The Lakeshow Review

Coming off a much-needed win against the Dallas Mavericks, the Lakers took the floor once again to play the Chicago Bulls at the United Center. They put forth an energized and complete performance that saw the team emerge victorious, 129-118. A solid step forward. Unfortunately, the following game didn’t render such fruits as the Lakers were blown out of the water by a young Cavaliers team in Cleveland by a 129-99 final. One of their worst defeats of the season. These two games illustrate the duality of the 2026 Los Angeles Lakers. On some nights they show up, on others they quite simply don’t. They have a lot of looking inward to do if they are to be taken seriously amongst the top tier teams in the NBA.

Against Chicago, it was the Luka Dončić show. 46 points, seven rebounds and 11 assists on eight made three pointers marked perhaps Luka’s strongest game of the year. He looked unstoppable both on the pick-and-roll and on iso situations. He was constantly able to get to his patented step-back three-pointer, and when it’s on, Luka is nearly unguardable. So far in the month of January, Luka is shooting 38.5% from three-point range. Hopefully that’s a trend that will continue as it opens up both his game as well as the offense in general.

Rui Hachimura was fantastic as well, scoring 23 points off the bench, on 9-11 shooting from the floor. He’s by far the team’s most reliable long range sniper, connecting on four of his five treys for the night. He can make defenses pay when they help off of him at the wing or the corner, as well as when they attempt to shrink the floor on drives by Luka or LeBron James. He can also attack closeouts and get to the nail where he’s very adept at shooting the pull-up midrange. Late in the shot clock, these shots will come in handy. LeBron on the other hand had another ho-hum night. 24 points on 19 shots, with just four of those points coming in the second half where he shot 0-4 from the floor. He was a -14 for the game, second worst on the team behind Deandre Ayton’s -15 (who threw up another stinker with six points and two boards), on a night where the team won by double-digits. It’s so painfully obvious at this point, LeBron and Luka don’t mesh well on the hardwood. LeBron lacks the dynamics and quick-scoring arsenal to successfully play off-ball, and Luka needs the ball in his hands because he’s a 26 year-old superstar in the middle of his prime. Yes, LeBron can still fill up the stat sheet, but the numbers lack the impact they once had. Not to mention, he doesn’t exactly address any of the team’s needs (perimeter shooting and defense) at $55M a season. This needs to be LeBron’s last season with the Purple and Gold.

With solid offensive execution and great performances from the reserves (namely Rui and Jaxson Hayes) the Lakers prevailed. When players step up and make their threes, the offense opens up. It’s less clogged, more energized, and most importantly, it keeps players engaged. The following night, however, would present the exact mirror opposite. The Cavs boasted a well-balanced offensive attack, with Donovan Mitchell’s 25 points, five boards and five assists. Guard Jaylon Tyson chipped in with 20 points, six boards and six assists, while big man Jarrett Allen provided a robust 17 & 9 effort, and reserve forward De’Andre Hunter had 17 points off the bench. Luka Dončić did his best, scoring a game-high 29 points, to go with five rebounds and six assists in just 27 minutes. He sat out the final quarter in a 30-point blowout loss. The rest of the Lakers didn’t offer Luka much support, as second option LeBron James only managed 11 points on 3-10 shooting. The Lakers continued to be exposed on defense, and on a cold shooting night, their defensive woes were only amplified. Cleveland looked to punish the Lakers on switches with Donovan Mitchell on the ball, who torched LAs perimeter defense, getting to the basket at will. When LA decided to trap Mitchell, he swiftly dimed the short-roller who attacked the middle of the court, often to great success. Some of it may have been fatigue, but the Lakers clearly couldn’t contain the Cavs’ ball handlers at the point of attack, which only serves to further expose the team’s weak defensive rotations, poor strategies and soft switching.

The Lakers actually held a healthy 40-30 lead midway through the second quarter. After which Cleveland’s offense started to take off, leaving LA in the dust. They outscored the Lakers 72-44 in the second half, with LAs defense completely collapsing. As I’ve written before, when this team fails to score, they mentally check out, with the defensive effort going out the window. The lack of a rim-protecting big man is starting to hear its head, as they can’t seem to offer any resistance on drives to hoop. Another dud by Ayton (10 points and four rebounds) spelled yet another night where LA lacked any semblance of a presence down low. Ayton’s low motor is a killer in these blowout losses, as he seldom if ever sprints back on defense, leaving the basket open to be exploited in transition. Then there’s the offensive rebounding department, where the Lakers usually get smoked. Changes are clearly needed for this team to realistically compete. But at 28-18 overall, and 3-2 on their current seven-game roadie, all hope is not lost. The team is rumored to be getting Austin Reaves back sometime in the immediate future, which will certainly serves as a boost. But for now, the key will be to stay consistent and not allow the losses to pile up. Next game up is at Washington on Friday Night, which is a winnable game to say the least. But as is the case with this team, good things will only happen if they’re motivated and engaged. This isn’t a team that can simply show up and expect results. Hopefully they understand that and keep pushing forward before the season’s halfway mark. Go Lakers.