Defensive Identity
One of the main reasons that the Lakers have had a four-game win streak has been their defense. After struggling early in the season, the team seems to have found its defensive identity and stay consistent with it.
Over their win streak, the team has forced its opponents to shoot an average of 39.2 percent from the floor and 33.1 percent from deep. Comparing this to their respective season averages of 45.6 and 34.3 percent, displays the change in attitude and focus on the defensive end.
Yesterday, the Lakers forced the Mavs to shoot 37.8 percent from the field and 25.6 percent from the perimeter. This was very important and useful to the team as they battled foul trouble and let the Mavs attempt 28 free throws.
The team also did a great job of stopping the Mavs’ recent triple-threat – Dennis Smith Jr., Harrison Barnes, and Dirk Nowtizki. DSJ had the best game out of all three with 23 points, but he shot 42.1 percent from the floor. Barnes struggled heavily as he scored 17 points, but shot 33.3 percent. Lastly, Nowitzki was not able to do any damage as he only scored six points on one field goal and shot 14.3 percent from the field.