4. Win the Rebound Battle
The Lakers are one of the largest teams in the NBA. Their typical game plan on any given night is to beat up a team in the paint. Their size and length are difficult for teams to match.
Not only do teams need to handle the outstretched arms of Anthony Davis and JaVale McGee in the starting lineup, but then Dwight Howard can outmuscle teams off the bench. Throw in the addition of LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers should out-rebound nearly every team.
This was not the case in their first matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks. The Bucks showed that they wanted this win much more. They out-rebounded this long Lakers team 53-45. They also limited the Lakers’ second-chance points in this game, something that they rely heavily on in most games. Brook Lopez kept JaVale McGee and Dwight Howard relatively useless all night long, which is something that you do not see often.
The ingredients are there for the Lakers to take care of business on the glass in a future meeting against the Milwaukee Bucks. After getting outworked in the first matchup, most can expect that guys like Anthony Davis, JaVale McGee and Dwight Howard will seek revenge in future duelings, especially if the stakes are greater.