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I'd be okay calling Friday night's matchup between the Orlando Magic and Los Angeles Lakers at the half. Just end it now, and we can all go on our merry way. It's lockout ball, which is bad enough, but it's also televised nationally on ESPN. This is not an advertisement for the game.
Whatever the reason -- likely tired legs after enduring long stretches of games -- the baeketball has been flat bad. The Lakers scored 10 points in the first quarter, and it hasn't gotten much better. Midway through the second, Los Angeles finally trended above a projected final score of 40, but just barely. And the shooting? Oh, the shooting.
Players are hitting the bottom of the front of the rim, shots are missing the typical arc and the ability to run a crisp offense has been missing in action throughout the first half. Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol are a combined 0-7, Metta World Peace is 0-4 and Derek Fisher is one of two Los Angeles players who made more than one shot in the half -- he was 3-of-7.
Kobe Bryant is the only one doing anything and this probably shouldn't surprise you. Bryant finished the half with 15 points, hitting 6-of-10 shots. The team shot 28.9 percent from the field, as well. And because there were so many misses, Dwight Howard had a whopping 14 rebounds in the half.
Troy Murphy and Matt Barnes were the only other Lakers to connect from the field, each making one shot. Yes, four players actually made field goals for the Lakers in the first half, and that was it.
At the half, the Magic lead the Lakers, 48-31. We're still far from on-pace for a respectable looking final score, but it's something, considering how this game began.
For more on the Lakers, be sure to visit Silver Screen and Roll. The best Magic community on the web can be found at Orlando Pinstriped Post. For more on the basketball world in general, check out SB Nation's NBA page.