It might seem like Derek Fisher reserves his late-game heroics for the postseason. But when the cards are down, no matter what the calender says, Fish can come up big for the Lakers as he did Wednesday night.
No. 2 came up clutch with seven points in less than one-minute of fourth quarter game-time to lead Los Angeles to a 112-100 victory over the Sacramento Kings.
Fish scored just four points, grabbed three rebounds and dished out a pair of assists in his first 27 minutes of action on the night. But with four minutes left in the fourth, the Kings’ Tyreke Evans, followed a 1-of-2 trip to the line for D-Fish with a driving layup that cut the Lakers lead to seven, its lowest point since the end of the first half.
Just as that play galvanized a young Sacramento team and energized a raucous ARCO Arena crowd back into the game, it told Fish it was time to take it upon himself to put the game away.
First, No. 2 took a dish from Ron Artest and knocked down a corner three to open the lead back up to ten. On Sacramento’s ensuing possession, Derek swiped the ball from Carl Landry, drove the length of the court and finished at the cup whilst getting fouled. D-Fish hit his free throw to put the Lakers up 13 with just over three minutes to play and hush the Sacramento crowd.
No. 2’s stout play wasn’t the main course on a night when Kobe Bryant put up a triple-double, but D-Fish’s night caught the eye of the Los Angeles Times’ Mark Medina, who can never get enough of late-game heroics from the wily vet.
"Someone forgot to deliver the memo to Fisher that this is only the Lakers’ fifth regular-season game and not the postseason. But Fisher delivered against the Kings as if it were the 2004 West semifinals against San Antonio, the 2009 NBA Finals against Orlando, the 2010 West semifinals against Utah and the 2010 NBA Finals against Boston."
Derek absolutely took over the game, Medina said, and his big three was a sweet sequence of ball-movement and cuts.
"After he fed an entry pass to Bryant, Fisher cut across the lane toward the corner of the far-side perimeter. Bryant drove the lane, met a double team and fired a pass to Ron Artest. He then swung the ball to Fisher, whose shot rimmed into the hoop.
The late-game outburst was vintage Fish because it came following a modest first three quarters. Before he’d made his move, Derek had only taken two shots, both in the first quarter, hitting a three pointer and missing a runner. And before his big three, No. 2 missed a trey moments earlier, which he felt the need to atone for.
"I felt like I missed an easy, open 3, so that next one out of the corner I was shooting it before it even touched my hand," Fish told ESPN. "I already knew I was going to shoot it and it was going to go in."
But because the Lakers had built up a comfortable lead through three frames, Fish thought his night was done when he came out toward the end of the third. When things started to get tight though, Lakers coach Phil Jackson went to his field general, who rose to the occasion.
"Phil went back
[to me] and I was just glad I was able to help," Derek said.He did more than just help. He delivered, and afterward, received strong praise from his teammates.
"Big play Derek," Lamar Odom said. "The Yankees got Derek Jeter, we got Derek Fisher."
ON KOBE
Of course, even when he’s the hero, Fish is quick to lavish praise on his teammates, and he had high words for Kobe Bryant and No. 24’s 30-point, 12-assist 10-rebound game."I thought he might start off struggling to find some rhythm and he would build some rhythm as things went. To see him play this well this early, he’s on my team, so that’s good for me. But that’s not good for everyone else when he’s playing this good this early."
NEXT UP
Fish and the Purple and Gold take on the Chris Bosh-less Toronto Raptors for the first time tonight at the Staples Center.The Lakers split the season series with the Raptors last year, losing at home and winning on the road.
Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 PST and the game can be seen on FSWest.
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