The Lakers will try to win back-to-back games for the first time in more than three weeks when they visit the Timberwolves. The Lakers haven’t quite been the same since winning the inaugural In-Season Tournament (IST), as evidenced by a 3-6 skid.
Los Angeles is coming off a 133-112 home victory over the lowly Hornets. Saturday’s matchup features a stiffer test against a Minnesota team that is currently the top seed in the conference.
When Lakers head coach Darvin Ham spoke to reporters, he was fully aware of the challenge ahead.
“Those guys are highly competitive, and it’s two teams that are going to be right in the mix,” Ham said. “One is at the top of the Western Conference. One is surging.”
It helps that Ham will likely have his star players, LeBron James (knee) and Anthony Davis (ankle), available for the game. James will celebrate his 39th birthday, and I expect plenty of motivation on both sides that could lead to a high-scoring affair
Some of that probably stems from their championship run in the bubble during the pandemic. And although that was four years ago, the presence of James and Davis continues to serve as the connective tissue between those teams.
The Lakers are a hard team to figure out because they’re often noted for their defensive quality. Per TeamRankings, Los Angeles ranks seventh in efficiency, allowing 109.4 points per 100 possessions.
However, Los Angeles doesn’t particularly guard the perimeter well, ranking 26th in opponent 3-point attempts (37.6 per game) and 25th in opponent 3-point field goals (13.9 per game).
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What’s more striking about the Lakers is they generally play faster, ranking seventh in possessions with 104.5 per game.
While James and Davis might be the elder statesmen on the team at 39 and 30, Spotrac ranks this Lakers roster 12th in youth with an average age of 25.9 years.
Thus, I think it’s time we start looking at this Lakers team differently from being this defensive juggernaut we’ve always associated with them. My findings suggest their current playing style creates more scoring opportunities for both teams
