Lakers can’t find a way to talk through their defensive issues in loss to Magic

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Lakers star Luka Doncic, right, controls the ball in front of Orlando Magic center Wendell Carter Jr., during the first half of the Lakers’ 118-106 loss Monday. (John Raoux / Associated Press)

In a moment when the crowd was quiet and the in-arena music stopped blaring, you could hear the Orlando Magic bench screaming out instructions to teammates on the floor, frantically pointing to places the Lakers were trying to attack.

The yelling was clearly heard from the other side of the court, and the Orlando defense responded, talking their way through switches.

That LeBron James still found a seam and made a tough shot didn’t matter. The Magic were connected. They were communicating. They looked, really, like the Lakers used to look, an energy that carried over to Orlando’s offense in a 118-106 win over the Lakers.

Read more: LeBron James returns from injury, but Lakers look lost in blowout loss to Bulls

“Used to” might be a little harsh since the Lakers have only had a completely healthy team available for two games since Feb. 28. During that time, the team had to play for stretches without James, Rui Hachimura or Jaxson Hayes. It also has needed to rest Luka Doncic, Dorian Finney-Smith and Gabe Vincent and hold out Austin Reaves.

But the Lakers (43-28), for the second straight game, looked like a team trying to recapture its defensive identity.

Like they did against the Chicago Bulls, the Lakers unquestionably spoke less than the Magic (34-38), their switching and scrambling defense just a little duller than it had been before injuries started to pile up.

The shots they have been willing to concede — the Magic are the worst three-point shooting team in the league — went in. And the edge they played with on the defensive side of the ball for nearly half the season simply hasn’t been as sharp this month.

Since Hachimura’s injury knocked him out of the lineup for a dozen games, the Lakers’ identity has eroded, their rating sliding all the way down to 17th.

The team now has a losing record in March, dropping seven of 13 games.

Before the game, Lakers coach JJ Redick said assistant coach Nate MacMillan…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/article/lakers-cant-way-talk-defensive-014841204.html

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Publish date : 2025-03-25 01:48:00

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