Lakers’ urgency lacking when opponents heat up from perimeter

LOS ANGELES — While others might be wondering why, with two superstars, the Lakers are losing to sub-.500 teams, Marcus Smart isn’t one of them. He knows what’s wrong and it has nothing to do with scheduling, officiating or personnel.

The Lakers have enough offensive firepower. Luka Doncic leads the league in scoring (33.6 ppg) and LeBron James can still hit jumpers on 41-year-old knees.

What they don’t have, according to Smart, is defensive urgency, especially when teams get hot from the perimeter.