Marcus Smart praised the Lakers’ defensive intensity after their 143-135 victory over the Utah Jazz on Thursday at Delta Center.
“Just urgency, you know, we picked up our urgency. We were in passing lanes and helping each other. Those straight line drives… we put a body in front of them, making everything as tough as possible,” Smart said.
Smart reflected on his scoring contributions, noting that early three-pointers helped set the tone. “I played how every other team played me… shout out to Luka and those guys, LeBron, for finding me and then just being ready to knock the ball down,” he added.
The veteran guard emphasized the challenges of playing defense in a tight game. “Any contact you make, even if you’re not the one making it, will be a foul for you. A foul always gets the benefit of the doubt, so that makes it difficult,” Smart explained.
He also emphasized the importance of forcing misses rather than hoping for them. “Guys are too good in this league to hope they miss. We had to stand up for the guys, make every shot difficult, make contact early … and they started missing some shots early,” he said.
Smart described the halftime frustration over free throws and offensive contact. “A lot of things… as a defender you’re already at a disadvantage. The attacking guy can put his hands on you, duck his shoulder, push you away, and it’s nothing,” he said. “Both teams had about 80 free throws today, which is a lot. Everyone was frustrated tonight.”
Despite the challenges, Smart praised Luka Doncic’s composure and leadership throughout. “Luka stayed mentally inside, kept it together and did what he does best: control his team and help us get this win,” he said.
The Lakers overcame the absences of Deandre Ayton and Austin Reaves, with Doncic recording 45 points, 14 assists and 11 rebounds. LeBron James added 28 points and 10 assists, while Jaxson Hayes scored 16 points on perfect 7-of-7 shooting as Los Angeles defeated Utah 41-29 in the fourth quarter.
Utah led 78-73 at halftime behind 65% shooting but couldn’t stop the Lakers, who improved to 19-7. Doncic’s final assist to Hayes with 0.4 seconds left sealed the comeback in a quick scoring affair.
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