After their impressive five-win streak came to an end at the hands of the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday, to begin their five-game road trip, the Los Angeles Lakers were looking to bounce back in a big way on Monday against the Charlotte Hornets at the Spectrum Center.
Fortunately for Los Angeles, the team received some good news heading into this matchup, with star guard Austin Reaves cleared to play after missing time due to a groin injury. Despite some struggles from beyond the arc, as he went 2-for-10 from deep, he played well.
However, he wasn’t the guard who stole the show behind Luka Doncic’s game-high 38 points; Marcus Smart put on an elite defensive performance.
Austin Reaves Raves About Marcus Smart Making Lakers History
During the NBA offseason, the Lakers were lucky enough to get Smart to fall in their lap, as the Washington Wizards bought him out. Smart was determined to land somewhere where he could compete for a title, and the Lakers fit the bill. With Smart still being one of the best perimeter defenders in the league when healthy, he was a steal for the Lakers, as he addresses an area of need. On Monday, the 2022 NBA Defensive Player of the Year, who signed a two-year $10,524,700 contract with the Lakers, showed why he’s such an asset defensively, recording a game-high seven steals against the Hornets.
Reaves had nothing but high praise for his new teammate for the impact he made on the defensive end of the floor via ESPN Los Angeles.
“It’s what he does and has been doing his whole career,” Reaves said of Smart. “He plays the game the right way. He plays hard as hell. Makes open shots, makes the right play. Obviously, defensively, everybody knows what he does. Very happy to have him on our team instead of on another team and playing against him.”
Smart was asked about his impressive performance defensively after the game in the visiting locker room via Spectrum SportNet. “Just trying to make an impact anyway you can,” Smart said. “Use my instincts to the best of my ability, getting the steals or not getting the steals. Just putting myself in the position to be able to help my team.” Although Smart’s seven steals are one off from his career-high total (8), the defensive-minded guard is already making his impression felt in a Lakers uniform from a historical perspective. His seven steals are tied for the most by a Lakers player in 29 years.
Lakers players with eight or more steals in a game include Gail Goodrich, Norm Nixon, Magic Johnson, Eddie Jones, and Jerry West. West has the most with 10 in a game, while Johnson sits behind him with nine.
