Max Christie, the Lakers’ youngest starter, simply summed up the team’s defensive woes Wednesday morning. When the Lakers communicate and play with connectivity, they hold teams back.
And if not, they will look the same as they did in the first half of Wednesday evening.
On Wednesday, Herro and the Heat played the Miami Heat for the first time since Tyler Herro exposed their worst defensive tendencies in an embarrassing loss earlier this season. Herro and the Heat did it again.
It was the worst failure, one where the Lakers were prepared for the challenge and thus clearly overwhelmed. But when Herro hit three after three against their helpless defense, the Lakers still had one weapon they could use: time. After all, it was only half.
There was still time, and no one on the Lakers knows that better than LeBron James.
James scored seven straight points late in the fourth quarter against his former team as the Lakers redeemed themselves late and snapped a three-game losing streak with a 117-108 win.
Anthony Davis, who pulled away in the first half, dove for loose balls. James, slow in the first two quarters, chased the ball. Austin Reaves, saddled with foul trouble, pushed the ball toward help.
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And when the Lakers’ defense came alive, their offense was activated. Passes sharply dissected the Heat’s zone defense, Rui Hachimura and Gabe Vincent wreaking havoc in the gaps their ball movement created.
They were challenged before the match and did not respond. At half time they were challenged again and things were different.
The Lakers talked. They connected. They performed.
Miami scored just 19 points in the third and just 23 in the fourth, with the Lakers rediscovering some of the defensive snap that left coach JJ Redick hoping his team could develop a defensive-first mentality — a constant work in progress.
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Pregame, the Lakers, recognizing a clear need for size and toughness, waived rookie guard Quincy Olivari with the intention of signing 6-foot-4, 270-pound center Trey Jemison to a two-way contract, according to sources those familiar with the transaction are not authorized to speak publicly.
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This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.