The Lakeshow Review

With the trade deadline coming and going (and the Lakers not doing much in it), it’s good to shift the focus squarely on basketball again. After a modestly successful eight-game road trip, where the team went 5-3, they finally returned home for a fortuitously timed eight-game homestand, as the season nears the All-Star break. Against a talented Philadelphia 76ers, LA faced an uphill battle, falling behind early after a slow start. However, this time instead of folding the team regrouped and scratched their way back into the game, on their way to a 119-115 win. The team fought, and showed grit, which is definitely something to build on, as these are the types of wins that can bind a group together. Now they just have to keep momentum on their side.

Philly jumped out to an early 20-10 lead, anchored by the stellar play of center Joel Embiid, whose 35 points (20 in the first half) paced the Sixers. The Philly big man showed off the entire arsenal, with an array of post moves and mid-range mastery. He was quite the mismatch for Deandre Ayton, who struggled to contain Embiid for most of the game, namely during the first half. Both teams played lax defense, as both sides shot 50% from the floor during the first half. It was LAs carelessness in the form of 13 first half turnovers (to just three by Philly) that put them at a 59-51 deficit by halftime.

The big story last night was Austin Reaves, who came off the bench for the second game in a row, after missing the previous 19. AR scored a game-high 35 points in just 25 minutes of action. His 14 points in the first 24 minutes helped keep the Lakers from falling into an early hole, amidst the Sixers’ strong opening run. He continued his hot shooting with 21 second half points, including 13 in the fourth quarter to help the Lakers pull away, once they secured the lead. ARs contributions were gravely needed, as Luka Dončić was forced out of the game shortly prior to the halftime buzzer due to a hamstring injury. He wasn’t great in the minutes he did play, scoring just 10 points on 3-10 shooting to go with five turnovers. LeBron James wasn’t that much better, scoring 17 points on 17 shots, to go with 10 assists and all of eight turnovers (all of them headscratchers). LA does not come close to winning this game without ARs big night, which is why it’s so crucial to have him back in the lineup. He’s the type of player who can rise to the occasion, when others are unavailable or having an off night, and always seems to make himself available for the team to trust in such moments. Great game by AR.

Eventually, the Lakers went on a 21-6 run in the final moments of the fourth quarter, led by ARs brilliant play. His back to back triples helped give LA its first lead of the second half after which they wouldn’t look back. The team also received other contributions, including Rui Hachimura, whose 14 points on seven shots and a perfect 2-2 from deep helped round out the bench scoring. LAs 61 bench points were by far their best output of the season, mainly powered by ARs dominance. Jake LaRavia was soliod yet again, also notching 14 points on seven shots. There certainly lesser moments as well, as the first half defense played a large role in carving the team’s early deficit. JJ Redick chose to employ box zone to start the game, which the Sixers exploited by aggressively getting to the nail, where players like Embiid are deadly from midrange. the Lakers also had their hands full slowing down guard Tyrese Maxey, whose 26 points and 13 assists helped propel the Sixers’ offense. To LAs credit, they tightened things up defensively in the second half, forcing Embiid to catch the ball further away from the basket, making him more of a jumpshooter. Their offensive energy also sparked their defensive tenacity, which goes back to a constant obsevation of mine; which is that this team’s defense feeds off of their offense. Scoring motivates their defensive focus. Dearth in scoring kills their defensive morale. Last night, the offense flowed, mainly due to Austin Reaves, and instead of throwing in the towel, the team fought.

It’s great to see a game where the team overcomes adversity, as these types of games build character. With Luka possibly being sidelined, LA can still continue to push forward with AR back in the fold. Their current homestand couldn’t have come at a more opportune time. Not to mention, with the All Star game approaching, it gives the roster extra time to rest and recoup. For now, they should continue to build off of games like this. The Lakers weren’t big players during yesterday’s trade deadline, but they did manage to snatch sharpshooting guard Luke Kennard from the Atlanta Hawks, in exchange for Gabe Vincent (and a second round pick). Kennard could help shore up the shooting deficiencies the team constantly faces, as well as helping space out the floor. He’ll be a welcome addition to the offense, as well as someone you could presumably look to keep beyond 2026 (shooters are always valuable, and for some reason always seem to be at a premium to the Lakers). Despite their ups and downs, the Lakers have managed to stay above water, with as many losses as the third-seeded Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference. Ideally, you’d like to see them make a push to win as many games as possible in the next few weeks, before a road-heavy end of February and early March. The NBA season is a marathon, not a sprint, and one can only hope that the team is up for the task. Go Lakers.