Lakers head coach JJ Redick gives his thoughts on how Luka Doncic and LeBron James stepped up against the Denver Nuggets.
The Los Angeles Lakers mounted a comeback on Tuesday night against the Denver Nuggets, upending their Western Conference rivals, 115-107.
The Lakers trailed 71-57 at halftime, but outscored Denver 58-36 in the second half to secure the victory.
LeBron James and Luka Doncic led the way for the Lakers, with LeBron scoring 12 of his 19 points in the second half, and Luka recording a triple-double with 38 points, 13 rebounds, and ten assists.
"Those guys, their patience I think has been great all season. Whether that was Luka in the middle of the floor making plays, I thought his pace in early offense and pace in the halfcourt just to get paint touches and get some of his assists that way.
"Obviously, LeBron playing out of the post has been so good recently for us with his passing," said Lakers head coach JJ Redick after the game.
LeBron and Luka Leading The Offense
With Austin Reaves out of the lineup, more of the offensive load falls on the shoulders of LeBron James and Luka Doncic.
In their last two games, both victories, LeBron and Luka have accounted for 47% of the Lakers' points, combining for 106 of the team's 225 points.
DeAndre Ayton had 25 points, on a perfect 10-10 shooting, against the Toronto Raptors, but scored just four points against the Nuggets. Rui Hachimura had ten points against Toronto, and Marcus Smart had 15 points against Denver. No other Lakers player has been in double figures in the back-to-back victories.
Along with scoring the basketball, LeBron and Luka have had to orchestrate the offense with their passing.
They combined for 18 of the team's 24 assists against Denver and 14 of their 25 assists against Toronto.
Defensive Effort
While the Lakers' offense hasn't been an issue for much of the season with LeBron and Luka at the helm, the defense has come under scrutiny. In the last two games, the team defense has performed much better as a whole.
Redick credited Smart's defensive effort, Jarred Vanderbilt for contesting rebounds, and Jaxson Hayes for stepping up and starting the second half against the Nuggets.
Small sample size, but the Lakers have the second-best defensive rating in their last two games at 104.2
The Lakers are holding opponents to 44 points in the paint in the last two games, 10.5 fast break points, and a league-leading eight second-chance points. Opponents are shooting just 43.3% in their last two games against the Lakers, well below the season mark of 48.7%, which is 27th in the league.