The Los Angeles Lakers captured another road win as they kicked off a five-game swing with a win over the Orlando Magic.
Head coach Frank Vogel’s team used outstanding defense to push out to huge lead before holding on late for their 12th consecutive road win.
The 96-87 win was a far cry from the team’s recent wins, however. In each of their last three games, Los Angeles scored at least 120 points, using their offense to dominate despite occasional struggles for their defense. In this game, it was the defense making up for their inconsistency in scoring the ball.
This stood out to Vogel who praised his team’s versatility and ability to win in a number of different ways, via Spectrum SportsNet:
“I’m proud of our guys. It’s tough to fly across country and win that first game and what I love about this win is we can win in a variety of different ways, we have great versatility. Last game, we scored 140 points and were able to secure that victory in a different style of game. This one was more of a grind-it-out game and our defense held up. We won scoring 96 points so I love our versatility.”
Tthe Lakers indeed have the ability to match up with any style their opponent throws at them. They are very efficient with their ability to get out in transition but are also great in the halfcourt offensively. They can get hot from the three-point line, but are also dominant in the paint.
They have been one of the best teams in the entire league defensively for much of the 2019-20 NBA season and can win by shutting teams down, but are also capable of outscoring teams. They can go big or small with their lineups and whatever works best for the situation, the Lakers can adjust their lineup and style accordingly.
This is great for the team now and once the 2020 NBA playoffs begin. Many teams only have one way to play and when a team focuses on stopping it, they can struggle when it matters the most.
The Lakers, on the other hand, have proven they can change and adjust depending on what each game calls for and that gives them an advantage on most teams in the league as long as Vogel continues to use it accordingly.