Los Angeles Lakers shine on defense with Avery Bradley back in the lineup

The Los Angeles Lakers were able to defeat the Orlando Magic on Tuesday in Avery Bradley’s return.  Even though he didn’t play a ton, the Lakers were much better defensively.

With a 22-3 record now, the Los Angeles Lakers are rolling through the competition. Both at the Staples Center and on the road, the Lakers are proving to be one of the best teams in the league.

While the Lakers have had a lot of success, they have had to deal with some injuries to rotation players. Arguably the most significant injury for the Lakers so far this season was the hairline fracture in Avery Bradley’s leg.

Prior to getting injured, Bradley was playing some good basketball for the Lakers, especially on the defensive end of the court. As a team, the Lakers are one of the best in the league on the defensive end of the court. A lot of that has to do with Bradley.

While the Lakers still played well on the defensive end in his absence, they are certainly better defensive team with him on the court. In his return to action, Bradley played just 17 minutes and he certainly looked a bit rusty. However, the Lakers had one of their best defensive games in a while with him back in the lineup.

After the game, Frank Vogel commented on the defense in Bradley’s return.

Right from the start, the Lakers’ defense was locked in against the Magic. Orlando only scored nine points in the first quarter, and while they did make things a bit interesting, the Lakers held on and kept the Magic under 90 points in the game.

As Bradley gets healthy and knocks the rust off, it will be interesting to see what Vogel does with the starting lineup. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope has been very good as a starter, which means Bradley might have to play his way back into the starting five.

With Bradley now back, the Lakers will likely continue to shine on the defensive end of the court. Hopefully, he knocks the rust off soon and will be 100 percent very soon.