The LA Lakers have won three games in a row and a defensive improvement is key reason why.
A few weeks ago it was looking pretty scary for the LA Lakers. The low point was a blowout loss against the Miami Heat, a 41-point margin.
LeBron James took a short break, and the Lakers are looking refreshed, tightening up. Over the past five games, Lakers opponents are averaging just 100.8 points.
When you can restrict your opponents scoring, you have a lot better chance to win games, and the Lakers’ record has improved to 16-12, fifth in the Western Conference.
Anthony Davis‘ impact on the team was praised after LA Lakers latest win over the Sacramento Kings, a 103-99 victory.
The Lakers have now won their last three games over the Kings, having previously lost five straight under Darvin Ham.
Speaking in his post-game press conference, JJ Redick says the Lakers could not be playing this well without the defensive improvement from Anthony Davis.
Redick said: “I would say there’s a number of factors that have helped our defense improve.
“I could go down the list of those, but the reality is, we are not going to be a good defensive team, we can’t be a good defensive team unless he’s fully engaged on that end.
“I challenged him a few weeks ago, and he’s been unbelievable ever since.
“That starts with trying to get back and load and transition. It starts with his box, his physical box outs, his talk, his demeanor… has been great for the past few weeks and it’s a big reason why our defense has been so good.”
Anthony Davis scored only 10 points in the win over the Kings – but his performance was about so much more than his scoring.
Davis grabbed 15 rebounds, also providing 5 assists. In the previous win, Davis put up 20 rebounds, prompting Lakers legend James Worthy to compare him to Moses Malone.
During the Lakers’ losing streak, Davis’ effort had been questioned, while there were even calls for the team to consider trading him and blowing it all up.
That won’t happen while the Lakers look good for play-off contention, and instead they are more likely to add a center to the team, allowing Davis to switch position.
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