Darvin Ham reveals his pep talk to LA Lakers players at halftime in comeback win over Portland: "How many times do we have to watch this movie"
LA Lakers coach Darvin Ham kept his halftime speech against Portland Trail Blazers straightforward, with the team staring at another defeat, down 25 points. The Lakers looked lackluster entering the break after the Trail Blazers won the second quarter 45-13.
It's not the first time this season that the Lakers have looked disjointed on both ends of the court at the same time. Coach Ham reflect on this during his halftime speech, saying (via Spectrum SportsNet):
"It's about us and how we wanna present the best version of ourselves. And we just talke about that, 'how long are we gonna keep watching the same movie of us playing great basketball and then having these rough stretches an not being able to maintain or sustain what we're doing."
"We came out with a focus, a togetherness, a competitiveness that resulted in us coming out with a W." Darvin Ham with his takeaways from tonight's victory. https://t.co/vN0gNrh851
The Lakers came out of halftime looking like a different team altogether. They locked in defensively, trapping the Trail Blazers' ball-handlers in the frontcourt and starting to get out in transition, something they are solid at doing. LA outscored Portland 75-41 to secure their second straight win.
The LA Lakers went on an 18-8 run to start the third that inspired their comeback win by nine points. LeBron James led the team in scoring, bagging 37 points, 11 rebounds and four assists, shooting 58.8% from the field.
Meanwhile, Thomas Bryant shrugged off his struggles lately. He was a point shy of matching his career-high effort after securing 31 points and 14 rebounds on 12 of 15 shooting, including 4 of 5 from deep. Dennis Schroder also returned to form after a lean stretch, tallying 24 points, eight rebounds and eight assists while shooting on 46/40/100 splits.
LA Lakers are turning the corner under Darvin Ham
The LA Lakers have arguably been the most unpredictable team this season. They started the year 2-10 but have been 20-15 since then. During that stretch, the Lakers have competed and won games against the top teams in the NBA this season.
They beat a healthy Milwaukee Bucks team on the road, went 2-1 against the Denver Nuggets, and scripted a dominant win over a healthy Miami Heat team without four starters, including LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Most recently, they prevailed against the streaking Memphis Grizzlies, who had won 11 games in a row without AD, Austin Reaves and Lonnie Walker IV.
The majority of their losses after their 2-10 start, especially against contending teams, have come in the clutch. The Lakers have made those games go right down to the wire despite being shorthanded. Coach Darvin Ham has been criticized for his in-game adjustments.
However, considering the LA Lakers' glaring roster weaknesses like lack of shooting and size in the wings, and the injuries to key rotation players, including Davis, Ham seems to have done the best he could.
The LA Lakers have struggled defensively in Davis' absence but have turned into one of the best offensive units. They are unstoppable on the break and in the paint more often than not, which has helped them overcome their shooting struggles. The Lakers are 26th in 3-point shooting efficiency (33.3%) and dead last in makes per game (10.4).
The Lakers are tied for eighth in offensive ratings since AD's injury. Once he returns, that number could go up. The Lakers will also look more organized defensively with him on the floor.