With 35 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists, and 30+ for the 10th time in the last 11 games, the NBA all-time assists list surpassed Oscar Robertson to rank seventh.
These are the numbers james played against the Grizzlies, and the 37-year-old Is still the peak Ofe Zhan, but this time, he entered the empty cut group.
119-127, the Lakers lost to the Grizzlies, the final point difference is only 8 points, in fact, the Lakers fell behind by 29 points at most, the Lakers' longest four-game winning streak of the season ended, and the Grizzlies set a record for the longest single-season winning streak in team history with nine consecutive wins.
Before this four-game winning streak, the Lakers' last loss was to the Grizzlies, who won once in the early part of the season (Oct. 25) and then a three-game losing streak against the Grizzlies.
Why can't the Lakers do the Grizzlies, but also the lack of the team's first rebounder Adams on the inside, and the lack of the team's second-place scorer Dillon Brooks on the outside.
"We've been talking about how to limit Morant for the last two days and we have to do everything we can to deal with him." Vogel said this before the Lakers' battle with the Grizzlies began.
Morant averaged 40.5 points per game against the Lakers this season, and the strong horizontal play of "Memphis Iverson" made it impossible for the Lakers to solve it with one-on-one defense.
Playing against the Grizzlies, Vogel is more prepared for Morant, and since he can't defend himself, let's put on the bag and force Morant to play the ball and test the ability of the other Grizzlies players to attack.
The Lakers continue to use the starters of the last game against the Eagles, James, Stanley Johnson, Munch, Bradley, Westbrook, this starting five-man group has used 4 times before this game against the Grizzlies, and the Lakers have won all 4 games, with a net win of 23.5 points per 100 possessions.
The advantage of this set of starts is that there is both offensive space and defensive mobility, the Lakers last game against the Hawks, the offensive end of the bombardment of 134 points, the defensive end of Trae Young limited to 21 of 8 three-pointers 7 of 1, the Lakers are clearly eager to copy this offensive and defensive performance to the Grizzlies.
However, the Grizzlies are not eagles.
The Hawks are 26th in the league for defensive efficiency this season, and they lack dynamism and discipline on the defensive end, which are precisely the Grizzlies' strengths. The Grizzlies are similar to the lakers' basic defensive thinking in this game, the Lakers pack Morant to test how his teammates respond, and the Grizzlies shrink the defense to block the breakthrough route of James and Westbrook, testing the Lakers' outside response.
Simply put, try to put defensive pressure on your offensive strengths, and have the ability to rely on others to kill the game.
Morant faced the Lakers' pinch and gave a 16-point score card of 4-of-10 shooting, 9 points lower than his season average, but the Grizzlies hit 54% of the team's shooting rate and bombed 127 points.
The Lakers' problem was that when they unpacked Morant on the line, their defense was too small, giving the bottom corner or flank shooting opportunities, and Morant's teammates gave a strong response. And even if the Lakers are so defensive, the inside line is not protected, and the penalty area loses 62 points. This is the disadvantage of the Lakers playing a very small lineup, and when the 37-year-old Zhan is the best basket guard on the Lakers' court, it is a very troublesome thing.
The same is to pile the defensive forces to the near basket area, the Grizzlies give the bottom corner or flank space is much less than the Lakers, because the Grizzlies lineup is young, the players are energetic, and do not run around, but the defense line stretches freely, this defensive vitality and discipline, is the Lakers during the four-game winning streak did not encounter much.
The Lakers' wave of four consecutive wins, the Blazers defensive efficiency league bottom, the Kings 27th, the Eagles 26th, only the Timberwolves defense is good, so the four-game winning streak is somewhat watery.
When the Lakers meet the fourth-place Grizzlies in the West, facing a retractable defense, except for James, the others are in a slump. At the end of the first three quarters, James scored 32 points on 13-of-18 shooting, other Lakers players totaled 18 of 57 shots, only Tucker scored in double figures, and the Grizzlies have scored 5 people to score 10+ (the final 6 people in doubles), the penalty area scored 52-38, the fast attack scored 20-0, the third quarter was 24 points ahead of the Lakers, the fourth quarter was garbage time, although the Lakers bench played some momentum in the fourth quarter, but just don't lose too ugly to save face.
The season is very long, there is no argument, the small lineup is still the lakers are most likely to win the way of use, because Howard and Jordan Jr. can not bring the space effect, the Lakers can only sacrifice the protection of the penalty area, change the projection effect, in the face of the average strength of the opponent, the Lakers small lineup abuse dish is still promising, but playing high-end game almost meaning.
The Lakers' strongest lineup needs a thick eyebrow brother, although the thick eyebrow 18% three-point shooting rate this season is "tear-inducing", but he is on the court, for the pull of defense, must be better than Howard and Jordan Jr., thick eyebrows of the demolition is also the best in the Lakers. More importantly, with thick eyebrows guarding the basket, the Lakers' basket is much better.
With the return of injured players and previously isolated players, the Lakers have much better defensive resources available in the backcourt and flanks, and what they lack now is a big man who can shoot and defend.
The only way to relieve worries is thick eyebrows.
Thick Eyebrows conducted shooting training before the game, although the range of movements was very limited, and the injured left knee still wore protective gear, but being able to do some shooting practice was a good sign that the knee injury recovered well.
Thick eyebrows were injured in the game on December 18, and the news given by the Lakers is that it will be reviewed in four weeks, and now it is very close to the review time, if the recovery from the injury is ideal, the comeback can be included in the schedule.
James is still that strong James, Wei Shao is still the joyful and worrying Wei Shao, the Lakers' "360" only has thick eyebrows "unfathomable", and the season ceiling of this team is in his hands.