"It's making the choice. There's shortcuts you can take or you can do the hard thing and you can make the second effort or you can sprint back or you can't. It's just a choice and there's a million choices in a game, and you're very likely not gonna make every choice correctly. But can you make the vast majority of 'em correctly? It gives you a chance to win."
"Coming off back-to-back losses for the first time this season, the Lakers (19-9) are ranked 28th in defensive rating in the last 14 games entering a Christmas Day showcase against the Houston Rockets at 5 p.m. PST at Arena. The Lakers, without any individual shutdown defenders, need a perfectly executed team defense to compete. But 15 different starting lineups in 28 games has delayed some of the team's ability to build continuity."
The Lakers' defensive problems arise from numerous small, poor choices on individual plays that accumulate into consistent breakdowns. The team has given up 132 points in a recent blowout and sits 28th in defensive rating over the last 14 games. Roster instability has been an issue, with 15 different starting lineups in 28 games and the full 14 standard-contract players active for only two games. Injuries factor in: Rui Hachimura (groin) and Luka Doncic (leg) could return Thursday, Gabe Vincent is out with lower-back soreness, and Jaxson Hayes left a recent game with a left-ankle tweak. The Rockets arrive 17-10 but have lost five of seven, led offensively by Kevin Durant at 25.2 points.
Read at Los Angeles Times
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]