Los Angeles Lakers: Team developing better habits down the stretch

During the team’s recent road trip, Los Angeles Lakers fans have watched their team rise to the occasion and perform well in the fourth quarter of two consecutive games for two huge road wins.

Starting with a nationally televised matchup with the Philadelphia 76ers last Thursday night, the Los Angeles Lakers embarked on a four-game road trip. This is their longest trip of the season until they leave Los Angeles for five games at the end of January while the Staples Center is used for the Grammy Awards.

On Thursday night, the Lakers had their hands full against a 76ers team that is rebuilding like the Lakers but is slightly further along in the process of getting back to relevancy. Much of the hype around this game was based on the point guard matchup between last year’s first overall pick Ben Simmons and this year’s second overall pick, Lonzo Ball.

Simmons has lived up to all of the hype now that he is healthy this season. Thursday night was no exception as the former LSU Tiger stuffed the stat sheet with 12 points, 15 assists and 12 rebounds. Lonzo Ball contributed to the Lakers with 10 points, eight rebounds, eight assists, four blocks and three steals at the helm of the offense.

But the most impressive part of their performance on the road in Philadelphia was their resilience to maintain their small lead going into the fourth quarter. They maintained the same intensity throughout the quarter, which is something that Luke Walton has preached to his team since they fell flat on opening night against the Los Angeles Clippers.

The team really showed growth in the final two possessions, as Julius Randle found himself in a bad matchup with seven-footer Joel Embiid, but held his ground and forced a miss to give the Lakers the final possession. Lonzo Ball would drive and find a wide open Brandon Ingram, who would drain the 3 to give Los Angeles a 107-104 win.

This display of maturity would carry over into Saturday’s game in Charlotte as the Lakers went to take on a talented Hornets team that is falling below expectations so far this season. The team battled back from a halftime deficit to take a one-point lead going into the fourth quarter, setting up another learning opportunity for the young Lakers.

Los Angeles dominated the fourth quarter thanks to the trio of Jordan Clarkson, Julius Randle and Kyle Kuzma. The three combined for 24 of the Lakers’ 34 fourth quarter points and had eight rebounds and five assists between the three of them in that quarter alone.

Jordan Clarkson, in particular, showed his value as he scored 14 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter against a Charlotte defense that looked continually frustrated throughout the second half. He knocked down tough shots in the lane and hit 5-of-6 free throws in the fourth quarter to ice the game.

Even with Lonzo Ball on the bench for almost the entire fourth quarter, the Lakers were in sync on both ends and showed maturity to shut down an offense led by All-Stars Kemba Walker and Dwight Howard. They outscored the Hornets by 10 in the final period for a 110-99 win and their first two consecutive road victories of the season.

Next: 2017-18 Week 9 NBA Power Rankings

Lakers fans have to be encouraged by what they have seen from their team on the road these past two games. They have stayed together through tough times and have closed out games the way that a playoff team in the NBA is supposed to. Heading into another nationally televised game on Wednesday at Madison Square Garden against the Knicks, the Lakers will need a similar performance to get the win.