NEW YORK — Listen to one of coach Darvin Ham’s pre- or post-game media availabilities, and there’s a good chance he’ll utter one of his favorite sayings: his team wants to get stronger as the game gets longer.
The same can apply to the season as a whole.
Because for the second consecutive year, the Lakers are playing their best basketball as the regular season starts to wind down and the league’s calendar slowly transitions to postseason play.
Last year, the Lakers went 18-8 in their final 26 regular-season games to eventually become the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference standings and make a run to the Western Conference finals.
After Sunday’s 116-104 road win over the Brooklyn Nets, the Lakers (42-33) are 18-8 since the start of February, including 3-1 during the ongoing six-game trip that ends with back-to-back games against the Toronto Raptors (Tuesday) and Washington Wizards (Wednesday).
The Lakers entered Monday at No. 9 in the standings, 1½ games behind the Phoenix Suns and Sacramento Kings for the Nos. 7 and 8 spots.
“The things we have to do, our laundry list, has been simplified,” coach Darvin Ham. “And we know nothing else matters if we don’t take care of our own business. And you feel that playoff smell. … You have that smell in the air of the playoffs and the postseason rapidly approaching.
“And so guys are taking their attention to detail to another level. They’re taking their performances to another level. And everybody knows that the only way we can do it is as a group. No one individual is going to take us to the promised land.”
That extra attention to detail has shown up most defensively – an area of struggle for multiple months that’s been cleaned up over the last couple of weeks.
The Lakers’ defensive rating (points allowed per 100 possessions) of 108.3 over their last seven games ranks No. 4 after their defensive rating of 118.4 from Dec. 10-March 16 (45 games) ranked No. 24.
The dip in opponent quality has helped. So has opponents’ 3-point shooting luck, or the lack of it, turning in the Lakers’ favor.
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But the Lakers have also been a significantly better defensive-rebounding team over the last couple of weeks, illustrated by Rui Hachimura having three double-doubles in the last four games after having none in his first 57 games.
The improved perimeter defense has also helped, with the return of Gabe Vincent after missing the previous three months because of a left knee surgery giving the Lakers a boost in that area.
“The reason we brought him here was his competitive fire, his physicality, his point-of-attack defense, his ability to score the ball,” Ham said. “And just him being highly competitive in the biggest moments, him not taking a backseat to anybody.
“We saw the run he had through the playoffs last year with Miami. He’s a fighter and just he has a quiet leadership, a quiet toughness about him.”
LAKERS AT RAPTORS
When: 4 p.m. Tuesday
Where: Scotiabank Arena, Toronto
TV/radio: Spectrum Sports Net/710 AM
