The Lakers suffered an injury-ridden 113-123 loss to the Phoenix Suns on the road yesterday. With the start of the main rivals, the distance from the top eight in the West (3 games) was pulled apart. And the Warriors in the back are also working hard. They are now just half a game away from the Lakers. A win over the Wizards tomorrow would see them jump to ninth place in the West. Of course, the ranking is temporary. The worst-case scenario for the Lakers is that the latest changes have been gradually noticed by opponents. After a period of 7 wins and 6 wins, and then 1 win and 2 losses, they managed to defeat the Spurs, who are at the bottom of the West, and then lost to the direct rivals of the Suns and Warriors in the West... 
The loss of the sun can be called a real crushing in terms of strength and state. In order to prepare for this game, James even chose to take a break in the Lakers' focused game, just to get rid of the opponent when facing the Suns, who are ranked higher than him. But after the opening, thick eyebrows quickly fouled twice. Currently, Russell Reaves-Prince's starting trio is inefficient on the perimeter. The Suns lack point guards, but they have a lot of top forwards. Durant's game advantage got him what he wanted, and the thick eyebrows quickly reduced to two turnovers. The Lakers trailed 17-25 at the end of the game. With 4:46 left, the Suns pushed the score to 45-28 in one fell swoop. 
Over the next three quarters, the Lakers began what fans know as the "hole-filling mode." They led 35-27 in the second quarter, 27-23 in the third, and 92-98 at one point in the fourth, but in the end they lost the game out of breath. Losing a game where all teams desperately want to win. The two points exposed by the loss are precisely a reflection of the Lakers' current structural problems. The rebounds exploded and the Suns led 51-34 in rebounding throughout the game. Among them, Nurkic, the main center and many "thick eyebrows play" in the first few games of the season, scored 18 points, 22 rebounds and 7 rebounds. assists, seven of which were offensive rebounds, four of which ended up being converted into three-pointers for the Suns. 
Nurkic, who has averaged just 27 minutes per game this season, played 37 minutes in this game. At the same time, due to the attraction of Durant and Booker, the thick eyebrows have to take care of the outside line, leaving a lot of space for Nurkic. Nurkic's high post and interior finishing have been a key part of the Suns' offense this season. But his slow pace on the defensive end, his useless pick-and-roll skills, and defensive ability make him a target for perimeter players. While head coach Vogel's defensive system relies heavily on big centers, Nurkic is often targeted, having to drop out of the small lineup or use a substitute tyre like Borbor's. 
None of the Lakers' outside players on the court yesterday, whether it was Russell, Reaves, Dinwiddie or LeBron James, could "torture" Nurkic with a pick-and-roll. The thick eyebrows shot 5 of 8 from a distance, and they couldn't beat the Suns in terms of production. In the end, Nurkic put up "O'Neal-esque" stats. The Lakers' outside line can't change the Suns' defense, and it does hurt Nurkic and Vogel, which is the biggest reason for yesterday's failure. O'Neal + Allen's 12 three-pointers not only freed Nurkic due to the weak defense of the guard line, but also allowed the Suns to shoot 3-of-11 from the outside in the previous game against the Rockets. Cannon Grayson Allen and Royce O'Neal should eat and drink. He made 22 shots from beyond the three-point line, hitting 12 of them, for a total of 41 points. 
At the end of the day, it's a matter of perimeter defense. In their three wins against the Suns at the start of the season, including a midseason loss, the Lakers defended opponents from beyond the three-point line with 15-of-31 and 12-of-25. They. Hit rate or yield control. But in last night's game, the Suns shot 17-of-40 from the outside. Although the Lakers pinned down Durant and Booker, allowing them to make just three three-pointers combined, the perimeter defenders were unable to stop the opponent's offense and create open space. The entire rotation lineup can't produce 3D players like Allen and O'Neal, although the two are hot, they can only admit defeat and be beaten. 
In fact, the unpleasant time after the All-Star break can be summed up by one reason: the Lakers' new lineup and new system have been noticed by opponents. Since bringing Russell back into the starting lineup to partner Reaves in the backcourt, the Lakers' overall offense has improved. Now the offensive efficiency has risen to 18th in the league, and the offensive efficiency in the last 15 games is 8th in the league. In addition, the Vanderbilt team's "defenders" Vincent, Reddish and Christie, who just returned, are all absent due to injury. The Lakers have now changed their minds, having previously been constipated on offense, struggling defensively, and relying on James. In order to maintain his regular season record and his job, Ham built the Lakers into an unstoppable team that relies on offense to win. Team. 
When the four main players of Zhan Meilila are hot, they may kill some teams in seconds, but if the opponent is strong on the offensive end (Warriors, Suns), they can also effectively contain them on the defensive end, and even train them in turn. On the team side, the Lakers have lost more than in the first half of the season. In the final analysis, the basic problems of the Lakers have not been solved: James's age and physique, as well as the level of commitment in the regular season, the thick eyebrows have limited independent offense, and their support and organizational skills have not been fully utilized, and Jeffs, Russell, Dinwiddie, and Hachimura are all unstable now. Before the game, you don't know if you're going to score 30+ points in the first game, or 10 points in a game. 
Next, the Lakers' biggest and final test of the season is coming. From February 29 to March 24, Beijing time, only one of the Lakers' 12 away games was against Trump, and all the other games were held in Los Angeles (one of which was against the Clippers). Of these 12 opponents, only the Wizards and Hawks are currently not in the playoff order, and the rest are teams competing for the playoffs. The favorites include the Clippers, Timberwolves, Thunder, Nuggets, Bucks, and direct rivals Lakers, Kings, and Warriors. With the Lakers' current standings and strength, this is certainly a devilish schedule. 
If we can rely on this period of intensive games against strong teams to refresh their form and improve chemistry, then the Lakers can still save this season and are still the team we don't want to face this season. Playoff rounds. But the greater possibility is built on strength. Against this strong team that has been strong this season, the Lakers are likely to be dealt with. At the time, a more realistic goal was to retain a top-10 play-off spot in the West. Finally, as can be seen from this year's All-Star Game, the younger generation can't wait to give way to the veteran stars led by LeBron. 