A Blog devoted to Lakers News, Commentary, and Analysis
UPDATE: The Lakers made it official, ruling LeBron James out against the Spurs due to right sciatica and left foot joint arthritis. LeBron has now missed 17 games this season. If he misses one more, he will be officially ineligible for any end-of-season NBA awards. While the Lakers will be playing San Antonio without LeBron, Gabe […]
Injuries have thrust the Lakers into a position where they’ve lost wiggle room and had to rely upon nine players in recent games. It’s been a lot more bad than good as Luka Dončić and LeBron James have carried a pretty lackluster rotation to victories against the Grizzlies and Pelicans. It’s revealed plenty about some […]
With just under three minutes played on Christmas Day, Rocket’s forward Tari Eason bodies up Luka Dončić in the back court, nudging him just slightly to make his presence felt. The aggressive nature and culture Houston embodies nets him a hand on the inbound, a steal and a quick slam while Luka lies on the […]
Jake LaRavia has had some great performances recently as he’s been implemented into the starting lineup with Rui Hachimura out. LaRavia scored 26 points and 21 points in back-to-back wins against the Grizzlies, helping LA begin 2026 undefeated. While the offensive production has been applauded, it’s the defensive display on a team that struggles on […]
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 less than a month left before the NBA trade deadline closes, it’s time for the […]
The Lakers didn’t play well, had multiple scoring droughts and trailed in the fourth on Tuesday. But in the end, Luka Dončić and LeBron James were too good for New Orleans to overcome. Playing around with sub-.500 teams and playing just good enough to win isn’t a recipe for long-term success or culture building. However, […]
After defeating the New Orleans Pelicans to begin their quick two-game road trip, the Lakers (23-11) are back at it on Wednesday when they take on the San Antonio Spurs (25-11). This is the third match between the two teams this season as the series is currently split at 1-1. Start time and TV schedule […]
Huge fourth-quarter performances from LeBron James and Luka Dončić carried the Lakers to another comeback win over the Pelicans on Tuesday, 111-103. LeBron took over early in the period to help LA overcome the deficit to start the period before Luka hit a pair of huge 3-pointers in the final minutes of the game to […]
Midway through All-Star voting, Luka Dončić extended his lead atop the NBA in All-Star voting. Luka is one of only two players with over two million fan votes with Giannis Antetokounmpo the other. LeBron James moved up to eighth in the Western Conference while Austin Reaves fell to 11th. After the first returns, Luka’s lead […]
The Lakers (22-11) are back on the road for a quick trip, which begins in New Orleans where they will take on the Pelicans (8-29). This is the first game of a back-to-back for the purple and gold, who will battle San Antonio on Wednesday. Start time and TV schedule Who: Los Angeles Lakers vs. New Orleans […]
In the days leading up to training camp, the general feeling among Lakers fans was that this season would be a transition year. At the same time as they said goodbye to the LeBron James era, the franchise would be walking into the Luka Dončić era. The team was still not optimized around Luka and […]
The Lakers’ last month of games has revealed the clear gap between them and the top teams in the NBA. While they continue to beat the teams they should, as evidenced by their back-to-back wins over the Grizzlies over the weekend. A lack of perimeter defense, perimeter shooting and bench scoring all have reared their […]
LOS ANGELES — While fans desire players to be as reliable as a calculator, the truth is they are human. And the consistency and dependability to reach a certain level of play are always a balancing act. This season, Deandre Ayton has been fairly consistent for the Lakers. He’s started every game he’s played in, logs […]
The Lakers badly needed a reset after a pretty rough stretch of games over the holidays. Fortunately, the Grizzlies offered themselves up as a middling team ready to take a couple of losses. Nothing about the last two games changes the problems or long-term outlook. But it does improve the mood ever so slightly. LeBron […]
The Lakers remain undefeated in clutch games with a comeback win against the Grizzlies on Sunday with a 120-114 win. With the win, LA completes the season sweep of Memphis. After giving up 65 points in the first half, the Lakers held the Grizzlies to 49 points in the second half. Each team started off […]
Early this season, Jarred Vanderbilt was on the outside looking in at playing time. Given his offensive limitations, head coach JJ Redick decided it was best to play others ahead of him. But after the Lakers lost three of their first five games in December, Redick gave Vando another look and he took advantage of […]
Gabe Vincent’s tenure with the Lakers has been defined by the amount of time he’s not been available rather than anything he’s done on the court. His first season in LA saw him play just 11 games while dealing with a knee injury. While he bounced back to play 72 games in his second season, […]
After picking up a win in Friday’s meeting, the Lakers (21-11) will host the Grizzlies (15-19) again on Sunday. The Lakers have already clinched the season series by winning the two previous meetings and can sweep Memphis with one more victory. Start time and TV schedule Who: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Memphis Grizzlies When: 6:30 p.m. PT, Jan. […]
LeBron James may not be as good as he once was, but he’s still capable of turning it up when it’s needed. On Friday, it was, in fact, needed with the Lakers going to the wire against the Grizzlies. LeBron turned back the clock in the fourth quarter, scoring 10 points in the fourth with […]
LOS ANGELES — There are a handful of players more important to LA’s success this season than Jake LaRavia. But on Friday night, he took center stage for the Lakers. With Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura currently sidelined with calf issues, LaRavia stepped into the starting lineup and delivered 21 points and nine rebounds in LA’s […]
The Lakers take the first of two straight matchups against the Memphis Grizzlies with a 128-121 victory on Friday night. LA jumped to an early eight-point lead. Marcus Smart and Jake LaRavia both knocked down triples. Former Laker Christian Koloko threw down a dunk off the assist from Ja Morant. Los Angeles was shooting 80% […]
The Lakers’ injury list has gotten longer and longer recently, with Austin Reaves, Gabe Vincent and even rookie Adou Thiero ruled out for an extended period of time. However, LA will likely have their starting-caliber forward, Rui Hachimura, back sooner rather than later. Before the Lakers played their last game of 2025 against the Pistons, […]
Lakers rookie Adou Thiero will start the new year with another injury. On New Year’s Eve, the Lakers reported that Thiero has been diagnosed with a right MCL sprain. He will be re-evaluated in approximately four weeks. This is another unfortunate setback for the rookie. Thiero spent all of the summer recovering from a knee […]
After a December that saw the Lakers win just five of their 12 games while posting the second-worst defense in the league and a third-worst net rating at -8.2, there may not be a team more eager to turn over the calendar into 2026 and begin a new year fresh than this one. But changing […]
The Lakes (20-11) will ring in the New Year with two straight matchups against the Memphis Grizzlies (15-18) this weekend. These will be the last two games between the teams this season as L.A. leads the series 2-0. Start time and TV schedule Who: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Memphis Grizzlies When: 7:30 p.m. PT, Jan. 2 Where: Crypto.com […]