A Blog devoted to Lakers News, Commentary, and Analysis
The Lakers didn’t have a great defensive start to their season on opening night against the Warriors. Los Angeles couldn’t defend the perimeter as Golden State shot 42.5% from 3-point range. Jimmy Butler was able to attack Gabe Vincent mercilessly, ending the night with 31 points. And the third quarter was a disaster as the […]
3 months ago | 3 reads
With 40 seconds left in the first quarter of his team’s season opener, Austin Reaves saw a glimpse into his future. After receiving a screen from Marcus Smart, Reaves was suddenly blitzed near halfcourt by two Warriors’ defenders. It was the type of defensive strategy normally reserved for the league’s most feared scorers like his […]
3 months ago | 9 reads
The NBA world got quite the shock early Tuesday morning when Heat guard Terry Rozier and Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups were arrested for separate gambling-related crimes. The two were among over 30 people arrested by the FBI on Tuesday. Rozier was arrested for the alleged offenses for which he had previously been under federal investigation, while Billups […]
3 months ago | 2 reads
If anyone thought the Lakers wouldn’t miss LeBron James all that much, the team’s performance in the season-opener certainly killed that theory. The Lakers played poorly in all phases of the game against the Warriors. Offensively, they had long stretches where they just couldn’t put the ball in the basket. While one of the clearest examples […]
3 months ago | 5 reads
Not much went right for the Lakers in their opening night contest. They had a third quarter collapse, their new big man Deandre Ayton couldn’t find pick-and-roll chemistry with Luka Dončić and they easily lost 119-111 at home. With plenty of things to fix, it’s hard to know where to start. However, one aspect that Gabe Vincent […]
3 months ago | 2 reads
Implementing a new starter to a roster is always a challenge. That’s a very important role and that person typically plays a lot with your most important players. So it’s no surprise that in DeAndre Ayton’s first regular season start with the Lakers, things didn’t go as smoothly as possible. Not only did the Lakers […]
3 months ago | 3 reads
In Los Angeles’ opening night game against Golden State, the Lakers were down by just one at the half. For diehard fans of the Lakers, what happened next was as predictable as the Sun coming up in the morning. The Warriors started the third quarter on a 17-4 run and completely took over the game. […]
3 months ago | 8 reads
LOS ANGELES – Championship habits and obsession. All training camp long, head coach JJ Redick repeated these statements to the team, the media and anyone who would listen. But none of those words reflected the actions the Lakers displayed in their home opener, a 119-109 loss to the Warriors. The result, while disappointing, shouldn’t have been a shocker […]
4 months ago | 4 reads
It wasn’t noticeable to most, if any, Lakers fans watching the game from home on Tuesday, but those in attendance caught a concerning couple of moments from Luka Dončić against the Warriors. In the closing moments of the contest, Luka reached for the inside of his leg near his groin multiple times. Given similar injuries […]
4 months ago | 4 reads
The beauty and frustration of opening night in the NBA season is that months and months of anticipation leads to a game that, in the grand scheme of things, matters no more in an 82-game season than a mid-January matchup even if it feels so much bigger. All eyes were on the Lakers as part […]
4 months ago | 3 reads
Despite a frantic finish, the Lakers fell to the Warriors on Tuesday, 119-109. After trailing by 16 in the fourth quarter, the Lakers trimmed the lead down to six but never got any closer. Luka Dončić dominated throughout, scoring 43 points on 17-27 shooting with 12 rebounds and nine assists. Austin Reaves ended with 26 […]
4 months ago | 2 reads
Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NCAA. 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. Deciding how good the Lakers are tends to be a tricky thing for people to do. […]
4 months ago | 3 reads
The NBA has never been more popular than it is as we enter the 2025-26 season. While that’s great news for the sport and the future of the league, the downside is that, in many ways, it’s never been more difficult to watch every Lakers game in a season. The introduction of NBC and Amazon […]
4 months ago | 7 reads
Lakers fans will have to wait even longer for the regular season debut of Maxi Kleber this season. The team announced on Tuesday morning that Kleber would be reevaluated in two weeks with an oblique strain. He was initially listed as questionable for the season opener. Kleber has been dealing with injuries throughout his Lakers […]
4 months ago | 2 reads
On Tuesday, the book “A Hollywood Ending: The Dreams and Drama of the LeBron Lakers” by Yaron Weitzman officially releases, but you’ve likely heard plenty about it already. Earlier in the week, a wild excerpt from the book involving LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Russell Westbrook and Will Smith grabbed plenty of headlines, as did other […]
4 months ago | 3 reads
Despite a current downward trend in his young NBA career, the Lakers still have some belief in Dalton Knecht. According to Keith Smith of Spotrac, LA has reportedly picked up the 2026-27 team option on Knecht. The deadline to make the decision was Oct. 31. Knecht will make $4.2 million next season. After starting his […]
4 months ago | 2 reads
The Lakers’ season officially commences on Tuesday when take on the Golden State Warriors. Los Angeles looks to set the tone of the season with a strong victory at home where they will play three of their first five games to begin the year. Start time and TV schedule Who: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Golden State Warriors […]
4 months ago | 2 reads
For as badly as the Lakers flamed out of the playoffs in the spring, a number of things had to go wrong. JJ Redick took a lot of rightful blame for his stubbornness and rookie-like decisions. The team’s stars all shouldered blame for subpar performances as well. But one of the biggest areas of failure […]
4 months ago | 4 reads
Soon, the LeBron James era will come to an end in Los Angeles. While he’s still on the roster, the franchise will get a glimpse of what the LeBron-less future holds as he’ll be sidelined into November with an injury. Coming into the preseason, the debate around the starting five largely came down to whether […]
4 months ago | 3 reads
The Lakers’ fairly decisive loss to the Wolves in the playoffs made it clear the roster needed changing. Considering that Jaxson Hayes, the team’s starting center, was benched in the second half of a pivotal Game 4 and did not play in Game 5, it seemed safe to assume Hayes would be among that turnover. […]
4 months ago | 5 reads
When you think of Jaxson Hayes, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? Is it his highlight dunks? His time with the Lakers or the Pelicans? Or perhaps you think about his unreal 64.9% career shooting percentage. One thing you probably don’t think about is the country of Slovenia. Well, that might be changing […]
4 months ago | 2 reads
The Lakers clearly didn’t put a great amount of emphasis on the preseason this year. Only a single contest, and the final one at that, featured the team’s full projected rotation. However, there was still plenty learned, even if it was more individual takeaways than anything else. So, let’s just dive right in and look […]
4 months ago | 1 read
The Lakers haven’t started regular season action, and already the injury report is getting surprisingly long. In the team’s preseason dress rehearsal, LeBron James, Bronny James and Adou Thiero were all out. During that game, Jaxson Hayes also suffered a wrist contusion and did not return to the court. Fortunately, the updates after practice on […]
4 months ago | 4 reads
It would be fair to assume that, after declaring Friday’s preseason finale as a dress rehearsal, the starting lineup in that contest would be the starting lineup when the regular season opens. To that point, though, the lineup selected against the Kings was certainly surprising. The inclusion of Gabe Vincent was not one anyone expected, […]
4 months ago | 1 read
With the preseason in the rear view mirror, the Lakers are trimming down the extra pieces on their roster. On Saturday, the team announced they had waived RJ Davis, Augustas Marčiulionis, Anton Watson and Nate Williams. All four players were on Exhibit-10 contracts. As a reminder, an Exhibit-10 contract incentivizes a player to sign with […]
4 months ago | 5 reads