The Los Angeles Lakers have won two straight games in Mike D’Antoni’s “new season” with a new sense of purpose infectiously spreading throughout the team. Although the Lakers will be without Jordan Hill for the rest of the season and Pau Gasol is still trying to get back to form after suffering a concussion last week, the current squad is getting it done with Dwight Howard putting up solid numbers and Kobe Bryant making an impression on the defensive end of the floor.
Following the win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday, Brandon Jennings praised Kobe’s relentless defense saying the following via Greg Beacham of the Associated Press:
More B.Jennings on Kobe: “It was probably the best defense somebody’s ever played on me since I’ve been in the league.”
— Greg Beacham (@gregbeacham) January 16, 2013
Kobe’s defensive intensity definitely struck a cord with the 23-year-old Los Angeles native and may be a continuing trend for the rest of the season. Along with making a serious impression on a player that usually torches the Lakers, Kobe also tied Howard for a game-high with 31 points.
With Kobe getting it done on both ends of the floor and Howard finally living up to all the hype that surrounded him once acquired by the team back in August, the Lakers may start to become a scary team with nothing to lose moving forward.
The Lakers seem to finally be playing with a sense of urgency and a passion on defense that will only improve the chemistry that has been sorely lacking ever since this superstar squad was assembled last summer.
