Defense sitting at "75"

Eddie Jones sat out of the contact part of Thursday’s practice to rest a strained left groin. The focus during the workout was defense and conditioning. The team worked on multiple defensive situations and adjustments to make sure everyone is still on the same page.

Avery Johnson estimated the defense was at a “75” on a scale of 1-100. That’s right on track for this point of the season. It’s not where he wants to end up.

“We have to get to the high 80s or 90s, because sometimes even with great defense, great NBA players find a way to make the defense pay,” Johnson said. “We’ve got to get that next 10-15 percent better before the end of the season and that’s the hard part.”