Los Angeles Lakers: Why the series vs. Phoenix is already a wrap
By Jason Reed
2. The Los Angeles Lakers cracked the code on Devin Booker
The Los Angeles Lakers are the best defensive team in the league for a reason. While some like to dissect the team’s backcourt defense, the fact of the matter is that the Lakers have several elite defenders alongside several more great defenders.
More importantly, the Lakers have arguably the most defense-savvy head coach in the NBA. Frank Vogel, while not perfect as a head coach, is fantastic in establishing defensive game plans and adjusting over time.
That is why we saw the Lakers lose Game 1 twice in last year’s playoffs only to come back and gentleman’s sweep both teams. The Lakers make an adjustment, make the adjustment to the adjustment, and the adjustment to the adjustment to the adjustment.
You get the point.
They have adjusted on Devin Booker and after a strong first game, he has not been the same in Games 2 and 3. Part of that is because of CP3, but the Lakers have done a really strong job of stopping Booker and frustrating him in the process.
Booker scored just 19 points in Game 3 on 6-19 shooting (1-4 from three). Six of his 19 points came at the foul line. He turned the ball over four times and fouled out.
He scored 31 points in Game 2 of the series but that was strictly because he was able to get to the line. The Lakers addressed the foul problems in letting Booker get to the line too much and that showed in Game 3. He may have scored 31 points but 17 came from the charity stripe as he shot 41.2% from the field. He has shot a combined 1-7 from three in Games 2 and 3.
Don’t commit careless fouls and Booker is not going to beat the Lakers and they have made that adjustment.