The Los Angeles Lakers have their full lineup back on the floor. Unfortunately, their defense appears to have gone missing.
The Lakers’ defense made a token appearance in the first half against Orlando on Monday night. But Los Angeles failed to guard the Magic’s Franz Wagner or Paolo Banchero and lost their third straight game, 118-106.
“I think we should look back to the way we played in that eight-game winning streak [from 20 February to 6 March],” said Luka Dončić, who led the Lakers with 32 points in the loss. “I think we got a little bit satisfied, and we can’t afford that.”
He added that it was down to him and LeBron James to halt the slump in form.
“I think me and Bron, think we should be the guys to do that,” Dončić said. “That’s on me. Obviously, I’ve got to do better, I’ve got to talk more. I talked in the first-half, then just kind of [let my] voice down and I shouldn’t do that.”
The Lakers’ roster was back at full strength on Saturday, when James and Rui Hachimura returned from injuries that had kept them out for seven and 12 games respectively But, Los Angeles were routed at home that night, falling 146-111 to the Chicago Bulls. Monday night wasn’t quite as bad – but the outcome was the same.
“There’s a couple guys, maybe from the schedule or from being out of the lineup, that just look tired,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said. “That happens periodically throughout a season when a group gets tired. That’s what it feels like right know. We weren’t able to sustain our level of intensity we started the game with.
The Lakers went on the eight-game winning streak shortly after acquiring Dončić from the Dallas Mavericks in February. Since then, injuries – most notably to James – have set in, and they have lost seven of 10.
Redick said it may be a matter of better communication and getting the new rotation back into a rhythm. But, the defensive letdowns in the last two games have been concerning.
“We’ve got to get back to who we are, focusing on that,” the Lakers coach said. “I think because of the lack of court time, prioritizing rest over shoot-arounds and walk-throughs over the last couple of weeks, we’ve just developed some really bad habits defensively. That came to fruition.
“And there’s always some weird stuff that happens at this time of the year. To give up 81 points [to the Bulls] in a half, and have our worst defensive game of the season when we were whole, was disappointing.
Wagner, who scored 32 points, and Banchero, who added 30, got to their spots on the floor and did what they wanted in the second-half on Monday night, and the Lakers couldn’t stop them.
“This team is built around those two, and trying to stop them is really hard,” Dončić said. “I think we started the game [well]. We played great defense and they made some tough shots. The way we played the first half, we have to play that way the whole 48 minutes.”
Despite being the lowest scoring team in the NBA, the Magic shot 49.4% (42 for 85) and had just nine turnovers. The Lakers blocked one shot.
“In the third quarter we let our offense affect our defense,” Dorian Finney-Smith said. “It’s up to us. We’ve got to hold each other accountable. We’ve got to put together a 48-minute game.”
