In retrospect, it was inevitable that Saturday’s Wizards / Lakers matchup would be a bit of a letdown when it was all said and done. The game had a media build up more reminiscent of the weekend’s other big game with the Post going as far to call it “Star Wars II” and the most “highly anticipated regular season game since Michael Jordan made his home debut for the Wizards in November 2001.” Chuck Klosterman was even there covering the game for the New York Times. Alas, the game failed to live up to its billing, as the Lakers used a strong second half surge to take down the Wizards 118-102.
As for the game within the game, Kobe Bryant outscored Gilbert Arenas 39 to 37, but had the better overall game. Bryant shot a quality 14-26 from the field, compared to an ugly 9-29 for Agent Zero. Arenas shot and made seven more free throws than Bryant’s nine, which accounts for most of his final tally. Gil was obviously a bit too pumped up for the game, shooting an airball on the first Wizards first possesion, bringing to mind his 2-12 stinker against the Cavs on opening night. Arenas is never one to back down from a game of one-upmanship, and when he’s on, it can be a joy to behold. Last night, however, his touch deserted him and all too often the Wizards came away with empty trips on the offensive end. Maybe he should start shooting one-handed.
The rest of the Wizards didn’t fare much better. The team shot just 36% from the field and missed 19 of their 28 three point attempts. The Lakers did a great job as a team of packing into the lane and protecting the rim, forcing misses on a number of Washington shot attempts in the lane. Caron Butler with 15 points, and DeShawn Stevenson, with 17, were the only other Wizards in double figures. By contrast, all five Lakers starters scored at least 12 points, with Smush Parker and Lamar Odom proving to be the difference in the final period. Odom hit three three-pointers and Parker added seven of his 20 points to help put the game away.
Photos by Kyle Gustafson, more here.
