Lakers Exposed by Spurs as Defensive Concerns Grow
So, the Lakers’ NBA Cup run came to a sudden stop, and honestly, the way it happened said even more than the loss itself. The Spurs beat them 132-119, and as JJ Redick sat in front of the microphone afterward, you could feel the frustration hanging in the air. It wasn’t just that they missed out on a shot at the title or the bonus money — it was that the very weaknesses people have been talking about for weeks were laid bare again.
The Lakers were beaten in all the familiar ways. They were outpaced in transition, beaten repeatedly off the dribble, and picked apart in the paint. San Antonio created open threes with ease, exploiting slow rotations that the Lakers just couldn’t tighten up. Every time the Lakers made a mistake, the Spurs turned it into something positive. The whole night felt like a slow, uphill grind that never flattened out.
Redick didn’t hide from it. He said that while most teams have weaknesses, the Lakers’ flaws are being exposed in the same way over and over. The big one? Containing the basketball. It’s been the most glaring issue, and rival scouts have pointed to the lack of a true point-of-attack defender for months. In matchups against fast, aggressive teams — the Suns, the Celtics, the Hawks, and now the Spurs — that missing piece has been impossible to ignore.
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The problem is, help doesn’t appear to be on the way. The trade market for defensive guards is thin, and even the names loosely connected to the Lakers, like Herbert Jones, aren’t realistically available. New Orleans has no interest in moving him, and the Lakers’ trade assets — mainly expiring contracts and one future first-round pick — don’t entice many teams right now. Even someone like Keon Ellis, who isn’t a household name, wouldn’t come cheap.
That leaves the Lakers needing internal solutions. LeBron James is still getting back into full rhythm after missing the preseason and the first month of the year. Marcus Smart, the team’s best individual defender, has missed significant time and has barely shared the floor with James. Chemistry, especially on defense, can take weeks to develop, and even Luka Dončić joked that it takes “two weeks” — before admitting the Lakers don’t have that kind of time to waste.
At 17-7, their record looks great on paper, but these losses feel like warnings. Can Austin Reaves hold up as the primary backcourt defender without being worn down? Will LeBron regain enough command on defense to hold things together? Should the Lakers sacrifice shooting to get more defense on the floor with guys like Jarred Vanderbilt or Adou Thiero?
LeBron summed it up: they need to be better in transition, contain the ball, and defend more collectively. Reaves echoed the same sentiment — defense needs all five guys in sync, on a string, fully committed.
The Lakers still believe they can fix it, but nights like this show the margin for error is shrinking fast.
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