They had two “live breaks” in the third quarter when they were Lakers fought in defense.
At halftime, they had difficult conversations about a lack of defensive effort.
And it wasn’t just the Lakers coach Frank Vogel and his staff who noticed a poor defensive play.
They were veterans Rondo district,, Lebron James,, Russell Westbrook in Anthony Davis, who all strived for better defense by “working together”
“I come to talk to the guys at half time and they’re already watching the movie, talking to each other,” Vogel said. “There was Rondo, LeBron, Russ, AD. Everyone is talking and concluding things. We also watch our footage being pulled. So they were just motivated. On the defensive side, it’s not going the way we want it to, but we’re working to make it happen. “
The Lakers ’defense showed in the fourth quarter as the Cavaliers held just 16 points on a 22.2 percent shot.
Here are five withdrawals from Lakers win 113: 101 over the Cavaliers on Friday night at the Staples Center.
1. Speaking of poor defense, Vogel said his players were “just tired of how it looked, and the coaching staff and head coach were tired of how it looked, and we told them that. “
More importantly, the Lakers did something about it – they shut down.
When the Lakers fell by seven points in the third quarter, Vogel set the timeout.
About a minute later, after their defense was still worse, Vogel gave another timeout when the Lakers lost 75-66.
“In defense, disappointed in the first half,” Vogel said. “It simply came to our notice then. We spent a lot of time improving and improving this end of the floor and building this cohesion. We are active in some shortcomings, we are lively at half time and we had a much better second half, especially in the fourth quarter. “
Finally, the Lakers rallied in defense and held the Cavaliers at 26 points until the end of the trip.
“It starts with our communication and we all talked in the fourth and third quarters,” Davis said. “And we managed to get in the lead and win in the end. But it starts with our communication at the defensive end. “
2. The Lakers were careless with basketball, turning it too much. In the fourth quarter, they had two fouls after 24 seconds and turned the ball 22 times.
“We’re still learning from each other and still trying to figure out what it takes to perform great ball safety,” Vogel said. “It’s not all in the hand with the ball. We don’t have the right distance. We swing poorly. We had to call some time limits to clean up and fix it. “
3. Austin Reaves continues to improve its role.
He doesn’t mind being aggressive on defense and ready to shoot a basketball when it’s open. He was credited with the block, he also forced the bouncing ball, it was all part of his hustle and bustle.
“I know it’s my job to play as hard as I can and do everything I can to help the team be successful,” Reaves said. “That’s what I’m trying to do.”
He finished with seven points and two to four off the field.
“He was exceptional for us on both sides of the ball,” Vogel said. “Teams think they can target him, but he moves his legs really well, puts his body in front of the ball and plays resolutely and shovels in situations with a loose ball. He just plays a worse brand and then it’s obvious that the attitude he plays offensively is very surprising for a newcomer. “
4. It was another big night for Carmel Anthony as his shot was a big reason for the Lakers to win.
Anthony scored 24 points in shooting nine to 12 and six to eight in threes.
He scored all three threes in the fourth quarter.
5. Avery Bradley was another veteran who lifted the Lakers.
He did this with his defense by putting pressure on the guards of the Cavaliers Collin Sexton and Darius Garland. Bradley also finished with seven points.