The In-Season Tournament is FIRE!
Tyrese vs. Giannis, LeBron vs. Zion … oh my!
BY DAVID THORPE
Lost in all the drama over the seemingly absurd timeout awarded to the Lakers last night is that the Lakers are playing defense. The Suns shot a blistering 12-for-25 from 3 yet scored just 103 points. Their 20 turnovers, with 12 coming from stars Kevin Durant and Devin Booker, did them in.
The Lakers deserve a lot of credit for those turnovers. They made Suns ball-handlers uncomfortable by denying passes, getting hands into passing lanes, and rotating perfectly time after time. Meanwhile, Anthony Davis had nine offensive rebounds, more than the entire Suns team. Add it up and we see a team COMPETING at a high level—or least we saw one last night.
So far this season, the Lakers have not been that team in terms of forcing turnovers or pounding the offensive glass. As one agent told me this morning, though: “Man, LeBron played so hard last night. I bet it was because he wants to be in Vegas tomorrow, so he can remind everyone he wants to buy a team and play there.”
Perhaps, but the bottom line is: He did play very hard, as did his teammates. That effort can knock off the Pelicans without doubt, unless we see Super Zion. If we do, knowing LeBron can still reach special heights on occasion, we could be in for a very special treat Saturday night.
Bucks make it look easy
Every time Giannis would shoot a 3, I used to say “the defense just threw a parade.” Well, there are far fewer parades happening for defenses right now, and that could lead to one in Milwaukee come June.
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