The Lakers’ lineup changes pay off with a convincing win over the Spurs

It was almost 4 in the morning on Wednesday when the Lakers arrived at their hotel and their last two losses revealed some of the team’s worst internal fears.

The way they had played in the second half of the losses to Denver and Phoenix had players wondering if all the work the team had put in over the last two months had been worth it, and all the effort and time spent trying to change had mattered.

When Denver pressed the familiar pressure points, the Lakers crumbled. When the offense went cold and the rims got tight in Phoenix, they folded.

Their body language said what no one dared mutter in public: “Here we go again.”

But when the Lakers took the floor Wednesday night, they took on the persona of their coach, JJ Redick, who said before the game, “I don’t think I ever dwell on the past.”

Fueled in part by a new starting five and in part by a fresh chance to get back to winning ways, the Lakers played one of their most consistent games of the season on both ends of the court in a 119–101 victory against the San Antonio Spurs.

Read more: Lakers look to step up defense with return to physical play

“I’m very proud of our group,” Redick said. “The reaction was great. And it’s funny because that’s literally what I talked about with them before the game. It’s just you have to let go of the past. You have to let go of the recent past and you have to move on next. And as they have already done on several occasions, they have responded.”

Redick moved rookie Dalton Knecht back in the starting five, Cam Reddish moved to the bench and the group responded by winning each of the four quarters.

Defensively, the Lakers wreaked havoc and dictated play with their physicality, pushing Spurs phenom Victor Wembanyama away from the paint. Offensively, the ball bounced and baskets almost always came as a result of crisp passing, and the Lakers regained spirits that had evaporated during their three-game losing streak.

“We win games when we do that,” guard D’Angelo Russell said of the Lakers’ passing game, which produced 31 assists.

When the Lakers have had 27 or more assists, they are 9-1. When they are below that number, they are 2-6.

Knecht led seven players in double figures with 20 points, LeBron James had his sixth triple-double and Anthony Davis had 19 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists. Russell had one of his best games of the season, scoring 17 off the bench. Max Christie added 12.

Davis’ passing in particular energized the team and neutralized San Antonio’s defense.

“We’re just trying to get good looks, run our offense and live with the results,” Davis said. “And put guys in actions that we thought we had an advantage with. We’re able to get some lobs, some pocket passes, some open threes. But we just kept at it.”

The Lakers’ NBA Cup chances are still alive, but they need a win Friday against Oklahoma City, while they need the Spurs to upset the Suns.

More importantly, though, the Lakers found reason to believe that this version of themselves can be the one they move forward — and not the shaky version of the previous three games that somehow showed guts – loving breakdown.

“We came out with power, came out with intensity,” Christie said. “Yeah, I don’t think we really let up. I thought we did a really good job.”

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.