JJ Redick was impressed with ‘terrific defensive’ effort vs. Rockets

For a lot of the season, the Lakers have been rightly seen as a group constructed to outscore groups and depend on offense. With LeBron James, Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves on the ground, the idea was that the group can be dominant offensively and trip that to success this yr.

However, because the season has progressed, the protection has improved. In current weeks, they have been in a position to depend on their protection an increasing number of, notably in video games towards some prime opponents.

Monday’s win over the Rockets It was probably the most shining instance of that. In a recreation the place the 2 offenses could not throw a pea into the ocean, the Lakers turned up the depth defensively to fully suffocate Houston.

The Rockets completed the fourth quarter taking pictures simply 4-16 from the sphere whereas turning the ball over seven occasions. That helped the Lakers overcome their 7-24 taking pictures as they pulled away late.

“I thought defensively in the second half with some of the adjustments we made at halftime, we just executed really, really well, particularly with just trying to get the ball out of Durant’s hands,” Redick stated. “Just a terrific defensive second half for us…You got to have a playoff mentality this time of year and I thought they did that well and they executed really well.”

“Playoff mentality” was a phrase repeated up and down the group postgame. Everything about that recreation felt like a postseason contest, so it is sensible it was a phrase used usually. And on condition that this might be a primary spherical preview, it held much more weight than the Lakers got here away victorious.

“It’s kind of like playoff basketball,” LeBron stated. “Two playoff teams just figuring out how to get a bucket but also trying to stay focused and locked in on both sides of the floor. That’s sometimes how playoff basketball is. You can’t just rely on the offensive end. You have to be able to buckle down and get stops.”

To win playoff video games, you possibly can’t be one-dimensional. The Lakers are displaying they don’t seem to be in current contests, and are doing it in sustainable methods.

Against the rocketsthey did an awesome job of doubling Kevin Durant to pressure the ball out of his fingers and recovering on the bottom to forestall a basket. Against the nuggetsthey did properly to entrance Nikola Jokić and restrict his manufacturing within the two-man recreation.

All of that’s dedication to the gameplan. The Lakers are persevering with to point out a capability and willigness to do this, which might repay for them in an enormous means come the spring.