Lakers vs. Warriors: Despite loss, Golden State showcases elite defense with latest smothering performance

The mom of all NBA play-in video games on Wednesday featured Stephen Curry and LeBron James — two of probably the most revolutionary, prolific, transcendent offensive abilities to ever set foot on a basketball courtroom. In the long run, nevertheless, the Los Angeles Lakers’ 103-100 win over the Golden State Warriors at Staples Heart — some of the entertaining video games of the 12 months that despatched the Lakers to the playoffs and the Warriors to an elimination recreation towards the Grizzlies — extra intently resembled the brutish defensive battles of the 90s than a creative showcase of the fashionable recreation’s assault on offensive limits.

However what else would we count on? The Lakers have been the very best defensive group within the NBA for the previous two seasons, even after James and Anthony Davis missed prolonged time over the previous few months. The Warriors protection, nevertheless, has been somewhat extra stunning. During the last 20 video games of the common season, Golden State led the league in defensive ranking, permitting a stingy 106.6 factors per 100 possessions. Total they completed fifth, which will need to have appeared like a pipe dream when the group sat at seventeenth after the primary month of the season.

The defensive enchancment was punctuated by an excellent efficiency on Wednesday that allowed them to come back inside one possession of beating a Lakers group that led the Western Convention when James and Davis have been wholesome. The Lakers shot 41 p.c from the sector, together with 32 p.c from the 3-point line.

“That is what you do in the course of the season. You develop and also you observe and also you attempt to get higher. And we’ve acquired good gamers. I’m not stunned by this in any respect,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr stated of the defensive effort in Wednesday’s loss. “Our guys have actually caught collectively and performed onerous and, as I stated, tonight was only a reminder of what we’ve develop into over the previous couple of months.”

Kerr, who preached from the primary day of the preseason that he felt his group may very well be elite defensively, highlighted the job that Draymond Inexperienced and Andrew Wiggins did guarding Davis and James, respectively. The 2 Lakers superstars mixed for simply 11 factors on 3-for-19 capturing within the first half earlier than discovering their groove late.

However, as with every nice protection, it’s a group effort to place the clamps on. Partly resulting from accidents, Kerr has whittled his rotation right down to eight gamers because the protection has constructed to a crescendo in latest months. The insertion of Kent Bazemore into the beginning lineup and extra minutes for Juan Toscano-Anderson off the bench have added to Golden State’s size and flexibility defensively. Throughout the common season, the Warriors protection allowed 6.4 fewer factors per 100 possessions with Bazemore on the ground, and 4.5 fewer factors per 100 possessions in Toscano-Anderson’s minutes.

“Simply consideration to element,” Bazemore stated when requested how the protection has improved over the course of the season. “Coaches have been doing a very good job of working with us on a recreation plan. They arrive to us and are actually open with the dialogue amongst the gamers, and the way we really feel about it. It’s a collective effort, I believe.”

The peripheral items have been good, however the play-in recreation towards the Lakers solely served to focus on what we already knew: Draymond Inexperienced is among the finest, if not the very best, defender within the NBA. His communication, instincts and quickness permit him to not solely be an incredible particular person defender but additionally to lift the extent of the unit as an entire. Watch as he stifles Davis’ isolation post-up try utilizing his power and quickness, as the opposite Warriors cowl each conceivable passing lane to confuse Davis into committing a turnover.

“We’ve acquired a hell of a defensive chief in Dray. So I’m all the time following his lead,” Toscano-Anderson stated after the sport. “He’s vocal, the power and the boldness he offers us defensively, and he’s so versatile. I believe it’s actually led by him, however, you understand, guys like Baze, [Kevon Looney] is the anchor down there, and I like to contemplate myself a very good defender. So I believe we’ve acquired a mess of fellows who’re fairly versatile and fairly energetic defensively.”

Toscano-Anderson additionally identified that the Warriors have been clicking offensively, which helps the protection by forcing the opposite group to take the ball out of bounds and limiting transition. That got here in notably helpful towards James and the Lakers, who’re completely devastating on the break. 

The Warriors might have misplaced on Wednesday, however their defensive efficiency towards some of the harmful offenses within the NBA, particularly within the postseason, has to do wonders for his or her confidence heading into Friday’s win-or-go-home battle with the Grizzlies, whom Golden State beat within the regular-season finale on Sunday to earn the No. 8 seed. If the Warriors handle to advance, they’ll run into the 3-point-bombing, ball-movement heavy offense of the Utah Jazz, which completed because the fourth-best offense within the league this season. Given what they’ve been in a position to do lately, nevertheless, Golden State should really feel safe that its protection can maintain them in any recreation towards any opponent.

“We’re in a great place. We nonetheless really feel actually good about ourselves,” Bazemore stated. “Clearly tonight was somewhat intestine punch, however we nonetheless be ok with what’s forward. We’ve nonetheless acquired loads of good basketball in us. All we’ve acquired to do is maintain giving ourselves a chance.”