For much of the season, the Lakers were rightly seen as a team built to outscore teams and rely on offense. With LeBron James, Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves on the floor, the belief was that the team would be dominant offensively and ride that to success this year.
However, as the season has progressed, the defense has improved. In recent weeks, they’ve been able to rely on their defense more and more, particularly in games against some top opponents.
Monday’s win over the Rockets was the most shining example of that. In a game where the two offenses couldn’t throw a pea into the ocean, the Lakers turned up the intensity defensively to completely suffocate Houston.
The Rockets finished the fourth quarter shooting just 4-16 from the field while turning the ball over seven times. That helped the Lakers overcome their 7-24 shooting as they pulled away late.
“I thought defensively in the second half with some of the adjustments we made at halftime, we just executed really, really well, particularly with just trying to get the ball out of Durant’s hands,” Redick said. “Just a terrific defensive second half for us…You got to have a playoff mentality this time of year and I thought they did that well and they executed really well.”
“Playoff mentality” was a phrase repeated up and down the team postgame. Everything about that game felt like a postseason contest, so it makes sense it was a phrase used often. And given that this could be a first round preview, it held even more weight that the Lakers came away victorious.
“It’s kind of like playoff basketball,” LeBron said. “Two playoff teams just figuring out how to get a bucket but also trying to stay focused and locked in on both sides of the floor. That’s sometimes how playoff basketball is. You can’t just rely on the offensive end. You have to be able to buckle down and get stops.”
To win playoff games, you can’t be one-dimensional. The Lakers are showing they are not in recent contests, and are doing it in sustainable ways.
Against the Rockets, they did a great job of doubling Kevin Durant to force the ball out of his hands and recovering on the backside to prevent a basket. Against the Nuggets, they did well to front Nikola Jokić and limit his production in the two-man game.
All of that is commitment to the gameplan. The Lakers are continuing to show an ability and willigness to do that, which could pay off for them in a big way come the spring.
