The Lakers have been prone to some frustrating lapses in games this season. Rarely, if at all, have they been able to put together a full 48-minute effort.
At it’s worst, LA nearly blew a 20-point lead to the Suns in dramatic fashion
, barely hanging on by the skin of their teeth…and by Dillon Brooks’ nonsense. While that was the most exaggerated version of the problem, it’s been a constant throughout the season.It was with that in mind that head coach JJ Redick complimented his team postgame on Sunday
after a dominant win over the Kings in which they built a 20-point lead and maintained it.
“We had probably one of our most consistent games in terms of 48 minutes of just competitive spirit, Redick said. ”This is the first game we’ve had all year that we’ve won all four quarters. I think that just says a lot about the approach and the consistent mentality that we played with tonight…Overall, it was just consistent basketball for 48 minutes.”
Sunday was a reset in many ways for the Lakers. After not just three straight losses, but an embarrassing one on Christmas, the Lakers had to do some self-evaluating. Ideally, that also leads to some improvement as well.
It’s hard to take too much away from a game against the lowly Kings, but there were plenty of optimistic signs, including their ability to maintain a lead, string together defensive stops and, mainly, be serious for the better part of 48 minutes.
It wasn’t perfect and there is room for improvement. Tuesday will prove a lot more about the Lakers when they take on a much tougher foe in the Pistons. At the very least, though, Sunday was a step forward.
You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude or on Bluesky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.
