Take a team lacking in defense and make them play two nights in a row. This is what will happen on the second night.
The Lakers lose by 20 to Phoenix. (The Suns shoot 50% from three.) The Lakers lose by 23 to Golden State. (The Warriors shoot 55%.) The Lakers lose by 7 to New Orleans. (The Pelicans shoot 54%.)
The rare win, a mild uptick in the learning curve, happened in Houston. The Rockets shoot 40% and the Lakers win by 6.
Dec 1, 2014; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Wizards guard John Wall (2) dribbles as Miami Heat forward Shawne Williams (43) defends during the first half at Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
Tonight, against the Washington Wizards, it will be the Lakers 5th back to back in the first six weeks of the NBA season. The Wizards present tough matchups across the board. John Wall will blitz by Jeremy Lin the way cold air blows through tree leaves. Jordan Hill was efficiently dominant last night against Detroit but Marcin Gortat is bigger and can shoot over him. Bradley Beal, a three point specialist-he’s shooting 43% from three- faces a team in the Lakers that give up 25 three point attempts per game.
Not to mention Paul Pierce’s crafty gamesmanship. The purple and gold Lakers uniforms transport him back to his childhood dreams of being a Laker. All Paul Pierce wants to do is destroy the Lakers and then brag about it. Once a Celtic, always a Celtic.
The Lakers bench, thin on talent, will be asked to defend the Wizards bench, the 10th best in scoring in the NBA. The Wizards are a top five defensive team. They give up 96 points a game.
For the Wizards, Nene is out for a while and they start Kris Humphries in his place at power forward. Humphries is not much of a threat to do anything besides rebound and the occasional open jumper. The Wizards are not particularly skilled at scoring in the paint. They rank 21st. Their rebounding numbers are even with the Lakers. Primarily, they are the east coast version of the Golden State Warriors. Their strength is the outside where the Lakers are particularly weak.
But the Lakers have not lost to a team in the East. They are 4-0. Two of those wins (Atlanta, Toronto) are against teams who have won 62% of their games. Their perfect record is on the line tonight.
And the Kobe Watch continues. 127 points from tying Michael Jordan.