The Lakers started a trend in the preseason with poor third quarter play, which has continued into the regular season.
During their current road trip, the Lakers were outscored by 20 to start the second half against the Cavs, en route to a blowout loss. Two games later, they blew a first half lead to the Knicks and lost by double figures.
After the defeat, Deandre Ayton made it clear that the team’s poor play after halftime is a problem and one the team knows about.
“Most definitely got to sharpen up the third quarter,” Ayton said. “We don’t want to make that a habit. I’ll say we confronted it as well after this game. After a big game like this, we definitely pointed that out as one of our things we need to pick up and just come together collectively and be accountable.”
It’s a positive that the Lakers talked about this issue and called it out, but this late into the season, it’s actions over words.
While recent third quarter troubles have been loud, it’s been a season-long trend. The Lakers have a plus-minus of -67 in the period, their worst quarter. The good news is the Lakers have been great in the closing quarter. They are +108**,** which is the best in the NBA.
If they can fix these third quarter problems, that should set them up for success, leading to more wins. And, in a highly competitive Western Conference, that could be the difference between having homecourt in the opening round or being a play-in team.
So, whether it’s Redick emphasizing focus for the third quarter, Luka Dončić getting players involved right away or a change in the lineup to get an injection of offense, the Lakers have to do whatever needs to be done to go from a good first half to a solid second half start.