NBA 2020: What Los Angeles Lakers can learn from Boston Celtics' thumping win against Toronto Raptors
It was about time. The Boston Celtics came under scrutiny after their recent dismal outings but came out all guns blazing when they put out a blitzkrieg performance against the Toronto Raptors on Friday. The 122-100 thumping saw the Celtics put in clinical performance and proved they shouldn't be written off yet. The Los Angeles Lakers could learn a lesson or two from the Celtics in terms of the play they had in the offense.
One of the biggest heartbreaks for fans this season was the Lakers' inability to drill the ball in. Couple that with a dismal three-pointing shooting, and the end result saw them lose their last two games. Although they wouldn't press the panic button just yet, the chips have been down, and had they watched the Celtics v Raptors tussle, there could be a few pointers they can pick up. Starting off with the three's. Celtics made frequent attempts from the corner and that paid dividends.
The defense has been the other lacking part for the Lakers and again, the Celtics largely improved defense was the second reason for their clincher. This isn't an exaggeration when we say Celtics may have finally figured out their defense. Add to that some scintillating performances — Jaylen Brown leading with 20 points while Jayson Tatum chipping in with 18. Kemba Walker added to the tally with 17 points and four assists in his 23 minutes playtime.
Not too long ago, the Raptors had tightened up their game and beaten the Lakers 107-92. The 10+ point loss was the start of the slide as they lost to Thunder and Rockets. This tweet does justice to the Celtics' resounding win. "The Raptors smacked the Lakers, beat a good Heat team but Celtics made a statement with this one," the tweet read.
The Raptors smacked the Lakers, beat a good Heat team but Celtics made a statement with this one
— Corey B (@CoreyB08) August 8, 2020
That said, the clock is ticking for the Lakers to bounce back and their scrimmage against the Indiana Pacers is the right opportunity to turn up as the winning unit they have always been. LeBron James's groin injury that led to his absence in the previous game was another factor and his return will boost morale. And before we end this, hopefully, Danny Green's shooting is on-point against the Pacers.