Luka Lakers 1st quarter wrecking crew (stats)

[90sgoat]

Luka stats in 1st quarter last 3 games:

vs Wolves: 11-5-4
vs Mavs: 9-7-4
vs Nuggets: 16-4-3

Lebron stats in 1st quarter last 3 games:

vs Wolves: 10-3-2
vs Mavs: 7-4-1
vs Nuggets: 4-4-2

Lakers stats in 1st quarter last 3 games:

vs Wolves: +16
vs Mavs: +8
vs Nuggets: +7

Average 1st quarter last 3 games:

Luka: 12-5-4
Lebron: 7-4-2
Mavs: +10

Luka is playing godly in the 1st quarter these last 3 games and basically halfway putting the game away. For reference, if you average out those stats to an entire game he is average 48-20-16, absolute monster numbers.

Then they let Reaves handle the ball a lot in the 2nd and 3rd quarter and in the 4th Lebron is allowed to statpad.

[8Ball]

Luka's legs give out later in the game because he hasn't gotten into game shape yet.

[90sgoat]

Luka's legs give out later in the game because he hasn't gotten into game shape yet.

Did so with Mavs as well, he has never been in any conditioning to keep it up for an entire game.

I imagine as he gets better with his 3s, he will be closing out games more, but I see it possible that Lebron will keep going in the first 5 minutes of the 4th and Luka will keep going hard in the 1st.

[sdot_thadon]

Bro nobody can put the game away in the 1st quarter in the modern NBA cmon now.

[Full Court]

Luka stats in 1st quarter last 3 games:

vs Wolves: 11-5-4
vs Mavs: 9-7-4
vs Nuggets: 16-4-3

Lebron stats in 1st quarter last 3 games:

vs Wolves: 10-3-2
vs Mavs: 7-4-1
vs Nuggets: 4-4-2

Lakers stats in 1st quarter last 3 games:

vs Wolves: +16
vs Mavs: +8
vs Nuggets: +7

Average 1st quarter last 3 games:

Luka: 12-5-4
Lebron: 7-4-2
Mavs: +10

Luka is playing godly in the 1st quarter these last 3 games and basically halfway putting the game away. For reference, if you average out those stats to an entire game he is average 48-20-16, absolute monster numbers.

Then they let Reaves handle the ball a lot in the 2nd and 3rd quarter and in the 4th Lebron is allowed to statpad.

This is spot on. Lebron might have the emptiest stats of any player in NBA history.

[BarberSchool]

He has been doing this since he got chubby, post-bubble.

He balls out in the first quarter, plays really well in the 2nd quarter, but his drives and defense decrease gradually as more time passes, as well as sweating way more than some of the other players. Dude really does need Bran to school him on the aspects of the game that aren’t on the court, but in the facility, and at the table/bar.

[BarberSchool]

Bro nobody can put the game away in the 1st quarter in the modern NBA cmon now.
Some of dude’s first quarters are demoralizing to opponents in high pressure games. No denying that.

[90sgoat]

Some of dude’s first quarters are demoralizing to opponents in high pressure games. No denying that.

This, a lot of these players are mentally weak and only know how to shoot 3s, so being behind they take worse shots usually.

[90sgoat]

He has been doing this since he got chubby, post-bubble.

He balls out in the first quarter, plays really well in the 2nd quarter, but his drives and defense decrease gradually as more time passes, as well as sweating way more than some of the other players. Dude really does need Bran to school him on the aspects of the game that aren’t on the court, but in the facility, and at the table/bar.

And now that he has a decent team (Mavs were trash), he can do that and have Lebron and Reaves hold the lead until the 4th.

[90sgoat]

Another monster 1st quarter against Clips: 12-3-3 while Lebron had 1-2-2

[ImKobe]

This seems to be by design. Luka sets the tone offensively to give them a good start while Lebron paces himself to be able to produce in 2nd halves.

[Phoenix]

This seems to be by design. Luka sets the tone offensively to give them a good start while Lebron paces himself to be able to produce in 2nd halves.

Which is the best way to play it. You don't want Lebron burnt out in the 4th quarter. And Luka has a history of being gassed in the 4th due to having to do it all offensively in Dallas, so it helps him as well. He's looking the slimmest he's looked in a while too, so I don't know what the Mavs were talking about him being 270 at one point during his injury hiatus. He sure as hell wasn't that by the time he got off the plane in LA.

[tpols]

That's Lukas game. He throws KO's right off the bat.

[tpols]

Some of dude’s first quarters are demoralizing to opponents in high pressure games. No denying that.

Yup. There's a huge difference between an in the flow scorer and somebody who can take over a game with a spree of buckets lighting the crowd up at home or silencing them on the road. Makes sense he tries to do it before getting tired.

[Jasper]

Luka was very sad to leave Dallas

Luka .. might be happy now - 2nd place in the west while his old team will be a lottery team.

[90sgoat]

Luka once again winning the game in the 1st quarter against Pels.

Luka: 17-4-4
Lebron: 0-2-1

Lakers: +13

[BarberSchool]

While it’s absurd to use the phrase “winning it in the first quarter”,

What other players have we seen, consistently, in the regular season, playoffs, and especially GAME 7’s and other elimination games … put up such monstrous 1st quarters, so consistently, that yields FUN, coasting victories, where the entire team has so much fun frontrunning, after Luka sets that tone early ?

[90sgoat]

While it’s absurd to use the phrase “winning it in the first quarter”,

What other players have we seen, consistently, in the regular season, playoffs, and especially GAME 7’s and other elimination games … put up such monstrous 1st quarters, so consistently, that yields FUN, coasting victories, where the entire team has so much fun frontrunning, after Luka sets that tone early ?

Well said, this is a very strange situation that I have never seen before. Maybe Kobe did come out guns blazing, but usually it's the other way around, MJ lay back for the others to play in the first then stepped up later, but Luka does it differently.

And you're right, it's working, Luka riles up the crowd, plays himself warm, then Lebron and Reaves take over in the second (Reaves) and third (Lebron), then Lebron and Luka only in the fourth.

[ralph_i_el]

He has been doing this since he got chubby, post-bubble.

He balls out in the first quarter, plays really well in the 2nd quarter, but his drives and defense decrease gradually as more time passes, as well as sweating way more than some of the other players. Dude really does need Bran to school him on the aspects of the game that aren’t on the court, but in the facility, and at the table/bar.

He's been doing this his entire career. He tries to demoralize the other team off the bat.

[90sgoat]

13-1-2 against Knicks.

Lebron 6 points.

[tpols]

I know it's a pick your poison thing but I wonder why teams don't press Luka harder to start games. You know his style... you know what he wants to do... full court press with traps to start Q1 on him I would think. Why would you play 1v1 and let him ignite the team?

[ShawkFactory]

I know it's a pick your poison thing but I wonder why teams don't press Luka harder to start games. You know his style... you know what he wants to do... full court press with traps to start Q1 on him I would think. Why would you play 1v1 and let him ignite the team?

You started your question with the answer I think. Leaving a fresh Lebron in 4 on 3 situations, particularly in the open court as you suggested, would lead to disaster.

[90sgoat]

You started your question with the answer I think. Leaving a fresh Lebron in 4 on 3 situations, particularly in the open court as you suggested, would lead to disaster.

Yep, Luka wants the trap and Lebron with an open line to the hoop? Probably the highest value play in the league.