The Lakeshow Review

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  • Lakers Sweep Weekend Series Against Grizzlies

    Following a rocky month of December, the Lakers have opened the new year on a positive note, and seem to be taking decent steps to playing good basketball once again. They played the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday, and looked like a rejuvenated team. The team went back to its bread and butter, that of course being their half-court execution, and recaptured much of the offensive spark we’d seen early on in the year, en route to a 128-121 victory. It was a good way to kick off the new year, and couldn’t have come at a better time, with the team flirting with disaster as of late.

    With Jake LaRavia sliding into the starting group, in the absence of Rui Hachimura, the Lakers actually looked more complete. Jake stepped in with 21 points and nine rebounds, while also playing well on the defensive side. He showcased a nice and versatile game, scoring from the midrange as well as from beyond the arc. All in all, LA received a strong and balanced showing from their starters, with Luka Dončić tallying 34 points, six rebounds and eight assists (as well as six turnovers), and LeBron James chipping in with 31 points, nine boards and six assists. Marcus Smart also found himself in double figures with 13 points, to go with 8 boards and seven dimes, in a solid all-around effort.

    Things weren’t all rosy though , as the Lakers blew a 15-point lead midway through the second quarter quarter. However, the team managed to buckle down, finding just enough in the tank to close out the Grizz in the fourth quarter. It wasn’t pretty, albeit, a much needed win for the ailing Lakers.

    LA looked to beat Memphis for a second time, as both clubs squared off again on Sunday. Both were severly undermanned, with the Grizzlies sidelining young guard Ja Morant due to calf issues. For the Lakers, Austin Reaves continues to be out of action, missing his fourth consecutive game, while Rui Hachimura sat out his third straight. The team started off slow, but managed to piece together a sufficient effort, erasing an 11-point deficit late in the third, and outscoring Memphis 37-27 in the final quarter, on their way to a 120-114 win. Luka was terrific, netting 36 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. LeBron also finished with 26 points, to go with seven boards and 10 dishes. Jake LaRavia continued his strong play with 26 points, with five rebounds and four assists. Marcus smart (six points on 1-5 from the floor) had a down game, but was offset by Deandre Ayton’s strong 15 point/11 rebounds effort, as the Lakers continued their balanced output from their starting five.

    The team flirted with disaster on both nights, playing down to their competition, as has been the case recently, yet managing to find enough to ultimately pull it off. On the bright side, LeBron and Luka are starting to develop more of a rapport. We’re starting to see more two-man action, particularly late in games, particularly in Sunday’s game, which led to several quality possessions dow the stretch. Luka also made a deliberate effort to get into the paint and finish close to the basket, whereas lately his shot selection (via heavy dose of stepback threes) has been suspect. Jake LaRavia also continued his string of good games as a starter, posting back-to-back 20-point efforts during the weekend. When you factor in his rebounding, playmaking and defensive abilities, there’s no reason why he shouldn’t start over Rui Hachimura moving forward. Politics aside, it is the correct basketball move for the team moving forward. Defensively, the issues still persist, with poor rotations, bad transition defense and weak defensive rebounding still presenting challenges for certain stretches. But the effort was there, as well as certain new wrinkles, such as playing Luka off-ball more, allowing him to catch the ball in stride as he curls on down screen looking to score or dish. LeBron screening for Luka, especially late in games, has also proven resourceful, as they’re polishing their two-man game. Something that’s of great value, particularly with AR sidelined for the time being. Hopefully these good bits of progress continue once the Lakers play better competition. They’ll get a chance to test themselves when they take on the Spurs on Wednesday, but not before they play the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday. The team must keep their foot on the gas during this next stretch of games. Thankfully, their hot start has afforded them some leeway, and now, any good three or four game streak can put them back on track. Maybe they can find some success heading into their first road trip of the new year. Go Lakers.

  • Lakers Rebound to Beat Kings, Immediately Fall Flat to Pistons in LA

    “The turnovers, fast break points and points in the paint killed us tonight.” – Jonathan Clay Redick, December 2025

    Following a 23-point Christmas beatdown at the hands of the Houston Rockets, the Los Angeles Lakers took the court against the Sacramento Kings in hopes of getting back on track. Thankfully, for the Lakers, they were playing the Sacramento Kings. LA won handily, 125-101, as Luka Dončić led the way with 34, while LeBron James also contributed 24 points. Nick smith Jr. scored 21 big points off the bench, as the reserves played one of their better outings thus far. This had all the makings of a get right game, as the Lakers successfully tee’d off against an inferior Kings roster, who were missing several key players in guard Zach LaVine and big man Domantas Sabonis.

    Against Sacramento, LA feasted on their abysmal defense. The Kings do a poor job of defending screens. They often leave no backside help against rollers, and when they trap, as they did to Luka on several possessions, they do a terrible job at tagging the roll man, in this case Ayton. The Lakers’ offense had their way, and the team looked re-energized. They shot 53% from the floor, 39% from three-point range, and won the points-in-the-paint battle (56-50) as they also limited their turnovers, while keeping the King’s transition game at bay (something that’s been an uphill battle for the Purple & Gold recently). The Lakers drove to the rim at will, with Sacramento’s defense offering little resistance, due to their lack of communication and relatively bad execution. It was never really a contest, and the Lakers looked to be getting their groove back.

    Unfortunately, the mirage of stomping on a bottom-dweller (the Kings are tied for the worst record in the Western Conference) washed off rather swiftly once they turned around to face the Detroit Pistons, who are the best team in the Eastern Conference. The three-on-twos and two-on-ones that they were able to consistently create against the hapless Kings defense were methodically wiped out by Detroit’s athletic, switchy, and well-coached defensive attack. Thus, the Lakers weren’t able to keep up offensively against the well-oiled Pistons, getting beat soundly by a 128-106 final. Consequently, as is the case with mediocre teams (and the Lakers are certainly mediocre right now), they get easily demoralized on defense once they can’t score on offense. Bad offense leads to bad defense.

    As of right now, the Lakers are a defensive mess. One that gets further exposed by their tendency to stall on offense. Against the Pistons, they displayed a comedy of errors. The team’s lack of communication defensively is truly hurting their ability for solid defensive execution. LAs switching schemes are quite simply abysmal, as they often put two on the ball, leaving a roll man the open trail to the basket. This is compounded by the fact that they don’t have a true defensive anchor, and have to rely on guys like Deandre Ayton to be the last line of defense. The Pistons dropped a video-game-like 74 points in the paint, as the Lakers had no solution for taming Detroit’s consistent odd-man pressure.

    Then there’s the transition defense. The Lakers simply don’t get back on defense, and the word is out. They don’t stop the ball, which is bad enough. They also don’t protect the basket. It’s a tell-tale sign of bad effort. Detroit amassed a ridiculous 31 fastbreak points, to LAs 12. You will never win a game giving up that sort of handicap. To make matters worse, the Pistons were also the hungrier and more physical team, winning the rebounding battle 37-33, while also displaying superior ball movement on offense by way of 30 team assists. They shot a blistering 63% from the court, as well as 46% from three. They completely dismantled the Lakers’ anemic defensive schemes. Luka did his best to fill the statsheet, with 30 points (on 22 shots) while also filling it with eight turnovers. LeBron, following an encouraging showing versus the Kings, was made to look rather old with 17 points (on 17 shots) to go with four assists and five turnovers. Detroit’s Cade Cunningham outclassed the field with an impressive 27 points, five rebound, 11 assist performance. Jaxson Hayes chipped in with 13 points off the bench, but it failed to offset Detroit’s effortless offensive output.

    The Lakers are reeling. The absence of Austin Reaves, who is clearly the team’s bonafide no. 2, is of consequence. But ultimately, it’s the team’s lack of focus, competitive spirit and complete disregard of sound defensive principles that are currently sinking their psyching. There is seemingly no gameplan to ameliorate their defensive shortcomings, as every game offers more of the same. They can’t properly ice a screen, they have no concept of hedging (Deandre Ayton is being asked to play the most vanilla drop coverage), they don’t tag the roll man, their soft switching is a mess, and they don’t make the slightest attempt to communicate with each other, which makes it impossible to successfully defend some of the more intricate screening actions that their opponents present. As I’ve been saying, it’s a rotten cocktail of coaching and effort. Neither of which is present. Changes need to be in order, and more needs to be asked out of this current group, otherwise the team will endure a prolonged stretch of mediocre ball that will undo any sort of of cushion they’ve built for themselves following a strong start to the season. AR won’t return until around the All-Star break, and the trade dominoes usually don’t start to drop until around February. So the changes will have to come internally, and they should be mostly philosophical. JJ Redick needs to step up and get more juice out of this crop of players. Whether it’s shuffling lineups, or instilling a better gameplan, he needs to start experimenting. The roster, however unbalanced, has the pieces to succeed. It’s a matter of re-ordering them in order to find the right chemistry.

    Happy New Year.

    Go Lakers.

  • Lakers Drop Consecutive Games to Suns and Rockets In Embarrassing Fashion

    It’s been a rough Christmas for the Lakers. The team lost consecutive games for the first time, coming up short against the Clippers and Suns. On Christmas afternoon, the lost again to the Houston Rockets. They lost each game by 15, 24 and 23 points. Clearly, this has been their lowest point of the season thus far. LA has to make changes, both to their game plan and to their rotations, if there’s any hope of steering this ship in the right direction. The team currently lacks effort, an identity, and more importantly, a cohesive system, both offensively and defensively that players can fall back on and execute. Big changes should be in place.

    The defensive issues continue to persist. The Lakers simply can’t execute a switch properly. They either fail to get behind the roll man, fail to jam the ballhandler at the level of the screen, or some meek combination of both. The team is also playing with absolutely no effort. Their closeouts are lazy, they don’t sprint to the three point line, their help defense is erratic. Players generally look lost out there. The Lakers make comically novice mishaps on defense far too often, such as failing to seal off the middle of the floor, or having guys wandering behind the three point line when they should be in a more advantageous help position. It’s a combination of low effort and lack of coaching. As Head Coach JJ Redick remarked following the Rockets 119-96 beatdown, “I’m not doing another 53 games like this”. Whatever that means, it better spell changes.

    The Lakers haven’t even been playing terribly, statistically speaking. They shot 48% from the the floor and 38% from three against the Suns. Yet, they still got clobbered, 132-108. This speaks to a team that is simply going through the motions, and coasting off of their skill. Yet they’re putting in no effort. Through the season thus far, we’ve seen glimpses of the team’s lapse in effort. But in the last three games, it’s come full circle. Their effort level has bottomed out. Defensively, they have no interest in staying in front of their man and keeping them out of the basket.

    Agains the Rockets, it was a similar story, shooting 51% from the court, and 37% from three. They were still decimated 119-96 by an exponential sharper Rockets side, who exuded superior execution, on both ends. In this game, LA were destroyed in the glass, 48-25. When the team doesn’t want to rebound, or play defense, that is as good as a loss. Role players have also fallen off a cliff lately, with Rui Hachimura tallying zero points, in 28 minutes of action last night. This goes back to the team’s lack of an offensive identity. Players like Rui have no idea what to do or where to be on the floor, because there’s no semblance of a game plan in place to sort everybody’s roles.

    It should also be noted that LeBron James, after picking up his $56M player option, and having his agent/mouthpiece make the media rounds critiquing the Lakers’ organization, has been objectively mediocre in the past few games, all losses. Following some ho-hum 23 and 18 point performances, he simply isn’t playing to the level insinuated by his gaudy salary. For someone who still believes he can carry a franchise, he clearly needs to step up. Not even carry a franchise, just be a reliable no.2 who can effectively play off of Luka. Except they’re a terrible fit together. I’ve written about LA needing to get out of the LeBron/Klutch business. I’ve seen nothing from this team or LeBron’s play thus far that would move me off of that opinion.

    Lastly, Luka Dončić needs to do summer. This past summer, he was handed the keys to the franchise. He was extended for the longterm, inking a three-year extension with the Purple and Gold, after the organization traded Anthony Davis for him last February. Lately, Luka hasn’t been playing great basketball. Certainly not to the level expected from a franchise pillar. Since rejoining the club following a leave of absence, Luka has been putting up a shade under 30 points (29.5) per game. But, he is doing so shooting 41% from the floor and 26% from three. His turnovers have also ballooned to 4.2 a night. Luka’s shot selection has been an issue lately, often settling for long threes early in the shot clock, insread of attacking the basket and forcing the defense to rotate or collapse. You can’t make a living off of attacking a set defense, at some point you have to try to break them down. Luka needs to find his midrange shot, atttack the rim and look for more post-ups. If ill-fated step-back threes are his version of quixck offense, then that will not yield the results that the team needs. He needs to go back to the old Luka, where he can put pressure on the defense at multiple fronts.

    The Lakers need to get back to playing organized, team-basketball. There’s no concept of semblance out there lately, with guys just looking to get their shots and being completely zoned out on the other end. Help defense, defensive switching, rotations, ball movement, team rebounding and shot selection all need to improve. Especially with guard and All-Star hopeful Austin Reaves slated to miss time (he’ll be out at least four weeks with a grade 2 calf strain, which are no joke), it’ll take a team-wide collaboration to dig in and try to right their current trajectory. Both coaches and players need to come together, as both can do more. Much more. In the meantime, they have built themselves a decent cushion, standing at 19-10. Their early season success has afforded them a bit of grace. Nonetheless, it’s important for this group to produce a solid, all-encompassing and decisive victory soon, so that they can build off of it and maybe start to recapture their better habits. As Coach JJ Redick aptly put it, “we can’t do 56 more games of this”.

    Merry Christmas.

    Go Lakers.

  • Lakers Out-Clip Clippers In Inglewood

    Sometimes it snows in Clipperland.

    The Lakers made the short trek to Inglewood to take on the Clippers, after defeating the Jazz two days prior. The team had made some decent progress as far as establishing some cohesion, with the offense looking to find its footing amidst the absence of Austin Reaves, LAs second leading scorer. Unfortunately, the middle stepchild Clippers would go on to get the better of this one, as the Lakers seemingly sleepwalked through the contest and did not show much interest in trying to mount a competitive showing. The Clips prevailed 103-88, in one of the lower scoring contests of the NBA season so far. Losing to the Clippers is never a pretty sight, and having them break their five game slump at the Lakers’ expense makes it even worse. The Lakers, though shorthanded, still should have found enough in the tank to bring this one home, but with that kind of effort, it’s tough to beat anyone. It was “Role-Reversal Night” in Clip City, which means that the Lakers need to return the favor when they match up again at Crypto. But for now, this is the type of game you forget about and move on.

    The Clippers, who were riding a five-game losing streak, were determined to course correct at the Lakers’ expense. They came out of the gates with great intensity, opening up a 20-9 lead early on in the first quarter. Kawhi Leonard led the way with a season-high 32 points, while James Harden contributed 21 points and 10 assists. John Collins rounded out the starting unit’s balanced scoring with 17 points and 12 rebounds.

    The Lakers slow start would be further exacerbated when Luka Dončić sat out the entire second half after exiting with a lower leg contusion. He had 12 points and five boards in 19 minutes, but contributed to the team’s shooting woes, after missing his first six shots. LeBron James had a productive game with 36 points, but failed to make an impact once the Lakers got within single digits late in the fourth quarter. Jake LaRavia, who received the starting nod, was the only other Laker in double digits scoring with 12 points, on 0-4 from range.

    The Lakers shot an abysmal 6-38 from three, good for 16%. With the type of effort they put forth, shooting that poorly from distance will all but guarantee a loss. The Clippers for their troubles shot 16-43 from three, good for 37%. You could say that was the difference.

    The Clippers looked like the more athletic and determined side. They shot the ball more efficiently, and seemed to corral every 50-50 ball. Despite the Lakers winning the points in the paint battle (48-34), committing less turnovers (11-19) and narrowly losing the rebounding battle (43-48), their outside shooting woes were perhaps a hill too steep. Tough to win a game in today’s NBA after missing 30+ thee pointers. Even though the Lakers managed to make the game close in the fourth quarter, eventually making it a seven point deficit, their erratic shooting did them no favors. They could not get any closer.

    The Lakers’ effort was nothing to be proud of. They settled for isolation basketball on one end, and soft-switched their way defensively to an array of quality Clipper looks from range. The Lakers continue doing an incredibly poor job of switching on screens, often surrendering open shots, whether its with a soft switch or meekly going under the screen, surrendering a quality shot. LA is the type of team that can mentally check out on defense when the offense isn’t there. If shots aren’t falling, and they certainly weren’t, they quickly lose interest on the defensive side. That’s the making of an unmotivated team, and they can start by addressing their sub-par switching schemes as well as their screen navigation. Their late rotations are also leaving plenty on the table.

    Maybe this is simply one of those games. But we’ve seen a few too many of them in the young stages of the season. The team was shorthanded, with Austin Reaves still nursing a sore calf, while Rui Hachimura (sore groin) and Deandre Ayton (left elbow soreness) all sat out last night’s contest. Luka’s mid-game exit didn’t help matters either. Perhaps with a full compliment of rotations, things will start to sort themselves out. But the effort should always be there.

    The Lakers will now travel to Phoenix to take on the Suns again, finalizing their current eight-game road trip. The team needs to bring about a renewed effort and intensity, in order to get themselves back on track. Attention to detail on the defensive end will go a long way. Of course, making shots will also help their cause. Players like Jake LaRavia and Marcus Smart need to find their stroke, and even the likes of LeBron, AR and Luka who have all well below their averages. Perhaps we’ll see a positive regression to the mean, as the team is clearly better at shooting the ball than they’ve shown. If not, then Rob Pelinka and the front office will have to get to work in order to add the requisite pieces, now that trade season is officially open. Until then, the team should hang their heads on their toughness and grit in order to keep themselves afloat. At 19-8 they’ve built a decent cushion, but amidst an ultra-competitive Western Conference, they should definitely strive to do better. Go Lakers.

  • Luka’s Triple-Double Powers Lakers Past Jazz

    The Lakers returned to the hardwood last night when they took on the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City. Following their ousting from the Emirates Cup tournament, the Lakers came in to last night’s contest with a glimmer of momentum after barely escaping the Phoenix Suns, in Phoenix last Sunday. The team looks to regain its footing, and last night’s game was a step in the right direction, besting the Jazz by a final score of 143-135. Defensive issues continue to show up, but the team managed to hang tough despite a hot shooting display from Utah in the early stages of the game. They managed to keep the game close, eventually outlasting their opponent in what was a flawed yet encouraging performance where LA showed encouraging signs of progress.

    The Jazz came out of the gates with every intentions of putting the Lakers away. Early in the game, Utah made every effort to exploit the size discrepancy between Jusuf Nurkic and Jaxson Hayes, as they pounded the paint in search for easy baskets. They also exploited LAs lackluster rotations, particularly early in games, as they swung the ball to great effect, opening up several quality outside looks. Utah shot a blistering 63% from the floor, and 59% from three in the first half, on their way to a 78-73 halftime advantage.

    The Lakers did a great job of keeping pace, with Luka Dončić’s 25 first half points helping LA stay afloat. Luka finished with a remarkable 45 points (on 28 shots), 11 boards and 14 assists, to go with five steals (and zero turnovers), in what was one of his better games so far and his first 40-point triple-double with the Purple and Gold. Despite porous defense, the Lakers only turned the ball over once in the first half, which is encouraging seeing as how they usually start these road contest on the slow side, giving up turnovers which lead to transition opportunities on the other side. LA did an admirable job at taking care of the basketball, coughing seven turnovers for the game to Utah’s 13. Despite the Jazz being the younger and more energetic team, it was the Lakers who got out and running, tallying 25 fastbreak points to Utah’s nine. This was key in helping them stay in the game, as they offset Utah’s early hot shooting barrage (some of which was enabled by the Lakers’ poor defensive rotations).

    LA made the right adjustments after the first half, allowing only 57 points from the Jazz on 40% shooting. LeBron James led a key stretch, playing alongside the reserves to start the fourth quarter where LA was able to reclaim the lead, and maintain it for good. LeBron was great last night, scoring 28 points (on 8-17 shooting) to go with seven rebounds and 10 assists. A productive night as a second option, particularly with the absence of Austin Reaves, where he powered the Lakers’ transition game and ran the offense during the shifts in which Luka sat. The Lakers as a whole managed to turn in solid ancillary performances all around. Jaxson Hayes was a perfect 7-7 from the floor for 16 points, starting in place of Deandre Ayton. Marcus Smart was outstanding in his second consecutive start with 17 points, on 5-9 shooting from three. Unfortunately, he encountered a rough whistle all night, fouling out with a couple of minutes left in the fourth. Fortunately, the game had been decided by then. Jake LaRavia was also productive with 12 points off the bench, and Rui Hachimura, after enduring a cold spell the last few games, notched 13 points on 6-10 shooting.

    On a night where Utah threw the kitchen sink at LA, they managed to hang on and eventually outlast their opponent in what was an encouraging road win to push their record to 19-7. Young guard Keyonte George was unstoppable all night, dropping 34 points on 9-20 shooting, along with eight dimes. Rookie forward Ace Bailey also looked good with 19 points on 7-13 shooting. LA struggled once again to contain Utah’s skilled perimeter athletes. They continue to fare poorly defending halfcourt sets, where they routinely break down via continuous screening actions. Opponents have become adept at spamming elaborate screening actions, knowing that the Lakers soft switching and poor communication will eventually give way to breakdowns and quality looks. LAs switching continues to be a problem, whether on handoffs, or drag/double drag screening action, they routinely surrender good looks from range. The team simply have to tighten up their communication, and rotations in order to limit these opportunities. On the bright side, they shot well from the floor and managed to mount sustained runs in key stretches to stay in the game and eventually win it. Against better competition though, they’ll have to fare better all around. If they can get their defensive effort to match their offensive production, then they might just find the right balance.

    LA will now make their way home to face the Clippers at Crypto Arena, before they head back out on the road starting next week. It’s a slow process, but hopefully they can continue to bring their defense up to par, without losing ground on offense. The second half of last night’s game was certainly more encouraging, but eventually one would like to see them do it for 48 minutes, especially against the better competition. Until then, the team needs to keep finding ways to win games and stay competitive within the brutal Western Conference standings. As we near the halfway point of the season, the team has to maintain their cushion so that the right moves can propel them into legit contention. Go Lakers.

  • Lakers Hang On To Beat Suns

    After dropping the Emirates Cup quarterfinal at the hands of the Spurs in lopsided fashion, the Lakers travelled to Phoenix for another clash with the Suns, with Phoenix having won handily the last time both teams played each other. It was an opportunity for LA to amend both their losses against the Suns and Spurs in the past few days, and though ugly, the Lakers were able to prevail by a final of 116-114.

    For a moment, it looked as though the Lakers would suffer the same fate they did against the Spurs last Sunday, when they fell behind 36-31 after one quarter of action. Phoenix came out hot out of the gate, shooting 58% from the floor, and over 45% from beyond the arc during the the opening quarter. Phoenix made sure to employ a high pace of play from the start, getting out in transition and forcing the Lakers defense to make quick decisions and rotations. The Suns’ offense was led by Devin Booker’s 27 points (on 7-17 shooting), six boards and seven assist effort. Big man Mark Williams also contributed 20 points and six boards. Williams’ nimbleness and agility gave the Lakers fits all night, particularly on handoff actions, with LA unable to contain his swift rim-running after handing the ball off.

    Miraculously, Phoenix weren’t able to capitalize following their hot start, failing to expand on their first quarter lead, and exceptionally hot shooting. Both teams headed into the half break tied at 62 apiece. Down by eight with minutes to go in the second quarter, Luka Dončić led a mini-run to notch the game before both clubs made their way to the lockers. Luka finished with a game-high 29 points, six rebounds and six assists. He shot a sub-par 7-25 from the floor, and 2-14 from three, but converted 13-14 trips to the line. He also committed six turnovers. This wasn’t a great performance from Luka, who has not looked his best since returning from a leave of absence. Perhaps he’ll get his rhythm back, but the shot selection and carelessness with the basketball aren’t helping the team at this moment. A more committed defensive effort would also go a long way.

    The Lakers would tighten things up in the third quarter, winning it 24-15. Phoenix made just five shots to open the second half, and would miss their first nine threes. As a result, the Lakers took a nine point lead heading into the fourth. In the final quarter, the Lakers managed to balloon their lead up to 20. They lead 99-79 at one point, before Phoenix mounted a furious rally to reclaim the lead with seconds left. Dillon Brooks (who finished with 18 points) drilled a late three pointer to give Phoenix a 114-113 lead with 12 seconds. Following the play, both Brooks and LeBron James butted heads, with Brooks bumping James on his way back down the court. This resulted in Brooks’ second technical foul, thereby earning an ejection. LeBron would then brick the ensuing free throw, but managed to draw a foul during the following play, as Devin Booker committed illegal contact as James rose up for the potential go-ahead three-pointer. LeBron would make two of three free throws, giving LA a 115-114 lead with a smidge over three seconds. With the Suns out of timeouts, therefore inbounding the ball full court, the Lakers were able to secure the final defensive stop to get the win.

    This game showcased both good and bad. The Lakers found renewed defensive intensity, particularly with Marcus Smart sliding into the starting unit, in place of the ailing Austin Reaves (who will miss approximately one week due to a calf strain). Smart’s presence was immediately felt, forcing a steal which led to a layup in the opening minutes of action. Jarred Vanderbilt also found his way back to the rotation, after residing in the doghouse for the last couple of games. He too made an impact, immediately bringing back some much needed energy and hustle into the rotation. The Lakers shot poorly this game, only connecting on 38-88 shots from the field (good for 43% compared to the Suns’ 49%). This game was won at the glass, with LA outrebounding Phoenix 54-37, which included a whopping 24 offensive rebounds. Deandre Ayton was quietly rock solid, notching another 20-10 outing with 20 points and 13 boards, with six of those being offensive. Vando also racked up six offensive rebounds, as it was LAs hustle and intensity that helped them eek out the win, despite a cold shooting night.

    Lack of focus continues to be an issue that plagues the team. With a 20 point lead midway through the fourth, they allowed the Suns to muscle their way back to reclaiming the lead with seconds to go. Thankfully, LA made a series of late free throws to secure the win, but one would be remiss to not point out the disappointment in nearly allowing a late lead to slip out of their fingers. The Lakers got careless, committing five of their 21 turnovers in the final period. Furthermore, they stopped running their offense, as they struggled to hang on their lead. Instead opting to kill clock, consequently settling for bad, long shots which created easy transition offense for Phoenix. The team clearly took their foot off the gas pedal, and it nearly bit them. JJ Redick needs to employ a better strategy to end games, especially when LA has a late lead. Burning the shot clock, and settling for a contested fallback three isn’t going to cut it. But at least they got the win, and it’s good that they can find ways to win early in the year as they find their footing and avoid falling into a hole in the standings.

    Next up, the Lakers will travel to Utah on Thursday to play the Jazz. Hopefully they’ll treat this one as a loss, and try to clean up some of the glaring deficiencies that they’ve been encountering, which are mostly of the mental kind. Marcus Smart and Jarred Vanderbilt both need to stay in the rotation, in some strong capacity. The Lakers have clearly struggled to contain high-level perimeter athletes from their opponents lately, and those two give the team its best shot to remedy that. This game was won off of hustle and intensity, with those two being at the center of that effort. Hopefully they’ll maintain that effort as they try to keep racking racking up wins in the early portions of the season. You have to take them how you can get them. Go Lakers.

  • Spurs Embarrass Lakers in NBA Cup Quarterfinal 

    It was yet another one of those games for the Purple and Gold.

    The Lakers actually got out to an encouraging 15-9 lead. But it was fool’s gold, as San Antonio’s superior execution and gameplanning eventually proved too much for the Lakers to contend with. Stephon Castle’s 30 points and De’Aaron Fox’s 20 points led the way in what was a very balanced and potent attack by San Antonio, who prevailed by a final of 132-119.

    The Lakers would go on to waste a great shooting night by Marcus Smart, who netted 26 points on a hot 8-14 shooting from three, offering the rare scoring outburst by a Lakers reserve so far this year. Austin Reaves had another disappointing performance, with 15 points on 6-16 shooting. While Luka Dončić once again led the way with 35 points, and LeBron James tagged along with a 19 points and 15 rebound effort. 

    It was the Spurs however, who controlled the game from start to finish. Keldon Johnson (17 points), Julian Champagne (16 points) and Dylan Harper (13 points) all tallied double figures for the Spurs bench, who outclassed LAs reserves in what seems to be a recurring theme this year. Even without the presence of Victor Wembanyama, who continues to sit due to a calf injury, the Spurs managed to piece together the type of game that the Lakers could not keep up with.

    LA made a faint bid to cut the lead to 8, late in the fourth. But San Antonio swiftly shut down any hopes for an upset as they closed the game strongly, en route to double-digit win. With the loss, the Lakers now drop to 17-7, and fourth overall in the Western Conference. Not a terrible spot to be in, in the young stages of the season. And the early wins have definitely given the team somewhat of a cushion. But some things will need to be figured out in order to get back on a winning track.

    The Lakers certainly displayed one of their patent low-effort performances this game, making it nearly impossible to emerge victorious against a quality opponent like the Spurs, who improved to 17-7 after the win. LAs defense continues to be a problem, with their lazy rotations unable to contain the Spurs’ hot shooting (San Antonio shot 17-38 from beyond the arc). LA continues to haemorrhage three-pointers by way of their soft switching, which is equal parts lackluster effort, and poor coaching. Overall, the Spurs’ athleticism on the wing seemed to pose all sorts of trouble for the Lakers, who fared similarly against the likes of OKC and Phoenix, both of whom pose familiar matchup issues. Right now, the only fix for the team’s defensive woes is a stronger emphasis from JJ Redick’s coaching staff, as well as a change of personnel with the starting group. The Lakers currently boast the trio of Luka, LeBron and Austin Reaves, who for all of their offensive skills, are equally as flawed on the defensive side. Add to the fact that Rui Hachimura (who scored an underwhelming eight points) is another member of the starters who doesn’t bring much to the table in the way of defense. The team can’t survive while starting four non-factors on the defensive end. As I’ve stated before, the Lakers simply need to infuse the starting group with more defensive-minded players. Either Marcus Smart or Jarred Vanderbilt have to find their way to the starting five. If not, things will go from bad to worse. 

    The Spurs opted to play drop coverage all night. This allowed them to contain the Lakers’ screen and roll action by denying lobs at the rim, and keeping the initiator in front of them at all times, effectively living with midrange shots by Luka or AR. Luka made them pay, while Austin struggled to get into any type of rhythm. It did in fact stifle LAs rhythm, as they ended up settling for mostly jumpers. The Spurs’ big advantage however, was in their speed, as their transition game was highly effective, often netting quality looks at the rim, or getting LAs defense in a scramble frenzy subsequently leading to open three-pointers. This highlights the team’s lack of discipline and commitment on the defensive end. The Lakers did not seem to have any interest in getting back in transition, often leading to 5-3 situations on the fast break, where the Spurs would capitalize for 27 points. The Lakers also surrender far too many threes in early offense situations, which means they aren’t getting their defense set and are being slow to rotate. This all comes down to effort and coaching. Finding more playing time for players with defensive reputations would be a great start. As it stands, the starting five boasts far too many turnstiles on the defensive side. 

    This was clearly one of the worst games the Lakers have played so far this season. Not as bad as the OKC game, but pretty bad. LAs bench was outmuscled 48-31, with 26 of those bench points coming from Marcus Smart. Jake LaRavia, Jaxson Hayes, Dalton Knect and Gabe Vincent all combined to score FIVE points. The Lakers need the bench to join the party against these elite teams in order to have any shot. But more importantly, changes are due. Rui has to be slotted with the reserves, as they clearly need some scoring punch. While the starting unit needs defense, in the form of Marcus Smart or Vando. Hopefully it won’t take JJ Redick long to identify these issues, as the the team is about to enter a crucial stage of the season, where they can either win games and continue to afford themselves a cushion, or go on a funk and watch their record dwindle to .500. Let’s hope the early adversity can bring forth the sense of urgency for the team to recapture its winning habits, as they can certainly play much better than they’ve shown. There’s still plenty of season to be played, but it’s never too early to implement changes that will yield better results. Go Lakers.

  • LeBron Leads Lakers Past Sixers

    The Lakers resumed their current Eastern Conference trek on Sunday night, when they took on the 76ers in Philadelphia. After getting smoked in Boston two nights prior, albeit in a game where many key starters took the night off, the team looked to get back on the winning track. It wouldn’t come easy as the Sixers are a quality opponent, but LA managed to prevail in a competitive up and down contest by a final score of 112-108. LeBron James put forth far and away his best performance of the season, as he looks to re-assert himself into the team’s hierarchy. The Lakers will return to LA to take on the San Antonio Spurs, for some Emirates Cup action, before hitting the road again to finish their road trip. Fortunately, they’ll do so with some momentum on their side.

    Luka Dončić returned to the lineup, having missed the last two contests after attending the birth of his newborn. He wasted no time getting back into rhythm; scoring a game high 31 points, while leading the Lakers with 15 rebounds and 11 assists. The Lakers, despite a cold start to the game managed to find their way back to a 30-30 tie after one quarter of play. Philly did manage to create some separation in the second quarter, mostly on the back of guard Tyrese Maxey’s 15 first half points, as they took a small 60-53 lead prior to the break.

    LA came out strong in the second half, winning the third quarter 34-24. They unlocked a new layer of their offense by activating the two-man game of Luka and LeBron James. The Lakers were able to generate multiple touches for LeBron with Luka initiating, both on the block and at the elbows, where James converted with relative efficiency. LeBron finished with a robust 29 points, to go with seven boards and six assists. Their two-man action also gave way for players like Deandre Ayton to step in, as he scored 14 points to go with 12 rebounds on a rock-solid 7-7 shooting form the floor.

    The Lakers successfully stemmed both the pace and the momentum to their side during the second half, as their half-court execution gave them the needed separation to eventually outlast the fighting Sixers. In the fourth, it was Reaves and LeBron teaming up for some good sequences. AR finished with a subpar performance, only shooting 3-16 for 11 points. But he did connect with LeBron on several skip passes in the pick-and-roll which resulted in big baskets down the stretch. LeBron scored 12 of his 29 points in the final quarter to get the Lakers past the finish line. Defensively, the team fared much better in the second half, holding the Sixers to just 48 points in the final 24 minutes.

    The Lakers did not play a great team game, but the effort was there. They ran the floor with purpose and as a result produced quality shots in the transition game (they scored 11 fast break points). LeBron’s aggressiveness was instrumental in getting the team organized in the open floor. The offensive gameplan was particularly good, in that it made an effort to feature all three of its stars, despite AR having a poor shooting night. Early on, they went heavy with Luka ball screens. Whether it was straight pick-and-roll, or double drags with Ayton rolling and Rui Hachimura popping, they were able to get solid early offense looks. Rui was productive yet again, scoring 17 points as he continues to be a corner three savant. Philadelphia also did a poor job at tagging Ayton all night, which led to many lobs at the rim, once he was able to slip past the low help. Later on, as the pace slowed, LA made sure to feed LeBron in the post. Towards the end, they ran a healthy dose of two-man action with AR and LeBron, and then Luka and LeBron. Once the Sixers opted to trap Luka, he swiftly swung the ball over to LeBron, who had it going all night and was able to hit the dagger three to put the team up by five with little over a minute to play. Just smart and unselfish basketball all around.

    Defensively, many of the same issues still persist. The Lakers get broken down at the point of attack much too frequently. Tyrese Maxey had his way, scoring a team-high 28 points, to go with nine assists. He was particularly dangerous on switches, where he cooked LAs bigs all night. Outside of Marcus Smart, or Jarred Vanderbilt (who continues to reside in the doghouse) the Lakers simply lack the defensive personnel to stay in front of the Maxey types on the perimeter. LA actually lost the points in the paint battle, 38-36, but were able to salvage the loss by outshooting Philly 48% to 35% from the floor. Effectively, their defense tightened when they needed to. But the fact remains, they need the type of defensive wings that can stop the bleeding that opponents can inflict by attacking LAs defense off the dribble.

    The Lakers will now return home to take on the San Antonio Spurs, for the Emirates Cup quarterfinal on Wednesday. LA beat San Antonio earlier in the year, but that was before De’Aaron Fox returned to the lineup. With Wemby slated to come back (because they always do against the Lakers), this will be a tight contest. One where the team will need to bring forth the winning habits they’ve shown in their better outings recently. Hopefully they can keep it going and continue to rack up wins in the early stages of the season. Go Lakers.

  • Shorthanded Lakers Blown Out By Celtics

    Following an impressive road win in Toronto, that saw the team walk-off at the buzzer, the Lakers made their way to Boston to take on the bitter rival Celtics. One would have hoped that they would have preserved enough energy in the tank after the Raptors performance, but unfortunately, the team found themselves playing on fumes and couldn’t muster the energy to overcome Boston’s tenacity. The Celtics beat the Lakers handily, by a final score of 126-105, as the Purple and Gold ran out of answers. The Lakers were playing shorthanded, given the absence of Marcus Smart (still recovering from back spasms) and LeBron James (who was rested on the second night of a back-to-back). Luka Dončić also sat out for a second night, following the birth of his child. The Celtics were also playing minus their biggest star Jayson Tatum, yet it was Boston who found that extra gear and managed to pull through in front of their home crowd. The Lakers will now look to regroup, as they hopefully start to get some pieces back through the remainder of the road trip.

    Boston got off to a scorching start, as LA looked to be getting their legs back after a short turnaround from their previous matchup. It didn’t help that the Lakers were lazy with their closeout rotations all night, often over-helping while inadvertently giving up another advantage. Boston opened a quick 11-3 lead, which spelled the type of night we were in store for. They’d go on to win the first quarter 39-17, as the Lakers looked unfocused and disorganized, failing to get their offense humming early on.

    Boston would never trail in this game, as they went on to balloon their lead to 29 points at one point in the second quarter. Derrick White had himself a big night at LAs expense, scoring 19 points on five triples. While veteran star Jaylen Brown was also sensational, dropping 30 points to go with eight boards and eight assists. Boston was seemingly hitting everything, while the Lakers seemed uninterested in dialling up the right intensity or adjustments to try to cool them off. The team was clearly going through the motions, at the behest of a much more focused opponent. LA trailed big at the halftime marker, 69-46.

    Austin Reaves, following a slow start, did his best to try and get LA back in the game, with a robust 16-point third quarter. But Jaylen Brown killed off any momentum, answering with three consecutive treys to ensure Boston’s cushion was still intact. Outside of AR, no one really showed up. Guard Gabe Vincent had the odd 18 points, after he was given the starting nod. Reaves himself had another stellar 36 point, eight assist outing. Yet, LA could not get the necessary complimentary performances from the rest of their rotation, like they did versus the Raptors. Jake LaRavia, who was also slotted into the starting unit, only scored six points, while Deandre Ayton managed a disappointing six points and 10 rebound effort. Rui Hachimura scored a steady 13 points, but alas, no game-winning heroics for him tonight.

    As AR sat to open the fourth, Boston went on a swift 9-0 run, and pushed their lead up for good, effectively making it garbage time for the final minutes of action. The Lakers’ main issue all night was on the defensive side. Their drop coverage was sloppy, often allowing the roll man to get behind the play and in position for a lob. Their soft switching also continues to be an issue, as they’ve made it a habit to haemorrhage wide open threes to the opposition. Whether it’s in hand-off, or ball screen actions, the Lakers simply aren’t playing with enough force at the level of the screen in order to disrupt the action. Boston made a season-high 24 three-pointers, and LA did little in the way of adjustments in order to put out the fire. Furthermore, their tendency to flood on the strong side and over-help often puts them at a disadvantage when rotating as they don’t have the athletes on the perimeter that can quickly cover long spaces. Moving forward it’s rather evident that the team will have to upgrade their defensive personnel in order to play the type of defense where players can stay at home, and not worry too much about helping. In the meantime, an uptick in effort would go a long way. The Lakers often get caught ball-watching, becoming susceptible to off-ball cuts that lead to easy scores. Moreover, they should be more competitive in denying the switch. Often, when opponents try to matchup-hunt, LA meekly surrenders the switch. More aggression, focus and discipline are needed at the point of the screen, in order to mitigate pointless switching that only leads to bad matchups.

    With that said, the Lakers will have the chance to regroup and get back to business tomorrow when they take on the Philadelphia 76ers. It’s important that they bring back the tenacity on defense that has gotten them to one of the best records in the Western Conference thus far. Xs and Os are one thing, but competition and effort are always the key regardless of the team’s skill level or personnel. So far, the team has shown a propensity to come back strong following a tough loss. This wasn’t a bad loss, per se, although any loss to Boston is by definition a bad one. However, the team was playing shorthanded, and didn’t seem to have the energy to match their opponents’ intensity. Now they’ll get their legs under them, and will presumably continue to get stronger, as they’ll get LeBron back, and possibly Luka. Either way, we should expect to see an improved effort from the team, as they’re in the midst of a road trip, where there’s no time to relax. Their last homestand ended on a sour note, so maybe this road trip can end on a good one. If the team so chooses to take the right strides. Go Lakers.

  • Rui Wins It At the Buzzer, as Lakers Rebound to Beat Raptors

    What a difference a game makes.

    After laying one of their biggest eggs of the season, the Los Angeles Lakers resumed action when they took to the road north of the border against the Toronto Raptors. In stark contrast to their previous outing against Phoenix, the Lakers actually tried last night at Toronto, and lo and behold, they actually came away with a win. The Lakers played an up and down game, and were plagued by many of the mishaps that have bogged them throughout the young season. But the the toughness, and the willingness to compete was ever-present, ultimately besting the feisty Raptors via a Rui Hachimura corner three at the buzzer, for a 123-120 final. It was good to see the team rebound after a tough loss, and show the drive and hunger that can carry them through a lengthy postseason run. Let’s hope we see more of this type of effort moving forward.

    The Lakers opened up the scoring with a set play. One that saw them feed the ball to LeBron James at the far block for a post-up, then swiftly running Austin Reaves off of two down screens on the weakside in order to free him up for a three-pointer at the wing. The play worked, and set the tone for the Lakers in the game, as they looked night and day more polished and organized than the criminal display of basketball they put forth against the Suns, two nights prior. LA continued its solid ball movement en route to a 29-26 lead after 12 minutes.

    The Raptors’ length and athleticism presented all sorts of mismatches for LA, who struggled containing Toronto’s chaotic but effective off-ball cutting. Their ability to break down LAs defense at the point of attack was also critical, as they seemingly got into the paint at will. LA, for their part, remained methodical, doing little, fundamental things such as feeding Deandre Ayton on the block, where he utilized his deft touch around the hoop. Ayton had himself another solid outing with 17 points (on 8-11 shooting) and eight rebounds; as he continues to be a steady contributor on the offensive end. Defensively, however, LA failed to keep up with Toronto’s pace, as they pushed the ball up floor following every inbound; often leading to open corner threes or uncontested drives to the rim. The Raptors’ young legs and athleticism were fully evident, as they outpaced the Lakers in points in transition 21-11. Fortunately, the Lakers managed to take a 67-58 lead into the break, thanks to their timely shotmaking (42% from beyond the arc) and lack of turnovers (five in the first half, 11 for the game).

    The third quarter saw Austin Reaves activate his scoring prowess, as the 26 year-old guard went on a tear after a relatively modest 14 points and seven assists through two quarters. AR exploded for 22 points in the third quarter, in order to give the team a much needed boost offensively, with the Raptors relentlessly breathing down their neck. Both teams traded jabs in the third, but the Lakers managed to maintain a 99-98 advantage, despite losing the quarter 40-33.

    Things slowed down a bit in the fourth, as they mostly tend to do. LA as able to find the timely offense that helped them keep the lead. Throughout the game, they received some key contributions from Jake LaRavia, whose 14 points and seven boards helped give the bench unit some much needed pop. G-League call-up Nick Smith Jr. also picked up the slack, with 12 points, which included some big buckets down the stretch to help the Lakers stave off the young Raptors. Neither team shot particularly well in the fourth quarter, with the Raptors taking briefly leads on separate occasions late in the game. Both times, LA answered with consecutive drives by LeBron James and Austin Reaves. With the game tied at 120 in the waning seconds, Reaves brought the ball up with a chance to win the game. Toronto threw a hard double at AR on the wing, who had torched them all night to the tune of 44 points (on 62% shooting), five boards and 11 dimes. AR quickly swung the ball to LeBron at top of the key, who proceeded to drive to the basket, thus triggering the help from the weakside. As the defense collapsed, LeBron spotted an open Rui Hachimura on the corner, who despite having a modest night (12 points and three boards), managed to sink the dagger three to win the game. And just like that put LA back on the W column.

    It as a great effort on the part of the Lakers, who beat a quality team on the road, after suffering a meltdown at home two nights prior. Defensively, they faced some hurdles, with Toronto’s quick-twitch brand of ball providing all sorts of breakdowns. But the effort was there, as they managed to tighten up and make just enough plays to pull out the victory. Their clean offensive effort managed to carry them through their defensive lapses, as the Lakers generally took care of the basketball, winning the turnover battle, and outshooting the Raptors from the floor and beyond the arc. Despite a relatively poor performance by LeBron James (eight points on a paltry 17 shots), the team managed to piece together a balanced assortment of contributions amidst Luka Dončić’s absence (who missed the game to attend the birth of his child). Austin Reaves showed once again why he might just be a bonafide star in this league, and let’s hope he continues to show it. It’s always good to beat a quality opponent on their home floor, much more when it’s done without your best player. It was just the type of win needed to wash away the sour taste of the Phoenix game. Let’s hope the Lakers keep up the tenacity on the second night of a back-to-back when they take on the rival Boston Celtics on Friday night. Time to get back on the winning track. Go Lakers.