Grading Warriors' performance vs. Lakers

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JARRETT JACK        A+
With 29 points and 11 assists, Jack becomes the first Warrior reserve to notch at least 25 and 10 since box scores started keeping track of starters and non-starters back in 1970 .  And, they weren’t “empty calorie” points.  He was hitting shots when the pressure was on.  He only scored five fewer than Kobe, on 22 fewer shots than Kobe.  Great game.

DAVID LEE        A
When a guy gets 20 points and shoots 50% for the 12th straight game, he’s absolutely getting an “A.” And, for a guy who gets criticized for his defense, Lee did a great job of keeping Pau Gasol quiet as a church mouse.

HARRISON BARNES    B
In the 4th quarter, Barnes was in full attack mode, making plays and (temporarily) saving the Warriors bacon.  After seven points in the 4th, it’s a little surprising he didn’t play at all in O.T.

KLAY THOMPSON    B
Can’t be mad at 18 points.  However, he does seem to shoot a few too many threes.  And, he had real defensive trouble with Metta World Peace in this one. Also, when guarding Kobe, Thompson occasionally left Kobe open while helping someone else on “D," a good idea against many players, but not Kobe.

STEPHEN CURRY    B
His 8-23 performance Saturday night notwithstanding, Curry's shot was a real weapon.  I would like to see him eliminate the “pull up after running forward full speed” jumper from his arsenal, though—or at least save it for blowouts.  Also, I think he’ll take his next step as a player when he studies Steve Nash’s shot selection and Steve Nash’s game management in the late going.  That’s not to say Curry doesn’t have an impressive grasp of the point guard position.  But, I do think there’s still a nuanced understanding of pacing and shot selection that he could learn from watching a little more tape on Nash.

CARL LANDRY        B
That tall Lakers front line kept Landry at 3 for 8 shooting.   But, he still brought that toughness—and 12 points.  If only he had been able to get that shot before halftime up 1/10 of a second sooner, the outcome might have been different.  But, I still love it that tough-guy Carl was there for the offensive board in the first place.

FESTUS EZELI        C
Yes, Ezeli had some real troubles handling the ball in this one.  And, those troubles were costly.  But, you had to be impressed with the way he battled Dwight Howard.  He played no small role in holding Howard to just 11 points and 6 rebounds.

DRAYMOND GREEN    C
Green's shooting touch was m.i.a again, but—again—he checked with his usual assortment of non-box score plays.  Did you notice who was guarding Kobe when he missed the shot that would have won the game for the Lakers in regulation?

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