TLDR: Wrote a program that parses the website popcornmachine.net for games, aggregates +/- and minutes for specific lineups.

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lineup data

Observations:

Our starting lineup sucked as always, and not just in the first quarter. They were -10 in the first quarter and -3 in the third. This has been a consistent trend this season.

The Reaves-Prince-Rui-Wood-Hayes combo looks fine here at +0, but they were actually really bad. They had a lucky small stint of +5 due to some lucky calls from the officials and getting to the line, but they really struggled without either LeBron or AD on the court.

AD was off tonight, maybe he was tired from last night, maybe he got punked by Sabonis. Even if he struggled offensively in the playoffs, we could always trust him to be elite defensively, but he just wasn’t tonight.

Our best lineup was Dlo-Reaves-Reddish-Bron-AD. Reddish has been fantastic on the defensive end, and knows his role very well to just sit in a corner and knockdown threes. However, I think this lineup is a little overrated by the data, as there was a stretch in which Dlo hit 3/4 threes, which you don’t expect him to do every night.

Ham played Rui-Bron-AD for 1:46, and Wood-Bron-AD for 0 minutes. I really want to see that Dlo-Reddish-Rui-Bron-AD lineup more, as I feel they got a great look everytime, and the only bucket was Sabonis isoing Rui and the Lakers not sending help (Sabonis was isoing AD and getting buckets on him so).

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Play-by-play analysis of the Dlo-Reddish-Rui-Bron-AD:

Offensive possession 1:

First play started off as a double drag, and Heurter was trying to help off Cam in the play, so Bron passes it to the corner, Cam attacks the closeout beautifully, but misses the drop off pass to AD or the corner kick out to Rui and misses the layup.

That’s ok, becauase he steals the ball back and gets layup immediately.

Defensive possession 1:

On the defensive end, Reddish does a good job denying Monk the ball on the perimter, forcing him to back cut into AD and Rui’s help defense. He passes back out to Sabonis, and even though Cam is out of position, he’s so fast and long that he was able to get back in position to contest, leading to Sabonis to pass to Murray in the corner, which Rui gets a hand up to contest as well. Miss.

Offensive possession 2:

On the next possession, Lakers clear out the left block, and the Kings miscommunicate a switch, leading to LeBron driving past Monk and Heurter (two guards) and getting a wide open dunk.

Defensive possession 2:

Next defensive possession, Sabonis runs a DHO to get switched onto Rui, bullies him in the post and scores. Hit him with a really clean hesi to get him to leave his feet, then bury into inside positioning. Sabonis was on something tonight.

Offensive possession 3:

Next offensive possession, Bron swings it to Dlo out of pick and roll with AD who swings it to a wide open Cam in the corner, just happens to miss it.

Defensive possession 3:

Kings run DHO with Sabonis and Murray, but since Rui was guarding Sabonis and AD was guarding Murray, no real advantage was gained and the play fizzles out into a pass out to Barnes who loses the ball. Murray comes away with it, and Rui ends up drawing the charge on Sabonis.

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So in this stretch, in our 3 offensive possessions, we got a great look for Reddish to attack in the closeout that he just missed the extra pass, LeBron open dunk, wide open look for Reddish that happens to rim out.

In the 3(4?) defensive possessions, we got a steal into a layup by Reddish, forced the Kings to take a contested 3 in which they missed, Sabonis iso bucket on Rui, charge drawn on Sabonis by Rui.

So even though the +/- doesn’t jump off the page, I think this lineup works, or at least deserves more run.