LOS ANGELES — Following Friday night’s Lakers victory, Matisse Thybulle was asked about the third quarter – outscoring the Clippers by 13 points while holding their crosstown rivals to their lowest quarter scoring total of the early season.
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“I’m not someone who can have the recall,” said the 29-year-old wing, who surged into an immediate starting lineup role despite signing with the Lakers on a veteran’s minimum contract during free agency. “I have no idea what happened in the third quarter.
But when asked about a play he – and fellow wing Ziaire Williams – combined to make during the second quarter, the defensive stalwart of the Lakers’ eyes lit up. Returning to Crypto.com Arena as a Clippers player, Rui Hachimura was alone as he ran down the floor for a should-be breakaway dunk after he intercepted one of Luka Doncic’s 11 turnovers.
Thybulle pursued Hachimura like a linebacker from behind, scraping the ball away from the former Laker as he rose for the dunk. But Thybulle wasn’t alone. Williams, who has joined Thybulle in the starting lineup for the first two games and is also on a veteran’s minimum contract, was right behind him.
Before the ball could tumble out of bounds below the basket, Williams flung his arms forward toward and flicked the ball backwards into the air and into the arms of guard Austin Reaves.
Thybulle remembered that one, an early highlight play for a team he said recognized his skill set and is allowing him to play as himself – rather than asking him to turn into a player he’s not.
“I would say that’s probably been the coolest thing about this team, is having so many defensive-minded players,” said Thybulle, who tallied 13 points and three steals against the Clippers. “Where in the past, I might have made plays like that, and then the Clippers would have just scooped it back up and laid it up, and you just feel defeated and like you wasted energy. …”
“Instead, we’ve got, it literally feels like countless guys who will be there to clean up the play or make a second effort in a second play, and turn that into just what feels like massive momentum for us.”
Defense is infectious. Thybulle and Williams credited guard Collin Sexton, in his Lakers debut, for raising the energy defensively during his 16 bench minutes Friday. Williams called Sexton a “great leader” on the team when he’s playing, but also when he’s not – as has been the reality through the preseason when Sexton was sidelined with a right deep calf strain.
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“He’s always talking, always engaged in the huddle,” Williams told the Southern California News Group. “And he’s going to be big for us, so I was definitely happy to see him out there.”
Williams said whether it’s Sexton, Thybulle, himself or anyone else – they all plan on being on the same wavelength. The Lakers tallied 13 steals and nine blocks for 25 overall turnovers Friday. League-wide, the Lakers rank top 12 in defensive rating (108.3) as of Saturday afternoon.
“When you talk about one band, one sound – that’s truly the epitome of our our defense, just our identity in general,” Williams told the Southern California News Group. “No one wants to be the one guy not making an extra effort or not picking up full (court). It’s great. It’s healthy team competition within the game.”
All training camp and preseason, Lakers personnel waxed poetic over how swarming the Lakers’ wings have been. Reaves spoke about the nightmare of practicing against Williams, Thybulle and forward Adou Thiero (out with with left knee swelling).
Add center Walker Kessler to the equation – who has had a bright a start to his time in Los Angeles as possible – and the Lakers could have a defense worth talking about if they can keep up their intensity.
On one note, Kessler said Friday night postgame that he’s excited to return Sunday afternoon to play the Utah Jazz in his return to Salt Lake City after the sign-and-trade deal that sent him to the Lakers.
And on another note, the 7-foot-1 big man scanned the box score in front of him at the press conference podium, and pulled himself out of an answer to a reporter’s question to react to the numbers in front of him.
“Oh jeez,” Kessler said as he laughed. “We had a lot of steals, man. That’s crazy.”
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