Los Angeles Lakers: 5 takeaways from opening night loss to Clippers

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LOS ANGELES, CA – OCTOBER 19: Sam Dekker #7 of the LA Clippers handles the ball against the Los Angeles Lakers on October 19, 2017 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Solid Defensive Showing

Last season, arguably the biggest issue for the Lakers was their defense. They were the easiest team to shoot against, ranking last in opponent’s field goal percentage. They surrendered 111.5 points per game, as they couldn’t stop a cold.

Against the Clippers, at least for one night, the Lakers looked okay on defense. Yes, there were definitely some lapses, that is why they faced such a large deficit. However, Luke Walton should be happy with the effort that he saw from some of his players.

The Clippers shot an underwhelming 39.3 percent from the field, including 12-of-33 from deep, which came out to 36.4 percent. Danilo Gallinari shot only 3-of-13 from the field, as the Lakers played solid defense on the perimeter. On the inside is where they struggled, namely with slowing down Griffin and Jordan.

It was a good defensive performance, but far from a perfect one for the Lakers. Their inability to finish possessions hurt them, as the Clippers had 17 offensive rebounds. It led to multiple scoring chances for the Clippers and they took advantage.

The initial defense for the Lakers was solid, but their inability to come up with the rebounds hurt them. It was a step in the right direction defensively, but there is still work to be done on this end of the court.

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