Have the Lakers Learned Their Lesson?
As they say, one game does not make a season. However, tonightโs 107-89 victory against the Thunder in Oklahoma City is something to build on.
With a 56-14 overall record and an NBA-best, 25-9 road record, one might think what more do the Lakers need to build. The answer in a wordโdefense.
The team with the greatest vanishing act in the NBA has made leads disappear into thin air, all season long. The bigger the lead the more incredible the disappearance.
How do they do it? You undoubtedly have heard of black holes in deep space. Well, the Lakers have one of their own that engulfs them nearly every time they get a double-digit lead.
Scientific analysis of this phenomenon has discovered several factors that account for itโdribble penetration, uncontested threes, back-door traps, and pick and rolls. Such faulty defense has created a huge hole in the Lakers' game that swallows up leads like black holes in space swallow up remnants of burned out suns.
Finally, tonight, that defensive black hole failed to surface. Instead, a strong defense kicked in, and the Lakers jumped off to a 37-20 first quarter lead. Not only didnโt the lead vanish in the second quarter, but the Lakers actually increased it to 62-38 at halftime.
The Thunder did shave a few points off in the third quarter, (90-72) but with Lamar Odom having fouled out and the rest of the starters watching from court-side, the Lakersโ bench managed to hold onto their 18-point lead throughout the final period.
As a team, the Lakers shot 50 percent. The Lakersโ bench shot nearly 46 percent. Six Lakers wound up in double figures. Kobe Bryant had 19 points, Lamar Odom ended with 18, before fouling out. Pau Gasol was the real star with 14 points, 14 rebounds, and seven assists. Josh Powell also had 14 points off the bench. Derek Fisher and Luke Walton had 11 points each.
Meanwhile, the Lakers' defense held the Thunder to just 89 points. Considering that the Thunder are now 20-51, thatโs no great feat by NBA standards. However, the way the Lakers have been giving away leads of late, this game could be considered their "line in the sand."
For the Thunder, who shot 41.5 percent, Kevin Durant had a game-high 24 points. Jeff Green accounted for 12 points. Nenad Krstic finished with 11 points.
Next, the Lakers travel to Detroit to see if their newly found defense can hold up against the Pistons on Thursday.
Like a lot of Detroitโs products the Pistons have been sputtering lately. Nevertheless, they have already notched a 106-95 win against the Lakers back in November at the Staples Center and will be hungry for a win, having lost seven out of their last 10 games.
