EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — The Lakers shut down the Vipers 112-97 in the West Semifinals. South Bay heads to the West Finals to take on the Stockton Kings.
After a scare to the Clippers in the West Quarterfinals, South Bay was much sharper against the Vipers.
South Bay controlled the entire game and led by as many as 19 in the third quarter. Even when Rio Grande Valley made a run, South Bay shifted momentum back into their favor.
Drew Timme was the star tonight as he tallied up 26 points by mainly operating in the low post. The rest of the team followed by getting to the rim and enforcing their will in the paint.
Horns Offense vs Vipers
Both teams struggled to shoot the ball from deep as neither team shot 30% beyond the arc. Therefore, the match-up would come down to who could dominate the inside.
“I love to go to horns especially versus pressure in the middle third of the floor and have as much space to operate,” said Coach Guthrie. “Horns gives you basically an unlimited number of options."
The Lakers ran into the horns offense as it would allow Timme to operate in the high post. This would allow South Bay to have driving lanes to attack the basket.
Points in the paint heavily favored the Lakers as they outscored the Vipers 66-50. The setup created post-ups and flares to where South Bay can capitalize on easy points.
Horns setup was effective in controlling the interior against a scrappy Rio Grande Valley team. Now, it will have to come in handy against a three-point shooting team in Stockton.
Preview vs the Kings
Last time the Kings and Lakers met, Stockton pulled out a thrilling 115-114 win. South Bay is now looking for a different result against the defending champions.
“This is a veteran experience team. They just beat us on our home floor recently,” said Coach Guthrie. “Our preparation starts now. We [have] got to figure out a game plan to slow down an excellent Stockton Kings team.”
Stockton nailed 20 three pointers and shot 49% from beyond the arc. The shooting for the Kings was the difference maker in the last meeting.
For the rematch, the Lakers must step up perimeter defense and play physical. This will allow South Bay to fend off the three pointers and revolve around an inside scoring game.
The Lakers must establish the Horns offense and control the paint to wear down the Kings. Similar to the game against the Vipers, the Lakers need to dominate inside to defeat the Kings.