Derek Fisher racked up season-highs in assists and steals on Tuesday night, propelling the Lakers to a 110-99 victory over the New Orleans Hornets.
Fish scored seven points on 2-6 shooting and grabbed three rebounds, but it was his seven assists and five steals — team highs in both categories — that really stood out.
No. 2 dished out three assists in the first six minutes of the game, helping the Lakers get out to a quick five-point lead. He finished the first period with six assists, his highest total for any quarter this season.
 Derek and the Lakers were all smiles after a decisive win over New Orleans (Getty Images). |
Derek sat out most of the second quarter, but when he returned in the third, D-Fish started thieving.
He had back-to-back steals on the Hornets second and third possessions to start the second half. Those two swipes led to five quick Laker points and stretched their lead to 23.
No. 2 had one more steal with three minutes left in the quarter, which turned into a bucket for Lamar Odom. Fish’s lone block also came in the third frame.
THIEVERY CORPORATION
According to the Kamenetzky Brothers, of the Los Angeles Times, Derek’s performance last night was one of the best they’ve seen from the guard this season, and indicative of how his game has ramped up in the past few weeks.
“Seven assists in 24 minutes is certainly nice, but the five steals indicate how active his hands were. Fish stepped in front of passing lanes, knocked balls loose, was credited with a blocked shot, and did a decent job using his strength against the lightning quick Darren Collison.”
The bloggers are seeing all sorts of things they like with D-Fish, including some solid outside shooting and continued leadership while running the defense.
Overall, Fisher’s game has come around in the last couple weeks… He’s directing traffic well, starting to knock down perimeter shots with greater consistency, and has played a major part in the run of solid defensive games thrown down by the purple and gold (seven straight wins, seven straight games where the opposition failed to crack the century mark).
NEXT UP
The Lakers are off until Friday, when they host the Miami Heat. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 pm. PST and all the action can be seen nationwide on ESPN.
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