A Blog devoted to Lakers News, Commentary, and Analysis
The Denver Nuggets have been ravaged by injuries this season. Nikola Jokić and Cameron Johnson have both been out since late December due to knee injuries. Christian Braun has been out for a few weeks due to an ankle injury. And Aaron Gordon recently aggravated the hamstring strain that sidelined him for more than a […]
Another game against a quality team equals another blowout loss for the Lakers. In defeats, the Lakers have continued to have the same problems and they were exposed once again in Cleveland. LA struggled to slow down the Cavaliers’ offense, and in the third quarter, they got outscored by 20, which essentially ended the game. […]
The Lakers suffered a brutal third-quarter meltdown, getting outscored 42–22 as the Cavaliers pulled away for a 129-99 win Wednesday night. The game began with the Cavaliers quickly going up by five. LA missed their first two shot attempts, both by Luka Dončić. The deficit grew to seven after a dunk by Jarrett Allen. Deandre […]
Everyone can see that LeBron James’ basketball career is approaching its conclusion. He is the oldest player in the NBA at 41 and has played a league record 23 seasons. With injuries like his sciatica keeping him out of games and LeBron on the final year of his Lakers deal, what he will do next […]
It’s no secret that the Lakers want better wing options. They’ve been connected to players like Donte DiVincenzo and Keon Ellis as potential targets as the trade deadline fast approaches. While this season is the primary focus for Lakers fans, the front office has to look at the big picture, including this summer, as they […]
This NBA trade season has seen very little action compared to previous years. However, with the Feb. 5 deadline fast approaching, rumors continue to swirl as teams aim to make the right deal to improve their chances of a successful season. The Lakers have made moves big and small in this situation, with last year’s […]
One of the Lakers’ underlying issues throughout the season has been their paltry bench scoring. While their starting lineup has been great, their bench has left much to be desired. Rui Hachimura’s emergence in recent games as a viable scoring option off the bench has been a huge boost in that regard. For really the […]
It seems like quite some time ago that the Lakers showed aggression on the trade market. We’re only two weeks removed from it being a full year since Rob Pelinka pushed his chips on the table and acquired, and unacquired, Mark Williams at the deadline. In that moment, the Lakers were on a mission to […]
After stacking another victory on the road, the Lakers (28-17) move on to Cleveland where they will take on the Cavaliers (28-20) for the first time this season. Los Angeles hopes to make it three wins in a row and improve their record to 4-1 in this current eight-game road trip. Start time and TV […]
Despite Austin Reaves trending closer and closer to full health, that return won’t come against the Cavs. The Lakers have Reaves listed as out for the team’s stop in Cleveland on Wednesday. Adou Thiero also remains out. Those are the only two players listed on the team’s injury report. At the beginning of the road […]
It’s no secret that Luka Dončić is an amazing player. If he retired today, he would be a first ballot Hall of Famer. Luckily for the Lakers, Luka is far from retiring and is just entering his prime. This season, he’s averaging an NBA-best 33.8 points per game and recently demonstrated that offensive dominance in […]
The Lakers were struggling early in January. Los Angeles had lost four of five games, with its only win coming against a mediocre Atlanta Hawks team. In defense of the Lakers, they were playing without Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura also missed some games during this stretch. Still, they looked more like a play-in team […]
Rui Hachimura’s talent is undeniable. He’s an elite shooter who is converting on 43.9% of his 3-point attempts on the season, making him the best perimeter threat on the Lakers. Recently, though, he’s been struggling. His calf injury forced him to miss seven straight games and upon his return, his production dipped. Hachimura averaged just […]
Down nine to start the second quarter in Denver, the team readied to go to the most unproductive bench in the league, scoring-wise. Seizing an opportunity in recent games, two-way center Drew Timme checks in for the Lakers in his new spot in the rotation next to fellow big man Deandre Ayton. His impact was […]
Ironically, on a night when the Bulls seemingly could not miss from three, the Lakers had one of their best defensive performances of the season. The box score does not bear it out too much, but that felt as locked in as the team has been defensively in some time. It tailed off a bit […]
Luka Dončić poured in 46 points and the Lakers put together one of their better defensive performances of the season as they knocked off the Bulls in Chicago, 129-118. LA shot 56.1% from the field and 16-33 from the 3-point line. Defensively, they forced 15 turnovers, 12 in the first half, turning it into 23 […]
Coming into the season, one of the biggest questions surrounding the team was who would be the fifth starter with the debate centered on Rui Hachimura and Marcus Smart. While the Lakers don’t feel all that much closer to finding the solution, one thing they appeared to have landed on is Rui coming off the […]
With the NBA’s trade deadline fast approaching, so is the Lakers’ next chance to reshape their roster in Luka Dončić‘s image. After an offseason that did little to clarify the team’s long-term outlook, many pointed to this deadline and the upcoming summer as the transactional periods that would officially usher in the team’s new chapter. […]
The Lakers (27-17) look to build off their recent victory in Dallas where they will take on the Bulls (23-22), who are also coming off an impressive win. This is the first meeting between the two teams this season. Start time and TV schedule Who: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Chicago Bulls When: 5 p.m. PT, Jan. 26 Where: […]
Everything had to go right for the Lakers down the stretch to beat the Mavericks. With Dallas going on a 6-0 run to start the fourth, LA was down by 14 with just under 10 minutes left. The comeback that followed as the Lakers beat Dallas 116-110 was improbable given the flow of the game. […]
UPDATE: The Lakers did, in fact, make it out of Dallas, getting through half the battle, at least. The team took off from Dallas-Fort Worth instead of Love Field, allowing them to get out of Dallas when the Mavericks could not. This doesn’t mean the Lakers-Bulls go is definitely on for Monday, but it does […]
As a role player, Marcus Smart’s job is fairly simple: play hard on defense, hit your open shots and be a banshee. That means doing all the dirty work that goes unnoticed so the Lakers can be in a position to win games. What also went unnoticed was a bit of medical work he did […]
While there is still much the Lakers have to figure out with their roster and lineup, it does appear they’ve found a solution to some of their bench scoring woes. Upon his return from injury, Rui Hachimura came off the bench as he was playing under a minutes restriction. However, as many thought would be […]
What a truly hilarious and odd game from the Lakers. If you simply fell asleep at halftime and woke up for the final minutes of the contest, you’d think it was a straightforward, comfortable win where the Lakers controlled things throughout. Across the first, second and fourth quarters, the Lakers outscored the Mavs 112-75. They […]
The Lakers led by as many as 14 and trailed by as many as 15 before coming from behind down the stretch to beat the Mavs, 116-110. The Lakers used a strong first half to hold a comfortable lead for much of the second half. All of that disappeared in the third quarter as LA […]