The Lakers did a credible job of defending Shaquille O’Neal and Amare Stoudemire in the first half, limiting O’Neal to seven points on 3-for-7 shooting and Stoudemire to nine points on 4-for-10 shooting. They double-teamed O’Neal in the post and made him pass more often than shoot.

Meanwhile, Kobe Bryant’s shooting woes continued. He scored 12 points in the first half on 4-for-12 shooting. Andrew Bynum picked up three fouls in the first half and had four points, the same total as Pau Gasol. Vlad Radmanovic had nine points on 3-for-3 shooting from beyond the 3-point line.

It’s been a choppy game so far, but what did you expect? It’s still November.