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Los Angeles Lakers: Luke Walton not pleased with defense against Clippers

By Nick Ziegler

LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 27: Luke Walton of the Los Angeles Lakers argues with the referee's call during a 120-115 loss to the LA Clippers at Staples Center on November 27, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 27: Luke Walton of the Los Angeles Lakers argues with the referee's call during a 120-115 loss to the LA Clippers at Staples Center on November 27, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /
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On Monday night, the Los Angeles Lakers allowed 120 points to the Los Angeles Clippers. After the game, Luke Walton was not pleased with the defensive effort.

One of the most encouraging things about the Los Angeles Lakers this season has been the big improvement on the defensive end of the court. With a lot of new players on the team compared to last season, this group is much better defensively than we have seen in the recent past.

On Monday, the defense did not have a good game against the Clippers. Despite scoring 115 points, the Lakers lost to the Clippers. While there were a few players on the Lakers that performed well offensively, it was hard to find many that played well defensively in this game.

After the game, Luke Walton talked about the poor effort defensive to Corey Hansford of LakersNation.com. Here’s what Walton had to say.

"“I was really disappointed in our individual defense down the stretch,” Lakers head coach Luke Walton said after the loss. “Our guys have been good all year at taking on that challenge. I thought Larry did a very nice job on Blake, but the rest of our guys, we just conceded.”"

Since the Lakers allowed 120 points, it comes as no surprise to see some of the big scoring numbers on Clippers. Their top performer in the win was Lou Williams. Due to injuries in their backcourt, the Clippers have been starting Williams at point guard. On Monday, Williams exploded for 42 points, as he wasn’t missing too many shots against the Lakers.

In addition to the strong game from Williams, Blake Griffin also had a good game. Against the Lakers, Griffin totaled 26 points, 11 rebounds, and six assists. Seeing big numbers for Griffin against the Lakers is not too surprising, but Walton credited Larry Nance Jr. for doing a good job on Blake.

Next: 3 Takeaways from loss to Clippers

Since the Lakers have been much better defensively this season, the game against the Clippers could have just been an off night for them. However, after the holiday break for the Lakers, they should have had a lot more energy on the defensive end.

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