The Lakers haven't always looked great in the process, but they are on a five game winning streak heading into Tuesday's game at home against the Jazz. That's a very, very, very good opportunity to make it six straight. It's easy to get wrapped up in aesthetics and style points, but there is no such thing as a bad five-game winning streak in the NBA. And there's definitely no such thing as a bad six-game streak. And it's worth noting that the Lakers, while catching a break here and there,...

It wasn't at all pretty, but it ultimately got the job done. Playing on the second night of a back to back, the Lakers spent the first half running in mud against an extremely shorthanded but very hard working New Orleans Pelicans squad, and found themselves down by 10 at the break. They were being out worked, first and foremost -- as JJ Redick reportedly said at halftime, the adjustment was to "get the ****ing ball," meaning loose balls, rebounds and the like. In the second half, the...

To this point, the Lakers have been a very good team at home (6-0) and a very, very meh group on the road. That made Friday's game against a solid-at-home, up-and-coming San Antonio team a big one (whether you're thinking regular season stuff, or the first game in NBA Cup pool play). LA took a punch in the mouth to start the game, but quickly got back on track defensively, finished the first quarter ahead, and stayed out front for (almost) the rest of the game. Final score, 120-115. The...

Last season, the Lakers became the first team to win the NBA's in-season tournament. That means this year, they're the first team to try and defend that title. Of course, while the in-season tournament (now the NBA Cup) was a much bigger success than most anticipated, fans certainly remember how much the Lakers struggled following the tournament. It was miserable, in part because LA clearly used a lot of energy to try and win the thing and it took a while to recover. So with their portion...

Introducing Game Night: Luka Doncic's defensive lapse costs Dallas Mavericks the game from Locked On NBA – Daily Podcast On The National Basketball Association. Follow the show: Locked On NBA – Daily Podcast On The National Basketball Association Luka Doncic's late-game defensive lapse cost the Dallas Mavericks a crucial win against the Utah Jazz, allowing an easy game-winning dunk. This surprising upset showcased standout performances from Jordan Clarkson and John Collins, leaving fans...

Definitionally, everything LeBron James does at this point in his career is historic, because nobody in NBA history has ever, at age 39, done what James is doing. But that doesn't mean all the history is created equal. James came through on Wednesday with another triple-double (his third straight) on a night the Lakers really needed him. Following a hot shooting start to the game (where they built up a 15 point lead) the Lakers went cold in the second and third quarters, losing defensive...

The Lakers got some good injury news on Tuesday. Anthony Davis, poked in the eye during Sunday's win over Toronto, is fine (or fine enough) and will play. Without goggles, because he just hates them, apparently. But he'll play. Meanwhile, the news wasn't so good for Christian Wood. The team's most offensively talented reserve big man has suffered a setback in his rehabilitation following (another) knee surgery, and will essentially be shut down for a month. Realistically, this means the...

The Lakers have played 10 games. At 6-4, the overall record is solid enough. They're keeping up in a brutal Western Conference where 11 teams are .500 or better, and a 12th (San Antonio) is just one game under. (By comparison, the 3rd seed in the East is Indiana, at 5-5.) So what do we know about the team at this point? On the one hand, some of the preseason goals haven't quite panned out the way JJ Redick and Co. have hoped. The rebounding thing? They haven't made a ton of progress,...

The Lakers were coming off an encouraging Friday night win over the Philadelphia 76ers, responding with a lot of energy to JJ Redick's first big move as a coach, swapping D'Angelo Russell and Cam Reddish in the starting lineup. So there was a lot to look forward to Sunday as the slumping Toronto Raptors visited the Crypt. For a half, though, the Lakers looked as if they were playing in mud. No pop, no energy, no attempt to stop the Raptors as they hammered them on the glass. The Lakers...

The Lakers came home from a long, largely unsuccessful road trip, and ahead of Friday's game with a very banged up Philadelphia 76ers squad, JJ Redick made a significant change. He sent D'Angelo Russell to the bench, and stuck Cam Reddish into the starting lineup. Causation/correlation cautions notwithstanding, the early returns were good. First and foremost, the Lakers won the game, 116-103. But the script seemed to reinforce what the Lakers wanted with the switch. They got off to a good...

The Lakers are home from a disappointing road trip, and will have a golden opportunity to get a better taste in their mouths tonight against the Philadelphia 76ers, who have only won a single game this season, and will be playing... without Joel Embiid (suspension). without Tyrese Maxey (hamstring) with Paul George, but still playing limited minutes. No disrepect to the other guys on the roster, but the star power is listed above, and it's limited to say the least. The Lakers, on the...

The Lakers arrived in Memphis struggling to find some kind of rhythm, having lost three of the first four games on this five game road trip. Then they lost Rui Hachimura (illness) and Anthony Davis (foot), for one night, at least. Then they lost again, this time to the Grizzlies. That the result wasn't surprising (that last game of a roadie is brutal, even under the best of circumstances, and these weren't that) doesn't make it any less frustrating. The Lakers, who left LA with so much...

The Lakers, after a very encouraging start, have hit a very discouraging stretch. They've lost three of the first four games of the first big road trip of the year, including a decisive loss to Detroit. Now, LA need to find a way to beat Memphis on Wednesday, or they'll come back to town with a sub-.500 record on the year. Not great! And on Monday, after the loss, it was reported that Anthony Davis, who was clearly hobbled against the Pistons, has been dealing with a foot injury not just...

When they visited the Cavaliers in Cleveland last week, the Lakers were thoroughly outclassed. The Cavs were faster to the ball, played with more "want," and generally speaking made the Lakers look bad. But, to be fair, the Cavs are undefeated this season. They've made a lot of teams look bad. Detroit? Not so much. But Monday, the Pistons used the same formula to drop the Lakers to 4-3, beating LA 115-103 in Detroit. The home team was quicker to every ball, much more explosive in the open...

When the Lakers signed Jaxson Hayes in 2023, it was in the wake of domestic violence charges that had been adjudicated by both the NBA and the legal system. The former took no action, and the latter handed down a punishment including probation that is still in effect. But there were no secrets or surprises, at least in theory, from the perspective of the Lakers. Whether the Lakers should sign any player with Hayes's history is a valid question—one this show discussed at length when he was...

For a half, at least, it looked like the Lakers were going to run away with Friday's game in Toronto. After a 43-19 first quarter, the Lakers entered the half with a 25 point lead, and given how shorthanded the Raptors currently are, an easy win seemed inevitable. Clearly that's what the Lakers thought. Toronto came out hard in the third quarter and brought themselves back, making it a much more competitive game than it should have been. Still, the Lakers got the win. That's the good part,...

Generally speaking, the sixth game of the season isn't a "must win," under any circumstances. This sixth game, however? Could be the exception to the rule. The Lakers are in Toronto tonight, playing a shorthanded, likely lottery-bound Raptors squad missing its best player (Scottie Barnes), probably it's third best player (Emmanuel Quickley) and a valuable role player (Kelly Olynyk). So yeah, if you're a Lakers squad that is coming off its worst performance of a young season, looking to...

Monday in Phoenix, the Lakers lost their first game of the season. Wednesday, they played their first horrible game of the season, losing to the Cavaliers in Cleveland 134-110. Everything about this game, from the flow of the offense to the work of the defense to the hustle and focus of the team overall was well below par. The Cavs were, from the jump, more aggressive, more focused and sharper. They buried the Lakers early under a barrage of 3-point shooting. They were more physical than the...

The Lakers have a "swing game" tonight in Cleveland against the Cavs. It's always a big deal when LeBron comes home to play, especially given his enormous impact on that franchise. But in this case, it's also a pivotal game on this road trip for the Lakers. Win, and the possibilities of a 3-2 trip grow a lot stronger. It means the Lakers could take the games against the weaker teams on the slate (Toronto and Brooklyn) and then lose the final game against a good Memphis squad, and still come...

Well, it was probably unrealistic to think the Lakers would go 82-0 this year, but it was still fun to have an undefeated local squad to cheer for. That's over now, as the Lakers lose their first game of the season, 109-105 to the Suns in Phoenix. It was a game of very wild swings for the Lakers, who came out red hot, looking like they'd win in a blowout. The second quarter, only 14 points. The third? Back over 30! But things bogged down again down the stretch, and meanwhile the Suns rode...

The Lakers are 3-0, and now head off for their first road trip of the season. Five games, starting tonight in Phoenix against the Suns. From there, they'll visit Cleveland, Toronto, Detroit and Memphis. That's three playoff teams, and two that aren't expected to be all that competitive. It all underscores how nice it is for the Lakers to do play these games having run the table over their first three games. Had they lost one or two, the prospect of a 2-3 trip—very possible even if they play...

3-0. The Lakers beat another playoff caliber team in the West on Saturday, and as they had in their first two games against Minnesota and Phoenix, brought home a win. This one was differentiated by the performance of the team's stars. Anthony Davis continued to dominate, with 31 points, nine rebounds, three steals and two blocks. LeBron James, who hasn't been razor sharp through the first two games, was dominant on Saturday, finishing with a triple double (32/14/10). And both were...

t took some doing, but the Lakers are off to a 2-0 start for the first time since October 2010 after coming back from down 22 points and notching a 123-116 win over the Phoenix Suns. KevIn Durant, Devin Booker and the gang got off to an absolutely scorching start, hitting 8 of their first 11 shots from behind the arc and generally running the Lakers' defense ragged. But the Lakers absorbed that unsustainable punch, and first sparked by a series of great two-way plays by Austin Reaves, kept...

The Lakers got off to a good start in Tuesday's opener against the Timberwolves, winning their first season opener since 2016. Tonight, the Phoenix Suns, another team expected (at least in some circles) to make some noise in a crowded Western Conference, visit the Crypt. And while the Suns were victorious in their opener (at the Intuit Dome against the LAC) they had to work awfully hard to get there after cruising to an early lead. And many of their vulnerabilities of a year ago - a...