Latest news and updates about the Lakers
Luka Dončić’s trip to Spain has brought with it a lack of clarity. With no real precedent of a player going there during the season and no firm idea on a timetable for a return, there isn’t much known about what’s going on and when he could be back. It shouldn’t be a surprise, then, […]
In their final regular season game, the Lakers routed a tanking Utah Jazz team for their 53rd win, the most for the franchise since 2010-11. All the machinations of surviving a grueling 82 games are over and the brain trust now shifts its focus towards the playoffs. The unfortunate injuries to Luka Dončić and Austin […]
Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NBA. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Lakers fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys. With Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves out to start their postseason run, the Lakers won’t have many believers. […]
After an exhausting, long NBA season, it was nice to go about Sunday’s game stress-free. There were some stakes involved as the Lakers could still finish either the third or fourth seed. However, LA pretty quickly took control of the game and moved into cruise control as early as the start of the second half. […]
The Utah Jazz had their final game of the season, but also the rebuild. It will not be remembered long as the outcome was expected, an easy win for the Lakers 131-107. There were some things to take away for the Jazz. They played hard in this one, much like they’ve done all season, regardless […]
And just like that, the 2025-26 NBA regular season has come to an end. The Lakers battled injuries and are currently playing without Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves, but thanks to some great games from LeBron James, they’ve managed to earn the fourth seed in the West. Now, they are set to play the Rockets […]
Despite the Nuggets’ best efforts over the weekend, the Lakers will remain the No. 4 seed and play the Rockets in the first round of the NBA playoffs. The opening game between the teams will be on Saturday night at 5:30 p.m. PT on ABC. Entering the weekend, the Lakers sat one game behind the […]
The Lakers closed the regular season with a 131-107 blowout victory over the Utah Jazz on Sunday night. The team played the first half at full strength, but sat LeBron James and Luke Kennard for the second half. It mattered little as the Jazz are one of the sorrier teams of the season and had […]
The Utah Jazz will take on the Los Angeles Lakers in what is more than just the season finale. It feels more like the finale to four years of rebuild. Tonight will be the last time the Utah Jazz will go into a game for the foreseeable future with hopes of losing. This offseason will […]
What do the Lakers want? That’s not a question I like asking, but as the final day of the NBA 2025-26 regular season gets underway, it’s a question we must ask. Here are the playoff scenarios, and what might happen. First: The Nuggets have a record of 53-28. The Lakers have a record of 52-29. […]
The final roster spot for the Lakers will be used for one of their own and no big last-minute splash signing. On Sunday morning, Shams Charania of ESPN reported Nick Smith Jr. and the Lakers had agreed to a two-year deal. Smith has spent the season on a two-way contract in LA. The Lakers opened […]
The long NBA season comes to an end on Sunday with the Lakers (52-29) taking on the tanking Jazz (22-59) on Sunday evening. Los Angeles has won the three previous meetings with Utah this season and is looking for the season sweep. Start time and TV schedule Who: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Utah Jazz When: 5:30 p.m. PT, […]
The 2026 NBA Playoffs are just around the corner. Theoretically 16 teams will battle for the championship trophy awarded in June. Practically speaking, only a few of those have a legitimate shot at winning it all. This week SBNation’s Reacts Surveys polled fans nationally, asking which teams in the top four of each conference were […]
After an exciting four-team battle for seeding in the Western Conference throughout the second half of the season, all but two teams are locked into their spot playoff spots heading into the final day. Results on Friday, namely Minnesota beating Houston, means that all that is up for grabs on Sunday is the No. 3 […]
The final weeks and, specifically, days of the NBA season always brings with it a team or two messing with the basketball Gods by trying to tank their way to a preferred match-up. On Friday, it came from a very unexpected place. The Nuggets, who have been one of the hottest teams in the league […]
Anthony Davis appeared on the Draymond Green Show this week and recounted the night the trade went down in remarkable detail — and what emerges from the telling is something that should haunt every pundit who nodded along with Nico Harrison’s vision: Davis himself thought it was a prank. Here’s the clip: Walk through the […]
Defense wins championships, as the old adage goes. While this team is unlikely to reach championship heights, it has secured the Lakers no lower than a fourth seed in the playoffs. This guarantees them home court in the first round, regardless of what happens on the final day of the regular season. LA has had […]
LOS ANGELES – With the Lakers playing without Austin Reaves and Luka Dončić for the rest of the regular season, plenty of people have written LA off. That’s understandable, as most teams can’t get far without their two top scorers. However, those teams aren’t the Lakers, and they don’t employ LeBron James. In LA’s road […]
The Lakers took down the Suns 101-73 on Friday night. They clinched home court in the first round of the playoffs thanks to the Rockets losing to the Wolves. Rui Hachimura started things off for LA with an impressive reverse layup. LeBron James was cooking early for Los Angeles with three 3-pointers and three free […]
With the Western Conference a tight-knit race yet again this season, this series will look at the standings and games to watch across the league as the Lakers look to secure home court and move up the standings. The Western Conference playoff race is beginning to look clear. The Thunder have secured the top seed, […]
A x-factor in sports is a player who’s able to unpredictably change the outcome of a game or series, positively or negatively, in a large fashion. While injuries to Austin Reaves and Luka Dončić impacted the ceiling of this team this season, that x-factor for the Lakers has continued to be Deandre Ayton since the […]
With the playoffs fast approaching and the Lakers dealing with key injuries to Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves, they will be opening up a roster spot by reportedly waiving Kobe Bufkin. Shams Charania of ESPN was the first to report the move, and the team made it official shortly after. Los Angeles signed Kobe Bufkin […]
The Mavericks were 1-3 this weekend and remained in 13th place in the West. They lost to Orlando (138-127) and beat the hobbled Lakers (134-128) before heading out West for back-to-back losses to the Clippers (116-103) and Phoenix (112-108). Cooper Flagg led the team in scoring with, and this is not a typo, 33 points […]
There’s something almost poetic about how our last two SB Nation Reacts polls have aged. Not just “a little outdated.” Not just “slightly off.” Completely obliterated by reality within 72 hours. Last week, we asked whether Wolves fans would prefer the Lakers/Spurs path or the Nuggets/Thunder gauntlet. It was a fun, forward-looking exercise, the kind […]
For at least one game, there is a glimmer of hope in Los Angeles. The Lakers actually beat the Warriors. Now, Steph Curry was out for the contest, so it was the corpse of Golden State against the ghost of LA, but in the win-loss column, the victory counts the same. So, let’s dive into […]