This is exactly why the Lakers only achieved 59 wins in the regular season; with Garnett missing over 20 games, their win rate barely topped fifty percent.
Tonight, the Lakers' starting lineup and tactical coordination didn't open up; the frontcourt combination changed to Luke Walton, Kwame Brown, and little Gasol. Facing the Bobcats' defense, it was even harder to open up their coordination.
Despite some adjustments, Kidd, Kobe, Kwame Brown, and little Gasol strengthened their defense, suppressing the Bobcats' team offense to some extent, limiting them to 11 points in the latter half of the quarter, but they themselves only scored 8!
At the end of the first quarter, Kobe made 4 out of 9 shots, along with 3 out of 3 free throws, scoring 11 points, Zhang Yang hit 4 out of 8 shots, with 2 out of 2 from three-point range and 2 out of 2 free throws, scoring 12 points.
29 to 22, the Bobcats lead the Lakers by 7 points!
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