The Los Angeles Lakers (53-20) have won 15 of their last 16 games since the All-Star Game on Feb. 20. Currently second place in the Western Conference behind the San Antonio Spurs (57-15), the Lakers have just nine games left in the regular season.
The Lakers maintained a perfect home record in the 16-game stretch, losing their only game on the road against the Miami Heat 98-94.
The past 16 games were noteworthy because nine of the 10 opponents were above .500 teams: San Antonio, Dallas (third place in the Western Conference), Miami (third place in the Eastern Conference), Oklahoma City (fourth in West), Orlando (fourth in East), Atlanta (fifth in East), Portland, Phoenix and New Orleans.
All of these teams are possible playoff match-ups for the Lakers, who are demonstrating their ability to beat top teams, most notably on the road.
The primary key to the Lakers' recent success has been their (as some would argue, newfound) commitment to defense.
The Lakers held their opponents below 90 points nine times — three of which were below 80 points or less. Additionally, the Lakers gave up 100 points only three times.
While devout (and at times cynical) Lakers fans are muttering, "It's about time," the team seems invigorated and committed to giving full effort on both offense and defense, cognizant of the approaching post-season.
One of the high points of the 16 games was defeating (and at times, embarrassing) the San Antonio Spurs — the chief threat to the Lakers in the Western Conference, holding first place in the league.
The Lakers held a 34-13 lead against the Spurs on the road at the end of the first quarter and a 65-37 lead at halftime, en route to their 99-83 victory. The win ended the Spurs' 22 straight home game winning streak. Lakers center Andrew Bynum grabbed 17 rebounds, matching his season-high. Bynum's defensive presence allowed the Lakers to exploit the Spurs in the frontcourt, holding Spurs All-Star forward Tim Duncan to just two points. The Lakers, who average approximately 13 turnovers a game, only committed eight.
Other decisive road victories against Western Conference foes Oklahoma City (90-87) and Dallas (96-91) place the Lakers near the forefront of the West.
Lakers guard Kobe Bryant surpassed Moses Malone for sixth on the NBA's All-Time Scoring List with 27, 410 points as the Lakers defeated Atlanta on the road 101-87.
A key 97-84 home victory against Orlando evinced the Lakers' ability to take care of the ball in vital games, forcing a dismal 18 turnovers for the Magic, while committing just three. Nine of the Magic's 18 turnovers were from Orlando's marquee player, center Dwight Howard. This again demonstrates the effectiveness of the Laker defense (when executed well) to disrupt the offense of opposing frontcourts.
In an offensive duel, the Lakers edged Phoenix 139-137 in a triple overtime victory at home. Despite giving up 19 fast-break points to the Suns (while only scoring two) by halftime, the Lakers managed to lead 66-60 at the break.
The Lakers led by as many as 21 points in the third quarter, but an 18-6 run by the Suns kept them within nine at the start of the fourth quarter.
The game was tied at 112 as the teams headed into the first overtime. A three by Lakers forward Ron Artest, followed by three consecutive free-throws by Suns forward Channing Frye, tied the game at 121 to go into double overtime. With the Suns leading by two points, forward Pau Gasol made two free-throws to send the game into triple overtime, where the Lakers finally secured the win.
Despite the victory, the Lakers gave up an astounding 17 threes (on 41 attempts; 41.5 percent) to Phoenix, well-known for their fast-paced offense. This game indicated that the Lakers need to improve on closing-out on shooters as they finish the regular season.
Additionally, the loss to the highly touted Heat on the road also provided critical insight for the Lakers as they approach the post-season. The loss illustrated that the Heat's advantage in the paint (16 more points in the paint and nine more rebounds than the Lakers) was a major contributing factor in the decision.
The Lakers' failure to box out will be critical in upcoming games. Moreover, the game emphasized that a key Laker strength — pounding the ball inside to frontcourt duo Gasol and Bynum — is integral to the Lakers' success and will be in the playoffs against teams with dominant frontcourts like the Boston Celtics, who currently hold second place in the Eastern Conference.
The Lakers will next face Dallas on March 31 at home as they continue to prepare to embark on their journey for a three-peat.
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