They will be fine.
The last time the Lakers started a worrying four-game losing streak was in December 2019, when they responded for nine games in a row. Coincidentally, the winning streak began against the Portland Trail Blazers, whom they defeated last night in one of their best defensive performances of the 2020-21 season.
The concern that came in was how the Lakers lost four in a row, which came shortly after Anthony Davis’ Achilles injury. The Lakers only dropped 98 points against the defensively challenged Brooklyn Nets, losing by 11. Two nights later, the now-expanding Miami Heat finished with a 96-94 victory in the style of the 1990s. This was followed by an overtime loss against the Washington Wizards, who have now won 6 of 7 for the first time in three seasons. And then the big one: an ass of 114 to 89 at the hands of the Utah Jazz, the best team of the NBA regular season (for now).
If last night wasn’t a mandatory date for the Lakers, it was close, if not for the sole reason that Davis isn’t expected to return to at least a couple more weeks. The Lakers had to prove they could step on water without The Brow and they did so by keeping the NBA’s tenth offensive with more goals at more than 20 points below their average. Recovering Dennis Schröder from the COVID protocol helped tremendously, but above all it indicates that the Lakers, even without Davis, have other equipment they could summon defensively that other NBA contenders still have to prove when it matters.
The Lakers allowed Damian Lillard to come out with 35 points, but not only did he have to work tirelessly (24 field goal attempts) to achieve what was a game record, but the Lakers only allowed another Trail Blazer. accumulated more than 11 points: Gary Trent Jr., who scored 19 in just one shot of 8 of 20 (including 2 of 11 of three). Without Lillard’s 11-for-24, the Blazers fired the 21-for-59 and were under pressure on what each possession looked like.
It doesn’t matter that LeBron James finished the night with 28 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists, but his defensive score of 83 was a catalyst for Laker’s victory, and he also recorded four steals and three blocks. Offensively, the team did not receive significant contributions from anyone other than James, Schröder’s 22 points and Montrezl Harrell’s 17 points, who made nine rebounds on the bench, but if they were closed defensively, that’s all. which they would need to lead the way.
G / O Media may receive a commission
Perhaps even part of the Lakers ’motivation came shortly before the game when AC Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimović, who played for the 2018-19 LA Galaxy, criticized James for being essentially a political activist and defender. of change in the United States. Ibrahimovic said On Thursday, in an interview with UEFA on Discovery +, James is “phenomenal”, but he doesn’t need to do sports and politics at the same time.
“Do what you’re good at,” Ibrahimović said, as if giving advice. “Make the category you do. I play football because I am the best at playing football. I don’t do politics. If I were a political politician, I would do politics. This is the first mistake people make when they become famous and are in a certain state. Keep it out. Do what you do best because it doesn’t look good. “
James not only responded with his performance, but also addressed Ibrahimović after the match, saying he would not shut up and dribble:
“I will never keep quiet about things that are wrong. I pray about my people and about equality, social justice, racism, the suppression of voters; things that happen in our community. I will use my platform to continue to shed light on everything that is happening around this country and the world. There would be no way to keep me in sports because I understand the power of this platform and my voice. “
And, because the Internet will always find out, here is a clip of Ibrahimović crediting Muhammad Ali for being a role model for what he did inside and out boxing. It’s the typical revisionist story people make with Ali (and Martin Luther King Jr. and Roberto Clemente, etc.), which wasn’t as beloved in its time as it was in retrospect.