The Los Angeles Lakers have their full lineup back on the floor. Unfortunately, their defense appears to have gone missing.
Monday night, the Lakers’ defense only made a brief appearance in the first half against Orlando. However, Los Angeles was unable to defend Franz Wagner or Paolo Banchero, and as a result, they were defeated by the Magic 118-106. “I think we should look back to the way we played in that eight-game winning streak [from 20 February to 6 March],” said Luka Dončić, who led the Lakers with 32 points in the loss. “I think we got a little bit satisfied, and we can’t afford that.”
He added that it was down to him and LeBron James to halt the slump in form.
I think me and Bron, think we should be the guys to do that,” Dončić said. “That lies with me. I’ve got to do better, I’ve got to talk more. I shouldn’t have spoken in the first half and then kind of lowered my voice afterward. The Lakers’ roster was back at full strength on Saturday, when James and Rui Hachimura returned from injuries that had kept them out for seven and 12 games respectively But, Los Angeles were routed at home that night, falling 146-111 to the Chicago Bulls. Although Monday night wasn’t quite as bad, the same thing happened. JJ Redick, the coach of the Lakers, stated, “There are a couple of guys, maybe from the schedule or from being out of the lineup, that just look tired.” “That happens periodically throughout a season when a group gets tired. That’s how it feels right now, you know. We weren’t able to sustain the level of intensity we started the game with.”
The Lakers went on an eight-game winning streak shortly after acquiring Dončić from the Dallas Mavericks in February. Since then, injuries – most notably to James – have set in, and they have lost seven of 10.
Redick said it may be a matter of better communication and getting the new rotation back into a rhythm. But, the defensive letdowns in the last two games have been concerning.
“We’ve got to get back to who we are, focusing on that,” the Lakers coach said. “I think because of the lack of court time, prioritizing rest over shoot-arounds and walk-throughs over the last couple of weeks, we’ve just developed some really bad habits defensively. That came to fruition.
“And there’s always some weird stuff that happens at this time of the year. It was disappointing to give the Bulls 81 points in a half and play our worst defensive game of the season when we were whole. Wagner, who scored 32 points, and Banchero, who added 30, got to their spots on the floor and did what they wanted in the second half on Monday night, and the Lakers couldn’t stop them.
“This team is built around those two, and trying to stop them is hard,” Dončić said. I believe we had a good start to the game. We played great defense and they made some tough shots. The way we played the first half, we have to play that way the whole 48 minutes.”
Despite being the lowest-scoring team in the NBA, the Magic shot 49.4% (42 for 85) and had just nine turnovers. The Lakers blocked one shot.
“In the third quarter we let our offense affect our defense,” Dorian Finney-Smith said. “It’s up to us. We must hold one another accountable. We’ve got to put together a 48-minute game.”
