Lakers News: Darvin Ham Credits Two Critical Elements For Surprise Hawks Win

On Friday night, your Los Angeles Lakers celebrated the 38th birthday of All-Star power forward LeBron James by giving him the greatest gift of all: a road win against a superior team, in this case the Atlanta Hawks. Thanks mostly to LeBron James himself (he scored 47 points, had 10 rebounds and dished out nine assists), LA won 130-121.

Speaking to reporters after the game, Los Angeles head coach Darvin Ham offered a more nuanced take on what went right in the win.

Darvin Ham on LeBron's season-high performance and his takeaways from tonight's win. pic.twitter.com/slJULMULWk
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) December 31, 2022

"Two big things that [have] been plaguing us all year [are] not finishing defensive possessions -- giving up offensive rebounds -- and turning the ball over," Ham relayed to the assembled scrum. "For the first half, that was a big part of the story, those two things being our Kryptonite, pretty much. Thomas stepping up, 16 defensive rebounds. Our guards sticking their nose in there. Russ coming up with some huge rebounds. Wenyen Gabriel coming off, Juan... coming off.... Defensive rebounding is definitely a priority, especially going into the new year, for what we've gotta do in terms of closing this gap, this win-loss gap."

Ham also went on to praise the overall play of LeBron James, the team's ability to share the rock, and the team's ability to guard the perimeter Atlanta players.

"Hell of a performance, super-duper efficient" Ham said of James. "He got a lot of help, as well. He's been vocal, encouraging guys to not be hesitant or afraid to make plays. We got contributions from everyone all over the place. 34 assists says it all. The ball was moving, humming. Took care of it a little better in the second half, where we had seven turnovers. "

"Hell of a team effort. Defensively, Dennis, his possessions on Trae. Trying [to] keep Bogie under control, Murray under control. All the guys. Russ stepping up off the bench, Troy Brown Jr. 'Bron, when he has those types of performances, especially dropping 47, it's inspiring because he plays the game the right way. Guys want to go out and do their part."