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Looking at the last 15 games, the Los Angeles Lakers have held the NBA’s second-best defensive rating behind only the Cleveland Cavaliers, as per the league’s official website. The Lakers have gone 12-3 during the stretch, with LeBron James being a driving catalyst behind the team’s defense.
The Lakers’ 106-102 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday was the sixth-consecutive game they’ve held an opponent to 102 points or fewer. After the game, Luka Doncic spoke about why the Lakers’ defense has been stifling as of late.
“Everybody’s got each other's back on the defensive end. If somebody penetrates, there’s always somebody that’s going to help, and the rotation is very good,” Doncic said. “I think we just connect on defense. Everybody is fighting around, and the talk is amazing. That’s two or three things that help.”
Considering the current league average in points per game is 113.5, as per StatMuse, the Lakers defense holding opponents to more than 10 points below that during this stretch is very impressive, even more so considering the fact that they lost two of their best defensive players in Anthony Davis and Max Christie.
The Lakers’ defense has been a collective effort with the second unit, led by Gabe Vincent and Jarred Vanderbilt, providing a huge boost. Both players saw extensive time guarding the Clippers two stars in Kawhi Leonard and James Harden.
Following the game, Vincent spoke about James and Doncic’s ability to get out in transition after turnovers as part of the driving force behind the Lakers’ defensive intensity.
“It just looks like we have more life to us. We’re bouncing around, guys are flying everywhere, we’re rotating, taking more pride on the ball, it’s great,” Vincent said. “You got guys like ‘Bron and Lula who can get out and push the break themselves and go score or throw a touchdown pass. . .that gives guys a lot of confidence to get out and run the lanes as well.”
Luka Doncic fitting in with Lakers
It’s been seven games now that Doncic has been in the Lakers lineup. He missed the team’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers on Feb. 20 after making his debut on Feb. 10.
Luka Doncic has been every bit a part of the team’s defense that he spoke so highly about. While his seven-game stretch is a relatively small sample size in the grand scheme of things, he holds the second-best individual defensive rating (108.0) on the team behind only Jarred Vanderbilt (107.7) during that time period, as per StatMuse.
The five-time All-Star is clearly still getting his legs under him, but overall he’s fit well with a group that actually had momentum before his debut. Doncic acknowledged that during the three-game stretch before he made his return to the court, with wins over the Clippers, Golden State Warriors and Indiana Pacers, was when he knew how good this Lakers team could be.
“I think the first thing I noticed was how connected to playing on both ends of the floor. The ball is moving, and that’s the first thing I learned, or I watched the first time,” Doncic said. “For me, it was just trying to fit in to a bit of a different basketball than I’m used to. But since I’ve been back, they just let me be me. I got a long way to go, but slowly I’m starting to feel like myself.”
The Lakers will face off against the Clippers once again on Sunday, in what will be the final meeting of the regular season between the two. The Lakers are 2-1 in the season series so far. Both teams are jostling for positioning in the Western Conference standings.
The Lakers are in fourth place with a record of 37-21, while the Clippers are in sixth place with a record of 32-27.
