The Los Angeles Lakers are looking to bounce back after a Game 1 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Marcus Smart is confident that the Lakers will improve their shooting performance.
Shooting Woes and Turnovers Plague Lakers
The Lakers’ offense has been struggling, with the team failing to score 100 points in all but one of their last five playoff games. In Game 1 against the Thunder, Los Angeles did not crack the century mark, losing on the road to OKC.
Turnovers have also been a problem for LA, who had 18 in Game 1. They lead the playoffs in this category, averaging 17.7 per game.
Smart’s Confidence and James’ Insights
Marcus Smart believes it’s just a matter of time before the Lakers start making more shots. “We’re going to make shots,” Marcus Smart said postgame. “It’s just a matter of time and we just got to continue to make sure we’re shooting them.”
LeBron James offered insights into how the Lakers can improve their shots. “We have to be better at finding ways to get into the blender, finding ways to get into the paint,” LeBron said. “We know they’re a paint-swarming team so we have to be better with getting into the paint, not turning the ball over and shooting with confidence. I thought we got some really good looks.”
Hachimura Calls for More Three-Point Attempts
Rui Hachimura believes the Lakers should take more three-point shots against the Thunder. “We watched the film and know we can shoot a lot on threes on this team,” Rui Hachimura said. “I think they gave up a lot of threes in the regular season. They’re like one of the worst teams or something [at allowing threes]. We talked about that. I think we need to shoot more threes for sure, especially against them. I think in the second half we did a better job, but we could have done it in the first.”
Path to Improvement
The Lakers need to protect the ball, get in the paint, and take advantage of open looks from deep. LA and OKC had the same number of attempts at 85, but the Thunder made more shots.
- OKC went 49% from the field and 43% from deep.
- LA shot 41% overall and 31% from beyond the arc.
Even with their struggles, the Lakers stayed close to OKC for most of the game. This was just one performance, and not every contest will go this way.
The path towards improvement is clear for the Lakers.