5 things LA Lakers need to do to bounce back against Phoenix Suns in Game 2 | NBA Playoffs 2021
The LA Lakers are facing the possibility of going down a 0-2 hole to the Phoenix Suns in Game 2 of their first-round matchup in the 2021 NBA Playoffs. After a convincing 99-90 win by the Suns on Sunday, it’s up to the Purple and Gold to make adjustments to make this a series.
Devin Booker (34 points / 7 rebounds / 8 assists) and Deandre Ayton (21 points / 16 rebounds), two playoff first-timers, dominated the LA Lakers and showed that they were not in the postseason for a token appearance. These young cats are here to make some noise in the playoffs and they proved that they belonged.
For the LA Lakers to tie the series at 1-1, head coach Frank Vogel and his staff will have to show the Suns a different look on Tuesday.
Here are 5 adjustments that the LA Lakers have to make for Game 2:
#5 Change LA Lakers lineup and rotation
There’s a reason why the LA Lakers were at the top of the NBA standings prior to Anthony Davis’ injury and Andre Drummond’s signing. Marc Gasol played well alongside Davis during the regular season and they will have to make him a starter again.
Silver Screen and Roll’s Christian Rivas noted the LA Lakers’ success in the 471 total minutes that Davis and Gasol played this season. In those minutes, they had a net rating of +11.1 while the team’s original starting lineup, which consisted of the two bigs plus Dennis Schroder, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and LeBron James, had a +13.2 net rating.
Gasol’s passing ability, outside shooting and big body could create problems for the Suns on both ends of the floor that Drummond doesn’t pose. If Vogel could sit JaVale McGee and Dwight Howard during last year’s semifinals matchup with the Houston Rockets, surely he can find a way to limit Drummond’s minutes this year.
The two-time All-Star center will have to make way for Gasol and it sounds like Drummond is open to the change.
“Obviously lineup changes are going to happen,” Drummond said after the LA Lakers’ practice on Monday. “We’re going to do whatever it takes to win, so it’s just feeling it out and doing what’s best for the team.”
#4 Grab those boards
The Suns enjoyed a 47-33 rebounding edge over the LA Lakers on Sunday, an unforgivable stat for a team that employs big men like Drummond, Anthony Davis, Montrezl Harrell and Marc Gasol on its roster.
The half-hearted effort exerted by the Lakers’ big men allowed Phoenix to claim 16 offensive rebounds (they averaged 8.8 during the regular season). The combined efforts of Davis, Drummond and Harrell on the boards amounted to just 19 rebounds while Ayton and the 6-foot-5 Booker hauled down 23.
Much of the blame falls on Davis (7 rebounds) who avoided the paint like the plague in Game 1. He rarely challenged Ayton on the glass and preferred to hang out on the perimeter with the little guys.
If they want to win on Tuesday, let alone this series, the LA Lakers have to hustle on the boards and keep everyone, especially the small guys and medium-sized ones, from entering the lane and taking their lunch money.
#3 Get back on defense
The LA Lakers were outscored in fastbreak points 16-9 by the Suns last Sunday. Part of that is the failure of their bigs to secure rebounds to give their perimeter guys the opportunity to run on one end and prevent the Suns from doing the same on the other.
This was in stark contrast to the regular season where the reigning champs gave up just 12.2 points to their opponents on fastbreak opportunities while they scored an average of 13.2 transition points.
Part of the reason why their transition attack isn’t as devastating as last year’s (17.6 fastbreak points average in 2019-20) is the health of LeBron James and Davis. In particular, it was apparent that James wasn’t his usual self last weekend.
Nevertheless, the LA Lakers have to get out in transition and run the Suns to the ground as often as they can while preventing their opponent from getting easy fastbreak opportunities.
#2 LeBron James has to take advantage of mismatches
As for the four-time MVP, James has a 40-pound edge over Mikal Bridges that he didn’t take advantage of on Sunday. He made it easier for Bridges to guard him by mostly staying outside and rarely going to the basket where he could’ve put his 250-pound frame to good use.
If James is missing his usual burst of speed and doesn’t post up his defender, even if Jae Crowder guards him, then he’s not helping himself or his team. The King will have good-looking stats across the board but it would have very little impact on the game.
The LA Lakers struggled to score without LeBron’s usual contributions when he was out for 27 games. A pedestrian 18-point outing like the one he had in Game 1 isn’t enough to turn the tide on their side.
#1 Play Anthony Davis inside
Last year’s championship run was fueled largely by the LA Lakers playing Davis at the 5-position where he was too quick for most centers and too big for undersized ones. But Game 1 of their first playoff matchup this year showed otherwise.
According to the Laker Film Room, the LA Lakers were outscored 26-17 in the 12 minutes and 44 seconds that Davis played center on Sunday, but they were dead even with the Suns at 73-73 when someone else played the 5.
Does this mean the Lakers should abandon this strategy altogether? No, of course not.
In truth, the only reason why Davis at the 5 was a problem last Sunday was due in part to his reluctance to play aggressively in whatever position he played. The passiveness of the eight-time All-Star, as evidenced by his camping out at the 3-point line, doomed the LA Lakers from the start.
Vogel will have to position Davis near the paint and that can be facilitated by Gasol at center (see point #5). It’s an absolute must for the LA Lakers forward to be engaged from the beginning and start populating the paint in Game 2.
Also Read: What does LaMelo Ball need to do to become a top-5 point guard in the NBA next season?