Los Angeles — The Los Angeles Lakers have a problem. Their fast-paced, Maserati of a playing style turns into a golf cart in fourth quarters.
“We’ve got to work on cleaning up fourth quarters. I know that we have guys that when we’re not making shots, they want to take it upon themselves,” said Lakers head coach Luke Walton after his team’s 107-100 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder that saw them collapse in the final frame once again.
The Lakers already pass the third-least of any team in the league, but as Walton notes, during fourth quarters their ball movement nearly completely disappears, and their pace slows to a crawl as a result.