The Los Angeles Lakers won their first regular-season game with LeBron James aboard on Wednesday, and it sounded like coach Luke Walton had made the matchup with the Phoenix Suns a must-win.
"We could feel his anger," Lance Stephenson said afterward about Walton's message at the team's morning meeting on Wednesday, according to ESPN's Dave McMenamin. "We had to get that W."
Walton had been fined $15,000 by the NBA earlier Wednesday for criticizing officiating, but he seemed more put off by the Lakers' defense, which surrendered over 117 points per 100 possessions through the first three games.
"He came in today very mad, he yelled at us, he told us we've got to lock in on defense and play unselfish basketball and get a W," Stephenson added, according to ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk.
While they allowed the Suns to shoot above 52 percent on Wednesday, the Lakers got stops when needed and benefited from Stephenson's best game since March. In 25 minutes, he shot 10-of-14 with 23 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists.
