Wizards vs. Lakers: A close first half, but L.A. pulls away down the stretch

The Wizards started hot and looked great for most of the first half, but the Lakers came out and dominated the third quarter, and that was pretty much the difference Friday night.

For L.A., Kobe had a horrendous game numbers-wise (9-29 shooting for 30 points), but he got to the line, and more importantly, he was able to attack whenever the Lakers needed a spark on offense. Kind of like what Jordan Crawford does for the Wizards when the offense breaks down, except Kobe Bryant is Kobe Bryant, not Jordan Crawford. Anyway, the Lakers were +17 with Kobe on the court.

The Wizards defense strugged to keep up with L.A for most of the night (the Lakers shot 46 percent), but it was actually the Wizards' atrocious offense in the third quarter (14 points in 12 minutes...) that allowed L.A. to take control for good. The entire team went cold, and after that awesome first half where we were able to say, "Hey, the Wizards are just as good and/or bad as the Lakers!" the third quarter was a reminder that nope, we are actually a little bit worse than the Lakers. Which isn't to say there were no bright spots.

For one thing, seeing just how incredibly the Lakers are really did make me feel better about the Wizards. It's not just us! And the game was actually fun throughout, with more energy in Verizon Center than we've seen since Miami.

Other highlights:

• Cartier Martin did that Cartier Martin thing where he suddenly just starts hitting EVERYTHING and every Wizards fan on earth says, "I've always loved him." I love when Cartier Martin does that.
• He finished with 18 points (6-15 shooting), but 15 of those came in the first half (and most of his nine misses came in the second...).
• Martell Webster and Nene both added 17 to help keep things steady throughout.
• Kevin Seraphin had some nice moments and some incredibly stupid moments, so basically, he was Kevin Seraphin.
• And of course, Jordan Crawford.
  

He was 5-17 with just 11 points, but he was still entertaining throughout, and like we said above, he's the only guy on the team who attacks constantly.

After one made jumper in the first half, Adam McGinnis from Truth About It said, "That's a shot where if it doesn't go in, I would be so pissed off." NOTE: That can be said for pretty much every shot Jordan Crawford has ever taken. And that's why he's the greatest! He may not always succeed, but goddamnit, it's always fun watching him try.

So that's where we are. It's another loss, but the Wizards made it interesting--even if that says a lot more about the Lakers' dysfunction than anything the Wizards might have done--and at this point, that's good enough for me to go home happy. Alright, we end with a few questions.

• Better steez: Cartier Martin's new corn rows, or Seraphin's shaved head?
• Chris Singleton only played 16 minutes tonight: Why?
  
• Will John Wall #RampUp to an NBA basketball game before the All-Star Break?
• Definitely not, right?
• Should the Wizards take Ariza's money and use it to erect a 100 foot statue of Cartier Martin in honor of the last two seasons?
• Was the Verizon Center full of 50 percent Lakers fans? Or 70 percent?
  
• Heat fans or Lakers fans: Who are more unbearable as Verizon Center guests?
• Whenever you get upset at Jordan Crawford for taking a terrible show, just remember that we could be rooting for Chris Duhon instead, and then take 90 seconds and think about how horrible that would be. This is not a question, just a reminder.

And that's it. Vent below, and have an awesome weekend.

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