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The Credits: "Bounce"

bounce back!
bounce back!

Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers look to bounce back into form after a disappointing home loss Sunday night against the Grizzlies. In a much talked about move Sunday night, Mike Brown benched Kobe during a crucial part of the fourth quarter and after the game, Kobe played off the decision by Brown with the veteran savvy and poise one would expect after 16 years in the League. All the while, the true cuprit of this Lakers slump, being the defense.

Yesterday, Actuarially Sound's piece highlighted this fact for us. Quite simply:

Defensively, they weren't good by any stretch. They kept Dallas and Portland to under 49%, but both shot better than the Lakers allow on average. They were especially awful against Houston and Memphis who each shot over 54%. The Lakers' two wins and two losses this week can be directly tied to their defense and whether or not they forced the opposition to miss.

If the Lakers can correct the defensive issues that emerged this week and get back to a top 10 defense, they will be in great shape, especially if the offense continues to be near league-leading with Sessions. It looks like Sessions is the cherry that completes the sundae; now we can not drop it on the floor quite as often? Maybe then we can enjoy the taste of it.

Tonight, the Lakers face a gutted Warriors team, who are in full tank mode. No seriously, they are. As for the Lakers, they have to exert some type of energy and effort tonight as talent, clearly, cannot win games.

Must-win?

↓ Much more after the jump ↓

Lakers News

NBA.com

ESPN

Yahoo! Sports

ProBasketball Talk

Dime Mag / SLAM Online

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The Basketball Jones

Multimedia

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