Dave’s (DJ’s) Son and Kobe

More from Iztok:

2-Another manipulator, another advantage creator, another pressure point

In my notes after the Hornets game, I wrote that the offense looked casual but the results were awesome. This was another example of how high the offensive ceiling is for the Lakers. It was by no means a perfect game. Dončić had eight uncharacteristic turnovers and missed eight of his ten three-point attempts, and the Lakers collectively shot only 34 percent from three. But they still scored at an absurd rate of 138 points per 100 possessions.

I’ll go into more technical details on that outcome in one of the next points, but the big-picture takeaway from this game was how adding a third elite manipulator on the floor basically eliminates the stretches where creating advantages becomes a struggle (something Mavs fans know very well at the moment).

Redick kept experimenting with different pressure points: Dončić and LeBron in the post, empty-side pick actions that created a wing isolation against a smaller defender, and all three ball-handlers running pick-and-roll. It was constant pressure on the Jazz defense, with no real letdown during the rest periods for one or even two of them. Dončić had a relatively casual game by his standards, but he took over in the third quarter, scoring 17 points and putting the Lakers up by 11 after they had trailed for most of an uninspiring first half. James then finished the job by taking over in the fourth. Reaves filled the gap all night with what is now almost a given 26 points. The same goes for Ayton’s 20/10 nights now. The big man finished with 20 and 14 at elite efficiency.