A Blog devoted to Lakers News, Commentary, and Analysis
Despite their strong 17-7 record, there is trepidation surrounding the Lakers for the first time this season. This is not just due to being 2-3 in their last five games. Yet rather, it’s how eerily similar the wins and, more specifically, the losses have looked. With an airtight average margin victory of only 3.5 points […]
2 months ago | 3 reads
After being eliminated from the NBA Cup last Wednesday, the Lakers (17-7) are back at it on the road where they will play their next four games. The first game of the trip will be against the Phoenix Suns (14-11), who Los Angeles aims to get back at after they were blown out at home […]
2 months ago | 5 reads
Two things are true at the same time about the Lakers. They’ve won at a high rate, but the losses have followed a similar formula that has exposed their weaknesses. In effect, if a team is capable of exploiting the Lakers’ weakness, then the purple and gold are hopeless in their attempts to win. That […]
2 months ago | 3 reads
Who doesn’t love a little emergency dental procedure? Nothing is more fun than frantic calls to try to get into the dentist while you’re in a whole lot of pain. While Jake LaRavia may not need to do that part as an NBA player, he did experience a bit of an emergency procedure. During Sunday’s […]
2 months ago | 2 reads
Just when it was looking like the Lakers were nearing full strength, they now have another player to add to their injury report. On Friday, Dave McMenamin of ESPN reported that Austin Reaves has a mild left calf strain. He will be re-evaluated in approximately one week. Reaves has been generally healthy throughout his career. […]
2 months ago | 3 reads
While trades can occur all season long, the options open up considerably for teams on Dec. 15 when players who were free agents this summer become trade-eligible. There have already been rumors swirling about franchise players like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Anthony Davis and LaMelo Ball possibly being moved. That chatter will only intensify as we get […]
2 months ago | 3 reads
On paper, the Lakers are sitting pretty in the Western Conference. They are 17-7, which is the fourth-best record in the West. In clutch games, they are 8-0 and they have an overall offensive rating of 118, the seventh-highest in the NBA. However, all of their losses have been in double figures and their defense […]
2 months ago | 4 reads
Throughout a season, there are games that fans of teams circle on the calendar as having more weight than others. It could be a marquee matchup, a game against a rival, or an opponent they’ve played before that’s given their team trouble. So, when the Lakers faced the Spurs in the NBA Cup quarterfinal, the […]
2 months ago | 3 reads
There aren’t many positives Los Angeles could come away with in their 132-119 loss against the Spurs in the NBA Cup quarterfinal. However, in the fourth quarter, the Lakers changed things up in an attempt to mount a comeback. Head coach JJ Redick took out his big Deandre Ayton and went with a small-ball lineup […]
2 months ago | 5 reads
For just the seventh time in 24 games, the Lakers lost on Wednesday. To be past the quarter pole of the season and winning at a nearly 71% rate while boasting a top-four seed in the conference, the Lakers — and their fans — should be proud of where they are, particularly when accounting for […]
2 months ago | 4 reads
LA’s game against San Antonio brought the return of Marcus Smart to the Laker lineup. Smart had missed the last six games due to a back injury, but he came back to play in the NBA Cup quarterfinal. While Smart is known for his defensive ability, it was his offense that really stood out. Smart […]
2 months ago | 4 reads
It’s no secret that the Lakers are a bad defensive team. They have a defensive rating of 116.7, which is 21st in the NBA. Every team with a defensive rating worse than the Lakers has a losing record. In their loss against the Spurs in the NBA Cup quarterfinal, this flaw was as loud as […]
2 months ago | 8 reads
What a week of Lakers basketball. First was LeBron James ending his double-digit scoring streak in the most dramatic of fashions, passing up the game-winning shot against the Raptors so that Rui Hachimura could win it from three. Then, in the rubber match of the road trip, the Lakers won with LeBron taking a backseat […]
2 months ago | 6 reads
If it feels like déjà vu all over again when it comes to another Lakers loss, you’re not alone. The purple and gold are quickly developing a habit of losing games to teams with quick, athletic guards, and they do so in pretty convincing fashion. Save for a brief run in the fourth quarter, the […]
2 months ago | 5 reads
LOS ANGELES — Wednesday’s loss to San Antonio had all the ingredients the Lakers cook with in defeat. They defended poorly from deep, allowing the Spurs to shoot 45% from 3-point range and they had a rough end to the first quarter and bad starts to the second and third periods. Another aspect that’s been a […]
2 months ago | 2 reads
As a result of losing to the Spurs in Wednesday’s NBA Cup quarterfinal game, the Lakers will play the Suns on Sunday. Each team will play two games over the roughly two-week span of the NBA Cup’s knockout rounds. While all the teams that did not make the knockout rounds had their two games scheduled, […]
2 months ago | 6 reads
The Lakers struggled defensively on Wednesday against the Spurs, allowing 50% shooting from the field along with 17 made threes to fall to San Antonio, 132-119, in the NBA Cup quarterfinals. A second-quarter run by the Spurs, who were without Victor Wembanyama, opened the game up as LA trailed by double digits for most of […]
2 months ago | 3 reads
Austin Reaves has gotten off to the best start of his career. Through the first quarter of the year, he’s already had a game-winner, set a new career high in points and should be a shoo-in for his first All-Star appearance. While such growth and development might be a shock to casual fans, LeBron James […]
2 months ago | 5 reads
The Lakers’ quest to become the first two-time NBA Cup champion in league history is set to begin on Wednesday against San Antonio. If they beat the Spurs, they’ll face the winner of the Phoenix Suns and Oklahoma City Thunder’s quarterfinal matchup with a trip to the Cup final on the line. If the Lakers […]
2 months ago | 7 reads
The NBA Cup resumes for the Lakers (17-6) on Wednesday, as they take on the San Antonio Spurs (16-7) in a single-elimination quarterfinal. The winner of this match will advance to the semifinals, which will be held in Las Vegas, where they will meet the winner of the Suns-Thunder matchup. Start time and TV schedule […]
2 months ago | 4 reads
The unlikely pairing of Max Kellerman and Rich Paul made their podcasting debut on Tuesday with the show titled “Game Over,” and boy was it something. Naturally, a good chunk of the 90-minute conversation centered on the Lakers and LeBron James. Given the last notable public comments from Paul about the Lakers came when LeBron […]
2 months ago | 6 reads
Wednesday’s NBA Cup Lakers-Spurs matchup won’t have all the star power possible. While LeBron James, Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves will all be available, Victor Wembanyama will not suit up for the Spurs. Maxi Kleber is the only player on the Lakers’ injury report as he’s listed questionable with a lumbar muscle strain. Wembanyama has […]
2 months ago | 2 reads
The Lakers have played only one game this season in which their entire roster was available. However, according to Marcus Smart, the second time will be on Wednesday night against the Spurs. Smart was the only player out for LA’s most recent game against the Sixers. But after practice on Tuesday, he said that he […]
2 months ago | 3 reads
With LeBron James missing all of training camp and the first 14 games of the regular season, for the first time in his NBA career, all he could do at the beginning of the year was watch and observe. Not only did he see the Lakers get off to a 10-4 start, but he witnessed […]
2 months ago | 2 reads
Unless you’re Draymond Green, it’s commonplace in the NBA for players to step away during the season for the birth of their children. It goes without saying, but it’s obviously a monumental milestone moment in the lives of players in which everyone understands why they want to be in attendance. What’s not normal, though, is […]
2 months ago | 6 reads