Lakers’ lineup changes pay off with a convincing win over the Spurs

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Anthony Davis grabs the rebound ahead of Harrison Barnes in the first half. (Darren Abate / Associated Press)

It was almost 4 a.m. Wednesday when the Lakers arrived at their hotel, their last two losses exposing some of the worst internal fears of the team.

The way they had played in the second half of losses to Denver and Phoenix had players wondering whether all the work the team had put in over the last two months had been worth it and all the effort and time spent trying to change had mattered.

When Denver pushed the familiar pressure points, the Lakers crumbled. When the offense went cold and the rims got tight in Phoenix, they folded.

Their body language said what no one dared mutter publicly: “Here we go again.”

But when the Lakers took the floor Wednesday evening, they took on the persona of their coach, JJ Redick, who said before the game, “I don’t think I’ve ever dwelled on the past.”

Energized in part by a new starting five and in part by a fresh chance to get back to winning, the Lakers played one of their most consistent games of the season on both ends of the court in a 119-101 win against the San Antonio Spurs.

Read more: Lakers look to ramp up defense with return to physical play

“I’m very proud of our group,” Redick said. “The response was great. And it’s funny because it’s literally what I talked about with them before the game. It’s just you got to let go of the past. You got to let go of the recent past and you got to get on to the next thing. And like they’ve done already on several occasions, they’ve responded.”

Redick moved rookie Dalton Knecht back into the starting five, moving Cam Reddish to the bench, and the group responded by winning each of the four quarters.

Defensively, the Lakers caused havoc and dictated the game with their physicality, pushing Spurs phenom Victor Wembanyama away from the paint. Offensively, the ball popped, baskets almost always coming as result of crisp passing, the Lakers recapturing vibes that had evaporated during their three-game losing streak.

“We win games when we do that,” guard D’Angelo Russell said of the Lakers’ passing, which…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/lakers-lineup-changes-pay-off-035738426.html

Author : LA Times

Publish date : 2024-11-28 03:57:00

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