With three victories in four matches, the Lakers are on a good streak, which is largely explained by a newfound defense. Since the start of the season, it has often been random, whereas here, the Californians have only conceded an average of 101.3 points over these ten days.
The latest success against the Kings even particularly pleased JJ Redick. “This might be my favorite win of the season”, advance the coach.
“Because we were not effective offensively”, he continues. “But we fought, we limited the transitions, we avoided giving second chances. All these things we talk about, which give us chances of winning night after night if we are not very skillful or if we are down offensively. We did all that in this meeting. »
The Lakers know nights without attack, especially in December. So we had to get by with the defense. “The priority in defense is to be responsible and support others”announces LeBron James. “We cannot be overwhelmed or, if that is the case, then we must be in tune with the other players. And it starts with communication and we've been doing it well for four meetings. »
The presence of Anthony Davis near the circle feels good
If the defense is so effective in these four games (98.5 points conceded over 100 possessions), it is also thanks to Anthony Davis, 18 rebounds and 6 blocks against Sacramento. “He is unique. He did Anthony Davis”begins LeBron James. “He was phenomenal and that shows his level: he can shoot 7/20 and still dominate a match”rejoices JJ Redick.
The interior takes particular care to stay close to the circle, to protect it when the outside defenders are overtaken. This is essential for the Lakers who do not have big defenders on the perimeter, even if Max Christie does good. And it's no coincidence that the former Pelicans averages 3.8 blocks in this sequence.
“This presence near the circle, we talked about it all season and it is undoubtedly there, in my opinion, where we have progressed the most. She is constantly present,” judge the coach of the Californians. “We weren't good before, because a defender was beaten and no one was protecting the basket. We were able to train, focus on that, and it translates into a match,” notes Anthony Davis.
