The sophistication that NBA teams have access to can break the game down to atom-sized details. Cameras measure every step and chart every inch traveled, systems in practice arenas tally the angle of descent from each jump shot and discoveries that could change expected wins by even a single percentage point are game changers.
But outside of the equations, the spreadsheets and the computations, sometimes basketball is simple.
Be taller. Be faster. More forceful, more intentional. And make your threes.
Needing a win to clinch their group and earn a spot in the knockout stage of the NBA’s first In-Season Tournament, the Lakers were way bigger than Utah, way more assertive, way more accurate, and eventually, way more successful in a 131-99 win Tuesday.