109-102 is the final score.  Looked at without context, that’s probably a bit disappointing.  The Pelicans are trying to be hot stuff, and the Lakers are simply an incubator for lots of shots from Kobe.  The Pels should rock that team.

Well they did.  Until the last five minutes of the game the Pelicans were up twenty.  Then Monty fed starters back into the game and those guys mistook the proceedings for a lark and pretty much screwed around the whole time.  So the game was a bit like a Ice Cream Sundae capped with a piece of spam.  No one is really sure why that spam is there, so let’s just disregard it, flip it to the side and eat the Sundae.

• 25-12-6 on 16 shots for Anthony Davis.  He did have three turnovers though, so screw that guy.
• Eric Gordon started out the game extremely aggressive, driving to the rim for a nice layup and finding open cutters again and again as he drove to the hoop.  His defense on Kobe was adequate, though by the fourth he was making lame mistakes.  He also was unable to continue his aggressive offense into the second half and ended up with his standard terrible line.  It’s been a long time since we’ve gotten a full good game from Gordon.  Would be nice to see a few.
• Carlos Boozer doesn’t even try anymore.  In an instructive play in the first quarter, Davis and Asik crashed the glass, boxing out Jordan Hill after Boozer launched a shot just outside the free throw line.  Anthony Davis takes off and runs the floor while Asik clears and dishes to Gordon.  Boozer lumbers back and barely reaches the three point line before Davis is standing beneath the basket, alone, waving his hands for a pass.  Instead of trying to rush ahead and do something to stop Davis, Boozer slows down and waits for Asik to catch up to him, and then places his hand on Asik as Davis dunks.  I was actually a little outraged Boozer would think anyone would be stupid enough to think that Asik was his guy, not Davis.  Oh wait – maybe Byron Scott was fooled.  He rewarded Boozer’s excellence by running a play for him next time down the floor.
• Byron Scott never really left his bench.  I’m not sure he was even watching the game most of the time.
• Austin Rivers was excellent tonight, though his line doesn’t stand out.  The defense on Kobe ratcheted way up when he came on the floor, and his hesitation dribbles were getting him free from everyone on the way into the paint.  One of his crossovers lost Ronnie Price so badly that Price felt he needed to club Rivers in the head to try and get some credibility back.  Instead, he got a Flagrant 2 and was tossed.
• Price used to be a freak athlete, but he has clearly lost every bit of that advantage.  Everybody was treating him like a traffic cone out there.  Holiday had two layups that he almost missed because he couldn’t believe that A. he could possibly have gotten 15 feet of separation from Price given only 20 feet to work with – and B. No other Laker was interested in entering the paint to stop him.
• The Lakers ran 8 pick and rolls with Kobe as the screener and Lin as the ball-handler.  Every one of those ended with Kobe receiving the ball 21 feet from the basket and then waiting while Lin cleared out.  Considering it would be easier to just have Kobe post up and receive the ball – and that would start him 12-16 feet from the basket – I’m still trying to figure out what the hell the point was.
• EVANS HIT SOME LAYUPS!  Seriously!  He missed some too, including one uncontested one that hit the backboard and went completely over the rim and missed everything.  But he hit a few!  He also hit 2 threes, putting him at 50% for the season.  Raise your hand if you thought Tyreke was going to be one of our best shooters this season.  If your hand is raised, you’re a lying sack of something.
• Before the last 5 minutes of horribleness, Jrue Holiday had a nice efficient game going, sitting at 8-12 for 17 points, 2 fouls and zero turnovers.  He finished 8-17 for 17 points, 5 fouls and 1 turnover.  Yeah.  Ugly last five.
• Ryan Anderson’s confidence with his shooting and solid ballhandling can cause such problems for opponents.  He got the ball in the post, turned, ran towards Davis for a pick (which seemed to surprise Davis a little bit) and when both the Lakers bigs ran into this unusual situation and got tangled, he faked a pass towards a freely rolling Davis, stepped back behind the line and drilled a three.  On any other big man that was a rock-stupid shot, especially with Davis rolling to the hoop alone.  On Anderson, it’s good stuff.
• Luke Babbitt was the first guy off the bench as a small forward.  His first assignment was guarding Kobe.  That went about as well as expected.  He did hit a shot though!

Next game is Minnesota!