Rick Carlisle Credits 'Great Coaching' for Lakers' 3-Game Win Streak

Dallas Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle told reporters Friday he believes the Los Angeles Lakers' three-game winning streak has been the product of "great coaching," according to Bobby Karalla of the team's official website.

Carlisle, who is the head of the NBA Coaches Association, recently came to the defense of Lakers head coach Luke Walton after LaVar Ball told ESPN.com's Jeff Goodman he thought Walton had lost the team during a nine-game losing streak. 

"As president of the coaches association, I view the recent ESPN article as a disgrace, quite honestly," Carlisle said, according to ESPN.com's Tim MacMahon. "Luke Walton is a terrific, young coach who is bringing along a young team, and it's a difficult task. If you don't believe it, just ask me. We're going through that now and went through that last year."

The Lakers snapped their three-game losing streak Sunday with a win over the Atlanta Hawks, and they have kept things rolling with victories over the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday and the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday. 

While that sample is small and the opponents weren't stifling, the Lakers have showed legitimate improvement over the past five days. 

According to NBA.com, the Lakers have posted a league-best defensive rating (90.1) and have outscored opponents by 14.6 points per 100 possessions during that brief stretch. 

Walton's crew will attempt to rattle off another win Saturday against Carlisle's Mavericks at American Airlines Center.