LOS ANGELES — When it comes to their improved play, the Lakers have essentially flipped the script for their success.
Their 14-9 start to the season was spearheaded by high-level defensive play, with a defensive ranking in the league’s top 10 for the season’s first 1½ months.
But their 10 wins in the past 14 games entering Wednesday night’s home matchup against the Sacramento Kings have been the result of an explosive offense, with the Lakers’ offensive rating (points scored per 100 possessions) of 119.5 since Feb. 1 the NBA’s second-best mark over that stretch.
“Play the game the right way,” Austin Reaves said. “You do those little things like make the swing, swing [pass], try to get your assist numbers as high as possible, the better the outcomes going to be.”
The Lakers entered Wednesday ranked in the top five in assists per game (30.2) and 3-point shooting percentage (39.6%) since the start of February, with their success from behind the arc a stark difference from their early-season woes.
Coach Darvin Ham credited the turnaround to better process offensively, and not just shots falling.
“Just our running habits, our pace,” Ham said. “Getting in and out of pick-and-rolls very quickly, forcing the defense to collapse to paint. Guys with the ball attacking downhill more, not being so indecisive, and guys just being shot ready and shot aggressive.”
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Monday’s 116-104 home win against the Oklahoma City Thunder provided optimism that the Lakers could achieve better balance between their offensive and defensive performances, which remains the goal.
“Absolutely, that is the goal, to have that balance, not be so one-sided on either side of the ball,” Ham said. “And the way we guarded the ball, we watched the film a little bit from the last game [Wednesday] morning before we got into Sac, and just the movement, the participation, guys on a string.
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“But that initial defender, the individual pride we showed man for man was unreal in a great, great positive way. So we just got to sustain that, you know, that point of attack defense as well as guys being alert and active behind that initial defender. And starts in transition, the communication and really staying disciplined within the coverages in the halfcourt and did a good job defensive rebounding as well.”
STANDINGS WATCH
Wednesday was the first of two matchups between the Lakers and Kings within the next week, with the Kings hosting the Lakers in Sacramento next Wednesday.
The Lakers entered Wednesday in ninth place in the Western Conference standings, 1½ games behind the Kings, who were No. 7.
“Everybody’s aware of what the situation is,” Ham said. “We know we just can’t go around depending on everybody else to help us out. We have to help ourselves first and foremost. So the biggest thing is to come out and just take it possession by possession. Try not to take too many possessions off and just bring the fight, initiate the fight, not be reactive, but proactive and try to sustain that competitive edge throughout on both sides of the ball.”