Dwight Howard was no slouch, amassing a double double but with nine of his own turnovers to go with it. A lot of the turnovers could be contributed to the activity level on the Lakers’ defensive end; he had the ball stripped by Derek Fisher in the 3rd quarter, which lead to a fast break layup by Ron Artest.
Derek Fisher had a fantastic game as well; he had a couple of steals that led to either free throws or easy Lakers baskets. He also didn’t settle on the perimeter for his patented rainbow shots, but drove in the paint to gain 3 point plays of another variety. It was his 480th straight game played, and he had as much energy and hustle tonight as I’ve ever seen. His mental and physical toughness is unmatched, and is one of the reasons he is such a great leader for this team.
One of the best plays of the game was Derek fighting for a batted around ball, securing it, and running up court to make a twisting, practically backwards layup! It highlighted his activity on both ends of the court and was indicative of the team and the game as a whole. He even took a legitimate charge from Dwight Howard, which is no mean feat and was definitely not one of his famous flops.
Next: Iron Man
