The Los Angeles Lakers earned their sixth straight win on Monday evening when they walked out of Toyota Center with a 100-92 victory over the Houston Rockets. One of the biggest adjustments LA made was a defensive shift in the second half. 

For much of the first half, the Lakers found themselves working hard for every bucket against a Rockets team that mucked up the game with their physicality and pressure. But LA found a way to flip a switch defensively, and it ended up being the difference in the game. 

The turning point came when JJ Redick chose to change how his team was handling Kevin Durant. After blitzing the veteran scorer in the first half with mixed results, Redick pivoted to an entirely different scheme. 

"We took off the blitz at halftime," Redick said. "We went to our 15, we went to one through five red, and then we fired them ... It's the worry when you play zone, when you put two on the ball and you're in scramble mode. But we stuck with it." 

Sticking with it ended up paying off in a big way. The Lakers forced 15 Rockets turnovers in the second half, including a staggering nine in the fourth quarter alone. In the final frame, Houston made just four of their 16 shot attempts, and scored a grand total of 12 points. 

For a team that's still among the best in the Western Conference, Houston simply couldn't maintain composure down the stretch against a Lakers defense that was dialed in and disciplined. LeBron James was at the center of it all, and not just offensively.

Redick made a point of highlighting how much LeBron's effort and physicality lifted the entire team, even during stretches where the offense wasn't flowing. Redick said he pulled LeBron aside mid-game to acknowledge what he was seeing.

"I see you," Redick recalled telling him. "You're playing the hardest and that matters. You're lifting our team up because of how hard you're playing."

The offense eventually did come for LeBron, who finished with 18 points and five assists. But the bigger story was his defensive presence. Battling against one of the best offensive players of all-time in Durant, switching onto various assignments, staying connected in rotations throughout the night.

Transition offense also played a meaningful role in the victory. Redick spoke on how establishing running patterns was the very first thing the coaching staff installed in training camp, with an emphasis on LeBron filling the middle of the floor and wings sprinting to corners for throw-ahead opportunities.

LA will go for seven wins in a row when they play their second straight contest in Houston Wednesday night.