Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers

Dalton Knecht had a game-high 20 points, and LeBron James added another triple-double as the Los Angeles Lakers snapped their 3-game losing streak, beating the San Antonio Spurs 119-101.

On the bright side, Saturday against Denver the Lakers were outscored by 22 in the third quarter. Tuesday in Phoenix, it was only 18. Once again, the Lakers took a tight game at the half and completely lost the thread in the third, en route to a 127-100 loss that did a lot more than simply ding the team's chances of advancing out of their group in the NBA Cup. LA has now lost three straight, with a very challenging game Wednesday against a San Antonio team that has won four straight and seven of 10. Anyone unwilling to buy into the 10-4 start, or insisted on waiting and seeing, might feel vindicated right now. The Lakers are simply losing the thread for long stretches of time. And while some of that might be chalked up to effort or attitude, the fundamental problem is far simpler: The Lakers simply can't get stops. When Denver got rolling the Lakers didn't have the capacity to stop the run. When the Suns got rolling the Lakers didn't have the capacity to stop the run. It was noted on the show earlier this week that the team's standing in the Western Conference was simply not sustainable if the Lakers stayed near the bottom of the league in defensive efficiency. They came into the game 27th. Tuesday's result only made things worse. And let's be honest - there just aren't that many levers available to turn the current roster into something better on that side of the floor. And while the Lakers are still a very good offensive team, no team is good enough on that end to overcome such miserable defense. Oh, and Jaxson Hayes limped off the floor late in the fourth. All in all, a terrible Tuesday for sure.  HOSTS: Andy and Brian KamenetzkySEGMENT 1: The Lakers get thumped in the fourth quarter, again. SEGMENT 2: No rest for the weary, as the Lakers play in San Antonio tonight. SEGMENT 3: Is there anything the Lakers can do to fix the defense?  Your favorite podcast now has a newsletter! In One-stop for ultimate team and league coverage delivered right to your in box. Sign up for free now, at lockedondaily.com.Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!BILT RewardsStart earning points on rent you're already paying by going to joinbilt.com/lockedonnba.  SKIMSShop SKIMS Mens at SKIMS.com/lockedonnba. Let them know we sent you! After you place your order, select "podcast" in the survey and select our show in the dropdown menu that follows. And if you’re looking for the perfect gifts for the whole family - SKIMS just launched their biggest Holiday Shop ever - also available at SSKIMS.com/lockedonnba. RobinhoodRobinhood Gold provides the privileges of a high net worth for any net worth. These generous benefits are now available for only $5/month. The new Gold Standard is here with Robinhood Gold. Sign up at robinhood.com/gold.Skylight FramesWe've got the perfect gift for you! Skylight Frame is the touchscreen digital photo frame your whole family will love. As a special, limited-time offer for our listeners, get $20 OFF your purchase of a Skylight Frame when you go to SkylightFrame.com/NBA.GametimeDownload the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONNBA for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Download Gametime today. What time is it? Gametime.FanDuelYou can start the season with a big return on FanDuel. New customers can place a FIVE DOLLAR bet and you’ll get started with ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS in BONUS BETS - if you win your first FIVE DOLLAR BET ! Visit FANDUEL.COM to get started. FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) 

Devin Booker scored 26 points and Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal each added 23 as the Phoenix Suns handed the Los Angeles Lakers their third straight loss 127-100. Anthony Davis was the Lakers' lone bright spot, scoring 25 points, grabbing 15 rebounds while blocking 4 shots. The Lakers will look to get back on the winning side of things Wednesday night when they visit the San Antonio Spurs.

The Lakers were a pretty bad defensive team last season. This season, they're pretty bad again. Which isn't all that surprising when you consider it's almost entirely the same roster as a year ago, and the major change (Dalton Knecht for Taurean Prince) probably makes them a little worse on that side of the ball. So in the wake of Saturday's second half collapse against the Nuggets and a mounting body of evidence that they're just not good enough on D as currently constructed/deployed to hang with the rest of the conference it's natural to start looking for ways to get better that don't center around "get different personnel." Because at least for now, that's really not an option. They can, however, try to play differently. That's what Austin Reaves talked about following a surprisingly vigorous practice Monday in El Segundo (given a back-to-back coming tonight in Phoenix and then tomorrow in San Antonio, kicking off five games in seven nights). "I think if you watch basketball for a long time, the teams that are ‘physical defensive teams’ might get away with a little more just because every possession you can’t call a foul... So we’re trying to get to that where we’re physical every possession and we have to make the refs call fouls. Our personnel, if we’re honest with ourselves, isn’t the best defensively. Obviously we got AD that covers up a lot, but we have to be physical out on the perimeter and especially when we’re boxing out. We got to do a better job defensively in transition as well.”It's hard to argue with anything he's saying, but the question is whether the Lakers really have the personnel to make it work. It's pretty clear they're willing to try and turn the knobs in different ways, like the emphasis on offensive rebounding (corner crashing!) that seemed to dominate training camp. Well, the results haven't been significantly stronger than last year. Why? Because they're playing without some of the size they hoped for (no Vanderbilt, no Wood and Hachimura missing a couple games) and they just don't have a lot of good defensive players. So what and Redick actually do about this?  HOSTS: Andy and Brian KamenetzkySEGMENT 1: Everyone's getting healthy again, just in time to face LA. SEGMENT 2: How much can changing strategies overcome shortcomings in the roster, especially on defense? SEGMENT 3: What's even changable, anyway?  Your favorite podcast now has a newsletter! In One-stop for ultimate team and league coverage delivered right to your in box. Sign up for free now, at lockedondaily.com.Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!BILT RewardsStart earning points on rent you're already paying by going to joinbilt.com/lockedonnba.  SKIMSShop SKIMS Mens at SKIMS.com/lockedonnba. Let them know we sent you! After you place your order, select "podcast" in the survey and select our show in the dropdown menu that follows. And if you’re looking for the perfect gifts for the whole family - SKIMS just launched their biggest Holiday Shop ever - also available at SSKIMS.com/lockedonnba. RobinhoodRobinhood Gold provides the privileges of a high net worth for any net worth. These generous benefits are now available for only $5/month. The new Gold Standard is here with Robinhood Gold. Sign up at robinhood.com/gold.Skylight FramesWe've got the perfect gift for you! Skylight Frame is the touchscreen digital photo frame your whole family will love. As a special, limited-time offer for our listeners, get $20 OFF your purchase of a Skylight Frame when you go to SkylightFrame.com/NBA.GametimeDownload the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONNBA for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Download Gametime today. What time is it? Gametime.FanDuelYou can start the season with a big return on FanDuel. New customers can place a FIVE DOLLAR bet and you’ll get started with ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS in BONUS BETS - if you win your first FIVE DOLLAR BET ! Visit FANDUEL.COM to get started. FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN)