Frustrated Lakers respond to James Harden’s big night at the line: ‘You can’t touch him’
By Bill Oram Dec 13, 2018
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HOUSTON — Josh Hart said if he shared his true feelings he would get fined. Kyle Kuzma and Luke Walton received technical fouls voicing their frustration with foul calls. At one juncture, LeBron James started defending with his hands behind his back.
The takeaway from Thursday’s 126-111 loss to Houston was that the Lakers need to figure out how to defend without fouling, or defend without giving James Harden something to sell as a foul.
And while the easy reaction was that Harden is protected by officials like an ancient porcelain figurine, Walton put the onus right back on his players.
“I think (for) young guys, it’s a big adjustment from playing … in college or high school, their whole life it’s a different type of defense,” Walton said. “You’ve got to show your two arms the entire time, you’ve got to stay into them but not give direct line. Everything you learn about defense kind of changes.”
Harden attempted 19 free throws in a 50-point triple-double night. In two games against the Lakers, Harden has attempted 36 free throws. The wound was especially fresh after DeMar DeRozan attempted 19 shots from the line less than a week ago in San Antonio.
“He’s a great player,” Lonzo Ball said of Harden. “It’s very hard to guard him. You can’t touch him. So, the biggest thing is not to foul him and not to give up easy 3s, but he got hot and that was game.”
Walton received a $15,000 fine in November for unloading on officials for not rewarding Hart for his physical attacking nature when officials “reward” players like Harden “for flopping 30 feet from the hole on plays that have nothing to do with that possession.”
So is this a real problem for the Lakers?
Yes and no. The fact they have struggled to keep elite shot-makers off the line is troubling, and raises questions about how they would fare in the postseason against teams like Houston or Golden State, which presents not one, but two, such players in Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant.
Overall, however, the Lakers fouling isn’t the problem Walton and the team would have you think it is. So take a breath.
Through 28 games, the Lakers are allowing opponents to take 21.5 free throws per game, which is actually eighth-best in the NBA. Even after allowing Houston to score 126 points, the Lakers sport the NBA’s 11th best defense with a defensive rating of 107.1 and are a top-10 defense since the start of November.
The fouls and free throws told the story of this one game, but aren’t necessarily indicative of a deep-seated problem for the Lakers.
Hart picked up his fifth foul with 4:04 remaining when the Lakers trailed just 109-106. Hart was called for a perimeter foul that sent Harden to the line for three free throws.
Things quickly unraveled.
James tried to answer with a 3 of his own and missed. Harden came the other way and knocked down a 3.
Kuzma drove the lane and tried to finesse a finger roll over Clint Capela, who swatted it away. Harden made another 3.
“It started with fouling,” Walton said. “Just giving up free throws. Those are easy points for (Harden). He’s one of the best free-throw shooters in the league. You hit three late, and all of a sudden you feel in a rhythm — not that he wasn’t in a rhythm before, but that was the start of it. And then he hit a couple tough ones. He’s a superstar, he’s gonna hit tough shots. But that whole thing started with us giving him three free throws at the end.”
Remember him?
This may have been the best game we have seen from Lance Stephenson, whose 17 points in 22 minutes kept the Lakers afloat.
Stephenson is quite the experience, and it was his erratic play throughout November that earned him a string of games in which he played a significantly reduced role.
On Thursday, however, he was out there hitting big shots and making key passes to the tune of 17 points, three rebounds and a steal. He finished 7-of-12 from the field and made 3-of-5 3-pointers. His 22 minutes marked the most he played since an Oct. 25 win over Denver.
“My role is just to play tough defense and be aggressive and play with my team and make the easiest play possible,” he said.
So-so audition
Shams Charania reported Wednesday that Houston was making a push to acquire Lakers swingman Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in a trade that would facilitate the Lakers acquiring Trevor Ariza from Phoenix. Caldwell-Pope, who lost his starting job three games into the season, is averaging 8.6 points per game while playing just 21.6 minutes per game (last year he played more than 33 minutes per outing).
Still he would make sense for a Houston team that has been reeling without Ariza and Luc Mbah a Moute, falling to 28th in defensive rating.
However, Caldwell-Pope could have done more to impress Rockets GM Daryl Morey, who was sitting courtside. He finished with just eight points and was 1-of-6 from 3.
(Photo: Troy Taormina / USA Today Sports)
