Farmar and Sasha Vujacic as my main guys off the bench. Josh Powell gets occasional minutes here and there. NOTE: I will put up who is averaging what in the next couple of days. The Azubuike trade hasn’t worked out, and his minutes are limited, and I’m looking to ship him somewhere else. Yes, I know I said realistic rosters for the first season, but this was the only significant move that was made for my team.

- In what was his highest point total of the season, Kobe scored 59 against the Bucks in LA on December 7.

- In what was probably the most exciting game of basketball I’ve played since a 2002 game of NCAA March Madness in which I won the national championship with Florida on a three at the buzzer, I defeated the Suns 124-122 in overtime in Los Angeles on December 10. Kobe had 34 and Nash had 36. Nearly a dozen lead changes in the fourth quarter. And Kobe hit a reverse layup with 0.7 to force overtime. Trust me, outstanding game.

- Beat the Celtics on Christmas day, 103-93.

-Perhaps the most disappointing loss of the season came at home on December 28 to the Golden State Warriors, by a final of 148-140 in overtime. I scored 38 in the fourth just to force OT, but then proceeded to give up 25 points in the five minute overtime. A defense enthusiast’s worst nightmare.

- Another very excruciating loss came in my last game at home against the Heat. Led the whole game, but lost 95-88. My third lowest point total of the season. With the Pistons and Bulls each holding me in the low 80’s earlier in the season.

- Of my eight losses, four have been at home, four on the road. Clearly not that much home court advantage going on. Jack may stop attending soon.

- The eight losses were (with most recent first): Heat (H), Hornets (H), Warriors (H), Magic (A), Pacers (A), Bulls (H), Pistons (H), Hornets (A)

- Last three games: at GS: W 102-91, IND: W 113-111, MIA: L 95-88

LEAGUE INFO:

- Kobe leads PPG with 31.1. Then it is Lebron (30.7), D. Wade (30.1), Bosh (26.6), Carmelo (26.0)
- Carlos Boozer and Dwight Howard lead RPG with 12.3 each. Then it is Duncan (12.1), Chandler (11.7), Bosh (11.1)
- Chris Paul leads assists per game with 12.2. Then it is Kidd (10.4), Nash (9.6), D. Williams (9.5), Billups (9.2)
- Warriors lead the league with 112.7 PPG. Suns (112.2), Lakers (111.2), Hornets (110.2), Nuggets (109.0).

DIVISION LEADERS

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Pacific Division - Lakers (28-8), Warriors (23-16, 6.5 GB), Kings (19-20, 10.5 GB), Suns (17-18, 10.5 GB), Clippers (16-21, GB….does it really matter?)

Northwest Division - Blazers (23-14), Nuggets (20-19, 4 GB), Jazz (19-19, 4.5 GB), T’Wolves (16-21, 7 GB), Thunder (16-23, 8 GB)

Southwest Division - Spurs (27-9), Hornets (21-13, 5 GB), Rockets (23-16, 5.5 GB), Mavericks (19-19, 9 GB), Grizzlies (12-26, 16 GB)

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Southeast Division - Magic (26-13), Heat (18-19, 7GB), Hawks (17-20, 8 GB), Bobcats (13-26, 13 GB), Wizards (9-28, 16 GB)

Central Division - Cavaliers (21-15) Pistons (21-15) Bulls (22-16), Pacers (17-21, 5 GB), Bucks (14-26, 9 GB)

Atlantic Division - Raptors (21-18), Celtics (21-19, 0.5 GB), Nets (19-19, 1.5 GB), 76ers (17-20, 3 GB), Knicks (9-27, 10.5 GB)

POWER RANKINGS

1. Lakers, 2. Spurs, 3. Rockets, 4. Pistons, 5. Magic



Well there is some important information to get us started here. My upcoming schedule is:

Jan. 13, 2009 - at Rockets (23-16) *2nd in Division*
Jan. 14, 2009 - at Spurs (27-9) *Division Leader*
Jan. 16, 2009 - Magic (26-13) *Division Leader*
Jan. 19, 2009 - Cavs (21-15) *Division Leader*

Easily my toughest stretch of the season. Beat the Rockets earlier in the season, Magic blasted me in Orlando. I’ll be back later with a Rockets game report.

Enjoy!

[Fly]

JANUARY 13, 2009

Lakers leave defense and jump shots at L.A. airport, fall by five in Houston

HOUSTON, TX - The Lakers are at it again. Defense once again cost the defending Western Conference champions a game, as the Houston Rockets continued to make their push towards the top of the confernce by defeating Los Angeles, 111-106. The Rockets were helped out early on as Kobe Bryant committed his second foul with 7:05 left in the first quarter, and didn’t return until the start of the second.

Houston retained a six point lead at the end of the first and second quarters, and only gave up the lead once as the Lakers took a 63-62 lead on a Jordan Farmar free throw with 3:07 left in the third quarter. After another Laker layup by Andrew Bynum, the Rockets’ Tracy McGrady knocked down an open three and tied the game at 65. The Rockets would never give any momentum back to the Lakers after that, taking a two point lead into the end of the third.

And thanks to the Lakers’ defensive deficiencies, the Rockets put up a whopping 39 points in the fourth quarter, and took home the victory. McGrady led the way for the Rockets with 32 points, to go along with 6 assists. Yao Ming had yet another double-double, with 18 points and 15 rebounds.

For Los Angeles, Bryant scored an underwhelming 28 points, though he had only four at the half. Despite the high point total, Bryant never seemed to be in control of the game, and had a disappointing seven turnovers. Pau Gasol finished with 26 points and 12 rebounds, while Bynum had 21 and 10.

The loss is the second straight for the Lakers, and there are clearly some concerns starting to grow in Los Angeles, as the purple and yellow fall to 28-9 on the season. The Lakers still have the best record in the league, though that could change tomorrow night in San Antonio, as L.A. takes on the 27-9 San Antonio Spurs.

FINAL STATS OF NOTE

SCORING BY QUARTER

Los Angeles : 19 25 26 36 - 106
Houston : 25 25 22 39 - 111

TEAM STATS OF NOTE

FG %
Los Angeles - 54%
Houston - 52%

3PT
Los Angeles - 0/10
Houston - 5/13

REB
Los Angeles - 38
Houston - 38

2nd CHC
Los Angeles - 6
Houston - 12

LAKERS
Kobe Bryant - 28 points, 7 TO’s
Pau Gasol - 26 points, 12 rebs.
Andrew Bynum - 21 points, 10 rebs.
Lamar Odom - 10 points, 6 assts.
Luke Walton - 6 points

ROCKETS
Tracy McGrady - 32 points, 6 assts.
Monta Ellis - 19 points 10 assts. (NOTE: When I began the season, I had forgot Ellis was still in the free agent pool. Therefore, he was signed by the Rockets. I’ll just let him stay there.)
Rafer Alston - 18 points (Yes, I know he is with the Magic now. This was one of the trades I forgot about until now.)
Yao Ming - 18 points, 15 rebs.
Ron Artest - 16 points, 7 assts, 5 rebs.

POST-GAME THOUGHTS

- Up until this game, I was 21-0 when having a higher field goal percentage.
- Kobe was just wasn‘t very good. Yes, he had 28. But he really just didn’t play well at all.
- Yao is a beast.
- If I don’t win the championship, Houston will.

Tough loss. Gotta try to get back on track in San Antonio. Be back tomorrow with the Spurs game report.

[Fly]

JANUARY 14, 2009

Lakers snap Spurs 11-game win streak, dominate San Antonio from beginning to end

SAN ANTONIO, TX. - From start to finish, this looked like a different Lakers team. After a tough loss last night in Houston, the Lakers bounced back with a 93-80 victory in San Antonio, giving the Spurs their first loss in 12 games. It was a much needed victory for L.A., as concerns were present on the defensive end after a disappointing performance in Houston. But those questions were put to rest at the end of this game, as the 80 points for the Spurs is the lowest amount the Lakers have given up this season.

The Lakers dominated the Spurs in all facets of the game, as the inside game for the Spurs was no match for the Lakers’ inside game. Andrew Bynum completely took over, racking up 27 points and 12 rebounds, and had Spurs center Kurt Thomas scratching his head for the greater part of the game. Though Pau Gasol had an off night, with only 12 points and 6 rebounds, his presence was still felt in defending Spurs’ all-star Tim Duncan. Duncan finished with 15 points and 17 rebounds, but did not have the type of impact he had had in the previous games of the Spurs strreak.

Kobe Bryant had a quiet game, scoring only 16, but he fueled the team from the very get-go with a quick basket to start the game. The Lakers led 27-24 after one, then took a ten point lead into half time (51-41), with the Spurs reeling. A quick start for L.A. in the third quarter pushed the lead to 63-44, which all but officially wrapped up the game for Los Angeles. The big third quarter for the Lakers was in large thanks for Bynum, who put up 14 in the period.

Los Angeles now gets a day off before facing yet another division leader, the Orlando Magic. The Magic (27-12) look to continue their winning ways and stay atop the Eastern Conference, while the Lakers look to continue to be the leader in the Western Conference. L.A. hopes this go-around against the Magic will be different than their meeting three weeks ago, as the Magic dropped the Lakers 120-107 in Orlando.

FINAL STATS OF NOTE

SCORING BY QUARTER
Los Angeles - 27 24 28 14 - 93
San Antonio - 24 17 22 17 - 80

TEAM STATS OF NOTE

FG %
Los Angeles - 46%
San Antonio - 41%

3 PT
Los Angeles - 2/10
San Antonio - 1/22

BENCH
Los Angeles - 25
San Antonio - 12

REB
Los Angeles - 45
San Antonio - 40

LAKERS
Andrew Bynum - 27 points, 12 rebs.
Kobe Bryant - 16 points, 5 assts.
Pau Gasol - 12 points, 6 rebs.
Lamar Odom - 10 points, 5 rebs.
Kelenna Azubuike - 8 points

SPURS
Manu Ginobili - 27 points, 9 assts.
Tony Parker - 15 points, 7 assts.
Tim Duncan - 15 points, 17 rebs.
Bruce Bowen - 7 points.

POST-GAME THOUGHTS
-Big time victory. One of the more complete games I’ve played all season.
- My three point shooting is terrible right now. Luckily the Spurs were worse than me.
- Bynum completely dominated Kurt Thomas inside.
- Decided to just let Bowen try to beat us from outside. He didn’t.

A big win for the Lakers. Be back soon with a Magic game report.

[Madman55]

Looking good. I just got this game from my friend yesterday, started running with the Suns.

[Fly]

JANUARY 16, 2009

Despite Kobe’s 41, Lakers fall to Magic for 2nd time this season in a wild finish

LOS ANGELES, CA. - Different gym. Same result. The Orlando Magic once again defeated the Los Angeles Lakers, for the second time in as many weeks, by a final of 113-109. With the win, the Magic stay atop the Eastern Conference, improving to 28-12 and continuing to ride a hot streak from small forward Rashard Lewis. Lewis led the Magic with 24 points, and also compiled a season-high 14 rebounds. Lewis could simply not be stopped, as the Lakers once again gave up 110+ to Orlando, as they allowed 120 in their first meeting this season.

Orlando controlled the game from the very outset, taking an eight point lead at 17-9 midway through the first quarter. The Lakers would respond however with a run to close the gap to 24-23 at the end of the quarter. The second quarter was all Magic, as they pushed their lead out to as far as 13 at 47-34, before taking a 50-40 lead into the half, thanks in part to shooting 6/10 from the three point arc. At the half, it seemed like Pau Gasol and Jameer Nelson would be the scoring stars for their respective teams for the night, as Gasol had 10 for the Lakers, and Nelson had 11 for the Magic.

All that would change though in the third quarter, as the Lakers came out on fire, as superstar Kobe Bryant put the team on his back and managed to get the game tied at 56 with a layup. The Lakers would tie it again at 68, but never once held a lead, and a Magic run to finish the quarter left them with a six point lead, 78-72. Kobe racked up 17 in the third, pushing his total to 25 at the end of the quarter.

The fourth quarter was filled with a little wackiness and unusual circumstances. The Lakers forced another tie at 94-94, with Bryant standing at the free throw line to give them their first lead of the game. Bryant’s attempt would miss however, but a putback by Odom would give the Lakers the lead. Then, at the snap of a finger, the Magic had retaken the lead at 98-96 eight seconds later.

All hope had seemed lost for L.A. as the Magic were leading 110-103 with 55 seconds remaining. But a pair of costly turnovers by Orlando would allow the Lakers to make a quick run, and cut the lead to 110-108 with 27 seconds remaining. A steal by Bryant gave the Lakers a chance to tie or take the lead, and Kobe was fouled, sending him to the line for two shots. Bryant knocked down the first. The second was not so lucky, as the Magic pulled down the rebound, and free throws sealed the game for the Eastern Conference leaders.

The Lakers now find themselves in a battle for Western Conference supremacy with the San Antonio Spurs, Portland Trailblazers, and Houston Rockets, who all only sit a couple of games or less behind the Lakers. The task doesn’t get easier though as Los Angeles hosts the Lebron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in three days, who are in their own battle with the Chicago Bulls and Detroit Pistons in their own division.

FINAL STATS OF NOTE

SCORING BY QUARTER

Orlando 24 26 28 35 - 113
Los Angeles 23 17 32 37 - 109

TEAM STATS OF NOTE

FG%
Orlando - 56%
Los Angeles - 53%

3 PT
Orlando - 9/17
Los Angeles - 2/8

FT
Orlando - 10/14
Los Angeles - 25/30

REB
Orlando - 34
Los Angeles - 26

2ND CHANCE
Orlando - 17
Los Angeles - 6

INDIVIDUAL STATS

MAGIC
Rashard Lewis - 24 points, 14 rebs.
Keith Bogans - 20 points
Dwight Howard - 17 points, 8 rebs.
Hedo Turkoglu - 16 points
Jameer Nelson - 15 points, 8 assts.

LAKERS
Kobe Bryant - 41 points, 4 stls.
Pau Gasol - 20 points, 10 rebs.
Lamar Odom - 16 points, 5 rebs.
Andrew Bynum - 13 points, 5 rebs.
Jordan Farmar - 7 points

POST-GAME THOUGHTS

- The defense failed me once again. When Keith Bogans scores 20, you know there’s a serious problem.
- Dwight Howard made Andrew Bynum look like a high school player.
- Lamar Odom played very well. One of his better games overall.
- 29-10 is certainly not the record I was looking for at this point. It would be nice to beat Cleveland to go to 30-10, then it’s back to back games against the Clippers and Wizards. One would assume those are two easy wins, but we’ll see.

Kobe vs. Lebron will highlight the upcoming game with the Cavs. Be back later with a game report.

[Fly]

Quote: Originally Posted by Madman55

Looking good. I just got this game from my friend yesterday, started running with the Suns.

Thanks for feedback man. Yeah, the Suns are my second favorite team to play with in this game. Love the run and gun style.

[Fly]

JANUARY 19, 2009

Kobe’s 50 fuel Laker comeback in instant classic with Cavs

LOS ANGELES, CA. - You simply had to see it to believe it. In what was fit for a Hollywood movie, the Los Angeles Lakers came back from a 20 points first half deficit to knock off the Cleveland Cavaliers, 135-129 in an absolute shootout. Kobe Bryant got in foul trouble early in the game, finishing with only a mere 8 points at halftime. But Bryant exploded for 42 second half points, 25 of those in the fourth, to help the Lakers bounce back after a loss to the Magic several days ago, and picked up their 30th win of the season in the process. Bryant only missed three field goals on the night out of his 19 attempted, and only three out of his 17 free throws attempted. It was Bryant’s night, to say the least.

“Wild” would simply be the understatement of the year in describing this slugfest, as it was a tale of two halves. In the first half, the Cavaliers absolutely decimated the Lakers, scoring 77 points in the first half, and leading the Lakers 77-64 at the intermission. The 77 points for the Cavs in the half was the highest amount given up by the Lakers this season in a half, and a 75-55 lead for the Cavs towards the end of the quarter was the largest deficit the Lakers have faced in the first half all year. Delonte West scored a season-high 27 points before the halftime buzzer even sounded, in route to a career-high 38 in the end. Pau Gasol was far and away the highest scorer for the Lakers at the half with 25 points, with the next closest person being Bryant with 8.

The Bryant takeover began in the third quarter, where the Lakers jumped out to a 93-86 lead, starting the half on a 29-9 run in just over seven and half minutes. Bryant simply couldn’t miss, scoring 17 points in the quarter, as he out dueled Lebron James who had had a quiet evening up until the third, where the two duked it out on every possession. The Lakers would take a 97-90 lead with under a minute to go in the quarter, but three straight turnovers would allow the Cavs to cut the lead to one by the end of the period.

The fourth quarter was nothing short of the Kobe Bryant show, as 3 three-point buckets on four possessions showed just how red hot the man was at the time. The Cavs had no answer, with Kobe hitting shots anywhere from 25 feet and in at will. They couldn’t stop him from getting to the paint, couldn’t stop him from hitting the midrange jumper, and couldn’t stop his three point barrage. This was a recipe for disaster for the Cavs, as the Lakers pushed the lead as high as 10 at 128-118, before finishing with the six-point victory. The “MVP” chants rang throughout the Staples Center as Bryant knocked down his final free throws of the game to hit the 50 point mark, and there was no question that #24 put on an MVP-like performance in L.A. tonight.

The Lakers now get a couple days rest before coming back to the Staples Center to play the Los Angeles Clippers, with the Clips being the home team. The Clippers are currently 12 games back of the Lakers in the Pacific Division. After the in-town showdown, the Lakers come back the following night to take on the Washington Wizards, who are currently battling for the worst record in the league.

FINAL STATS OF NOTE

SCORING BY QUARTER

Cleveland 32 45 19 33 - 129
Los Angeles 33 31 33 38 - 135

TEAM STATS OF NOTE

FG %
Cleveland - 54%
Los Angeles - 64%

3 PT
Cleveland - 3/26
Los Angeles - 8/15

FT
Cleveland - 22/26
Los Angeles - 27/33

TO’S
Cleveland - 13
Los Angeles - 27

REB
Cleveland - 28
Los Angeles - 38

BENCH
Cleveland - 5
Los Angeles - 27

INDIVIDUAL STATS

CAVS
Delonte West - 38 points, 8 assts.
Daniel Gibson - 28 points, 9 assts.
LeBron James - 23 points, 11 rebs, 11 assts.
Wally Sczerbiak - 18 points, 8 assts.
Z. Illgauskas - 17 points, 6 rebs.

LAKERS
Kobe Bryant - 50 points (16-19 FG, 4-5 3 PT, 14-17 FT) 5 rebs, 4 assts.
Pau Gasol - 34 points (15-18 FG), 4 rebs.
Jordan Farmar - 15 points, 7 assts.
Andrew Bynum - 12 points, 11 rebs.
Luke Walton - 8 points
Lamar Odom - 8 points

RECORDS - LAKERS (30-10), CAVS (20-19)

POST-GAME THOUGHTS

- Second most exciting game of the season behind the Suns game a while back. Unbelievable game. I thought I was going to get boat-raced after the absolute onslaught in the second quarter by the Cavs. Delonte West was crazy good in the second quarter, and I’m not sure he missed one shot. Kobe’s second half was just crazy. I can usually get to lane with him, but he was making jump shots from everywhere. The guy didn’t miss, kinda like West didn’t in the first half for Cleveland.

- I don’t really want to risk D. Fish dropping in morale, but Farmar is the better choice at point guard right now. I may tweak the lineup, not sure yet though.

- Again, just wow. Great game.

A classic. Now it’s time to get the Clippers in the LA showdown. If Kobe keeps up his hot streak, it could mean bad news for the Clips. Be back later with a game report.

[Fly]

JANUARY 21, 2009

Lakers outscore Clippers by 35 in the third, win in a rout

LOS ANGELES, CA. - Someone forgot to tell the Los Angeles Clippers that this was a four-quarter sport. The team failed to show up in the third quarter, after only trailing by 3 at the half, and was dominated in every sense of the word by the Los Angeles Lakers, 137-95. The Lakers had their best quarter of the season by far in the third, outscoring the Clippers 43-8 in one of the most lopsided quarters in the history of the NBA. Kobe Bryant led the Lakers in scoring once again, dropping 29 points, as he and the rest of the Laker starters didn’t even step on the floor in the fourth quarter.

The game started relatively fast-paced, with both teams jumping out to hot starts, with both Baron Davis and Bryant hitting quick jumpers for their respective teams. The second quarter saw the Lakers break open the lead to 15 at 43-28, before the Clippers mounted a comeback that saw them cut the the lead to 62-59 by the end of the first half, with Davis scoring 17 in the first half.

As mentioned, the third quarter was simply memorable for both teams. The Clippers don’t want to remember it, while Bryant surely will for the Lakers. Kobe had a run of his own to start the third, which saw him score nine straight right off the bat to give the Lakers a 71-59 lead. Pau Gasol would add a bucket to extend the lead to 14, with the Clippers reeling. All in all, the quarter saw the Lakers make a 25-4 run in just over five minutes to completely break open the game, and eventually take a 38 point lead into the fourth quarter. Kobe amassed 17 points in the entire quarter, leading the way for the Lakers.

The fourth quarter was simply a struggle for the Clippers once again, as they couldn’t even outplay the Laker bench. Luke Walton, Jordan Farmar, and Trevor Ariza were all key components in the final stanza, helping push the lead up to 50 at one point in the fourth. By that time, what Clipper fans that were left had turned on their team and were simply cheering the Lakers. Walton, Farmar, and Ariza all finished in double-figures, with Walton racking up 22.
In an injury note, Lakers’ point guard Derek Fisher twisted an ankle early on in the second quarter, and the Lakers training staff says that he should be able to play through it and recover fully in a couple of days.

The Lakers will stay in the Staples Center tomorrow night as well, as they host the Washington Wizards, who find themselves in a struggle similar to that of the Clippers, racking up only 12 wins on the season thus far.

FINAL STATS OF NOTE

SCORING BY QUARTER

Lakers 34 28 43 32 - 137
Clippers 27 32 8 28 - 95

TEAM STATS OF NOTE

FG%
Lakers - 60%
Clippers - 48%

FT
Lakers - 22/30
Clippers - 11/13

REB
Lakers - 42
Clippers - 30

TO
Lakers - 11
Clippers - 25

BENCH
Lakers - 71
Clippers - 32

INDIVIDUAL STATS

LAKERS
Kobe Bryant - 29 points, 4 stls.
Luke Walton - 22 points
Jordan Farmar - 20 points, 8 assts.
Pau Gasol - 19 points, 8 rebs.
Andrew Bynum - 12 points, 10 rebs.
Trevor Ariza - 10 points, 5 assts.

CLIPPERS
Baron Davis - 17 points (6-27 FG), 12 assts
Eric Gordon - 14 points
Al Thornton - 13 points
Chris Kaman - 11 points, 6 assts.
Zach Randolph - 10 points, 6 rebs.

RECORDS - Lakers (31-10), Clippers (18-23)

POST-GAME THOUGHTS

- The Clippers are terrible.
- The Clippers defense is terrible.
- The third quarter was just unbelievable. I could not miss and was up 30 before you could even blink.

It’s safe to say there is no rivalry in Los Angeles between the home-town teams. That would require one team to be decent. Here’s my upcoming schedule, which looks like a good chance to start a decent winning streak besides the Spurs game: Washington, Charlotte, San Antonio, Memphis, New York, T’Wolves, all of whom, excluding the Spurs, are towards the bottom of their respective divisions.

Be back later with a Wizards game report.