Derek Fisher had a season-high nine points while leading the Lakers past the Oklahoma City Thunder, 101-98, in overtime on Tuesday night.
No. 2 had his best shooting night of the season, going 4-6 from the field in 35 minutes. He was 1-2 from beyond the arc.
The Lakers opened the game on a 13-2 run, during which Fish dished an assist to Andrew Bynum. After the Thunder’s Jeff Green hit a three to cut the lead to eight, No. 2 answered right back with a trey of his own, pushing the lead back to 11.
D-Fish did most of his damage in the second quarter, scoring four of his nine points in a one-minute span. In overtime Fish had a steal and a block.
Derek grabbed all four of his boards on defense and dished out two assists.
To finish off his stat line, D-Fish chipped in another three steals, his second straight game with three thefts. No. 2 is now tied with Ron Artest for second on the team in steals, averaging two per game. Kobe Bryant holds the team lead with three per game.
HOLDING OFF A YOUNG GUN
Derek’s biggest role in the win for LA came in containing Oklahoma City guard Russell Westbrook.
Westbrook, widely considered one of the best up-and-coming points in the game, managed just 12 points on 5-12 shooting and dished only seven assists. The sophomore had been averaging more than 15 points and eight assists per game.
At the LA Times Lakers Blog, the Kamenetzky Brothers took notice of Fish’s performance:
Derek Fisher was particularly effective against Russell Westbrook, a tough matchup for anyone. He held his own against the former UCLA product in the open floor, and whether it’s because the Thunder don’t set strong picks, Fisher is a very strong PG, or both, he was able to wreck his fair share of screen and rolls.
PLUS/MINUS
In 35 minutes, No. 2 had a ridiculous plus/minus of +16. By contrast, Thabo Shefolosha of the Thunder was -19 in 36 minutes Andrew Bynum was next on the team with +9.
D-Fish is +10 for the season. Not withstanding the Lakers’ one loss to Dallas, Derek is +31 for the season.
NEXT UP
Derek and the Lake Show take on former teammate Trevor Ariza and the Houston Rockets tonight at 5:30 p.m. PST. Viewers in Los Angeles can catch the game on KCAL.
RELATED ARTICLES
Kobe well enough to carry Lakers (The San Bernardino Sun, Nov. 3, 2009)
http://www.sbsun.com/sports/ci_13708694
Lakers GameDay (NBA.com, Nov. 3, 2009)
http://www.nba.com/lakers/news/091103_gameday_thunder.html?rss=true
Lakers beat Thunder in OT; Thoughts, links and NBA News (LA Times Lakers Blog, November 4, 2009)
http://lakersblog.latimes.com/lakersblog/2009/11/lakers-beat-thunder-in-ot-thoughts-links-and-nba-news-.html