The Los Angeles Lakers earned their first win of the season on Friday night by defeating the Utah Jazz at Staples Center. The Lakers were paced by 30 points and 10 assists from LeBron James along with 21 points and seven rebounds from Anthony Davis. But it was L.A.’s defensive effort that would feature most prominently in securing the victory over a quality Western Conference opponent.
The Lakers forced 22 turnovers during the win over the Jazz, creating a turnover-margin that would lead to eight extra possessions. Los Angeles also held a potent Utah offense to only 86 points for the game. Newly acquired point guard, Mike Conley, was held in check all night, finishing just 3-of-11 from the field. Fellow Jazz starters Joe Ingles, Rudy Gobert and Jeff Green each also failed to reach double-figure points on the night. Following the win, LeBron spoke about his team’s effort defensively and the identity they hope to develop this season.
“That’s who we are,” LeBron said of his team’s ability to defend during the win over Utah. “That’s our defensive staple. We want to be that every single night, be able to hold teams under their averages.
“We thought we did a poor job against the Clippers in the opener, they had 112, then they had 140-something the next night. So we want to continue to get better and better with our defensive strategy and our game plan and just execute that.”
The Lakers finished with 14 steals and nine blocks in the victory as compared to eight and two, respectively, for the Jazz. Danny Green led the way for his team with three steals while Davis offered a staggering five blocks. With the Charlotte Hornets and Memphis Grizzlies coming up next, there should be ample opportunity for the Lakers to continue to lock in defensively over the next couple games.
