Lakers: 3 Keys To Breaking The Losing Streak
The Lakers are in the midst of a 9 game losing streak. One more loss and they will tie the most consecutive losses in Los Angeles Lakers history. The last time the Lakers lost ten games in a row was April 8-24 1994.
The losing streak began on January 11, 2015 against the Portland Trailblazers, and through Tuesday night’s game against the Washington Wizards, the Lakers have averaged a woeful 88 points a game, shooting 42%. They have had 4 different starting lineups. Against Utah they had 7 assists. At Phoenix they had 23 turnovers. Against the Wizards they were outrebounded by 13. Facing a Houston team, without Dwight Howard, they shot 7% from the three point line. So, it is not just one area in which they have failed. It’s everywhere.
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To have success against the Chicago Bulls the Lakers must excel in three crucial areas.
First Quarter: They can’t get behind early. Bradley Beal of the Washington Wizards said he was surprised how confident the Lakers played in their last game. It showed as Wayne Ellington had a career high and the Lakers built an early 18 point lead. It is that type of effort that is crucial against a team like the Bulls who have depth and size at every position. The Lakers have to play harder. It will be a full house at Staples since it’s Pau Gasol’s first game back as a visitor. The crowd wants to salute Pau for everything he did to help them win championships. If the Lakers get off to a good start, the atmosphere will be chaotic.
Ball Movement: Without scorers to dominate play, the Lakers have to move the ball from side to side. Conventional wisdom was that Kobe Bryant’s absence would increase ball movement. But that has not been the case. The ball still sticks on one side of the floor, players hold it in their hands far too long and often they look confused as to where to go with it. Their lack of efficiency gives the defense time to set and contest shots. Jordan Clarkson’s responsibility as the starting point guard is to get the team into early offensive sets and to move without the ball.
Rebounding: Against the Bulls, who have two seven footers in the starting lineup, everyone, guards included, has to rebound, especially offensively. The Lakers don’t have the foot speed to compete with Derrick Rose and Jimmy Butler in transition when their missed shots turn into fast break opportunities. To negate that advantage, the Lakers have to go after missed shots to give themselves multiple opportunities. The same is true for defensive rebounds. The last time these two teams played, the Bulls outrebounded the Lakers by 18, 14 of those on the defensive end.
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