Right now, there is a healthy amount of optimism surrounding the Los Angeles Lakers. They have won five straight games and 10 of their last 12, and with a 13-4 record, they sit in second place in the Western Conference.
But the basketball world seems split on whether they’re legitimate championship contenders right now as presently constituted. The ones who would say no point to the Lakers’ defensive woes as the reason the team is just short of being elite.
While the Lakers defeated the Los Angeles Clippers by 17 points and put up 135 very efficient points on Tuesday, their defense wasn’t exactly impressive. They allowed the Clippers to score 66 points in the first half and shoot 51.9% from the field for the game, and afterward, LeBron James said that defense will determine how far the Purple and Gold will go this season.
Via Lakers Nation:
“In order for us to be as great as we want to be, we’ve got to defend. We’ve got to get multiple stops in a row. We know what we can do offensively but defensively is going to be our staple and we showcased that in the fourth.”
The Lakers currently rank 16th in defensive rating, and many feel they lack above-average defenders, especially on the perimeter. But in that fourth quarter, they held the Clippers to 8-of-20 shooting from the field and 2-of-8 from 3-point range. The Lakers started the period ahead 98-93, but by the nine-minute mark, they led by double digits, and they never looked back.
This victory clinched West Group B in the Emirates NBA Cup for the Lakers, which means they will be heading to the quarterfinal round. They will have one final group play game on Friday versus the Dallas Mavericks.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: LeBron James on the quality that will determine Lakers’ success
Reporting by Robert Marvi, LeBron Wire / LeBron Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
