1. Defense, defense and more defense
As the old saying goes, defense wins championships. The Los Angeles Lakers are taking that to heart. Virtually night in and night out, regardless of how things are going offensively, the team brings it on the defensive side of the ball.
Against the Magic, the Lakers locked in on defense from the opening tip. They held Orlando to only nine points and four made baskets in the first quarter. Overall, the Magic shot 42 percent from the field and only 30.8 percent from the 3-point line, finishing with only 87 points.
The Lakers were able to play defense without fouling as well, which isn’t always easy to do. They committed only 17 fouls in the game, resulting in 17 free throw attempts for the Magic. Los Angeles also finished the game with 10 blocks and four steals.
Anthony Davis, LeBron James and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope all had multiple steals in the game, while Davis added two blocks as well.
It is encouraging that the Lakers can get the job done on the defensive end to help pick the team up on night’s their offense is not clicking.