After dropping Friday's game to the Pacers in Indiana, the Lakers restarted their roadtrip in Brooklyn with a clear mandate - sweep the final three games, all coming against weak teams. And on the one hand, the Lakers did some serious work early, running out to a 17-0 lead, while ballooned to 31-11 by the end of the first quarter. That gave them some wiggle room over the final three quarters, and unfortunately the Lakers decided to use it. Particularly in the third quarter, where the Lakers...

In Memphis, the Lakers couldn't miss. Friday in Indiana? How does 16.7% from three point range sound. They held a Pacers team that hung 145 on them at the Crypt a week or so ago to 109 points, but because they only scored 90 themselves, the game was a runaway. Or ended up that way, at least, because LA had a chance to get things very. very close in the fourth quarter, but couldn't get themselves over the hump. Every the opportunity was there, they'd either turn the ball over or miss a shot,...

Some interesting news of late for the Lakers ahead of the third game of a thus-far undefeated road trip. First, D'Angelo Russell told Hoopshype that he'd like to remain a Laker if possible, but also implied that he'll be weighing his options this offseason, including his contract player option. The season began with everyone assuming D'Lo would be traded before the deadline. Instead, he's having arguably the best season of his career. He's always been a polarizing player, but has the...

Was it a perfect game? Not as much as a 136-124 score might indicate. At one point in the third quarter, the Lakers pushed their lead to 27, creating a potential opportunity for the starters to rest for basically the entire fourth quarter. Instead, Rui Hachimura had to continue his scintillating outside shooting, canning seven(!) threes on the way to 32 points and ten rebounds. LeBron James, in his return after sitting out the Milwaukee win while nursing his problematic ankle, played more...

Game of the season for the Lakers? That's up for debate and personal taste, but there's no question Tuesday's 128-124 double overtime road win over the Milwaukee Bucks, short LeBron James no less, is on the short list of signature victories this season. What seemingly began as a blowout loss in the making gradually, steadily, and impressively shifted into an absolutely spectacular display of guts and will from, among others, Anthony Davis, Austin Reaves, Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura....

The Lakers kick off a six game road trip tonight in Milwaukee. Normally this sort of thing would be looked on with some bit of dread, especially given that the Lakers have been a horrible road team all season. And certainly Monday's game against the Bucks will be a major challenge, especially in light of LeBron James being downgraded to doubtful ahead of the contest thanks to the same ankle that's kept him on the injury report all year. Hopefully he/the Lakers are just picking one day for...

One figured this would be a high-scoring night, given how the Indiana Pacers have arguably the best offensive team in the NBA all season, the Lakers have morphed over the course of the year into a juggernaut in their own right, and neither team should brag about their defenses of late. Yes, the Lakers were without D'Angelo Russell, but still, there's plenty of firepower to go around in L.A. But even by those standards, this 150-145 Lakers win was an insane shootout. Four Lakers with 25+...

It was not exactly the sort of inspired, confidence building effort the Lakers probably hoped for, but in the end it was enough for LA to get what it needed—a win. They beat the visiting, and badly slumping, Philadelphia 76ers 101-94 Friday night at the Crypt. The game was tight throughout, until down the stretch when the Lakers pushed the pedal down a little harder than the Sixers could manage. There were some notable performances, starting with Anthony Davis and his 23/19 line. Spencer...

The Lakers still have designs on moving up in the Western Conference, and the narrowest of windows in which to get it done. There are opportunities. The Suns, for example, have an insanely brutal schedule over their last 10 games, and the Lakers do own the tiebreaker against Phoenix. Sacramento is still in reach, and has a harder schedule than LA. But if the Lakers want to make any of this happen - and want to avoid the possibility of dropping to 10th, or even worse, open the door for a red...

It's a day of problems, here at Locked On Lakers. On Wednesday's show, the the long run of injuries was a major focus, with a lot of attention paid to sorting out who might be coming back from injury and when, and what that means for the Lakers as they try to win games. For today, there is some injury-related news—Cam Reddish practiced Wednesday and is expected to be back for Friday's game against Philadelphia, giving the Lakers some badly needed defensive presence and size on the wing—but...

The Lakers Have Reinforcements On the Way... Maybe? Plus, LeBron On His Basketball IQ Many things related to the ability of the Lakers to make a run at the end of the year, and potentially into the playoffs, have to do with knowing who might be available to play. To that end, Monday was a fairly instructive day... kinda, sorta. We did learn, though not from the team, that PF/C Christian Wood's knee is going to keep him out weeks longer, possibly through the end of the season. So that's not...

On Monday, we discussed how the Lakers were entering a critical stretch of games that could make or break the quest to, at minimum, maintain the nine seed in the play-in standings, if not actually rise higher. Why? Because most of these games, starting with tonight's against Atlanta, are against bad opponents. Thus, it was critical to immediately bag a win. Well, 136-105 over the Hawks certainly fits that bill. Just as importantly, Anthony Davus returned to the lineup after leaving...

The Lakers had a lousy weekend. Saturday's game was marred by an eye injury to Anthony Davis, one that has him listed as questionable for tonight's game at home vs. Atlanta. Meanwhile, the Lakers lost to Golden State, and the entire league suffered thanks to some horrible delays in replay work and a malfunctioning shot clock. I really was an ugly evening, all around. Now, though, the Lakers find themselves in 10th place in the West, with some chance still to move up (at least to nine, if...

As far as Saturdays go, this was not a good one for the Lakers. They lose 128-121 at home to the Golden State Warriors, in a game that was filled with frustrating reviews, shot clock problems and a first quarter eye-poke to Anthony Davis that forced him from the game. And it puts the Lakers in 10th place in the conference, with time running very short to remedy that predicament. (And not to be alarmist, the 11th-seeded Houston Rockets are red hot and creeping up, so even the 10th seed isn't...

The Lakers, after losing Wednesday in Sacramento, are running out of ways to make progress in the Western Conference playoff race. They currently sit in ninth, and while the literal number of games by which they trail the teams in front of them isn't crazy, it's big enough that with 15 games to go, making up ground will be tricky. Especially since the Lakers only own a tiebreaker on Phoenix, who are three games in front of them heading into Thursday's games. They're a game up on Golden...

The Lakers were game for a half, in both effort and (general) execution. In the second half, at least one of those things stopped. The Lakers were held to 17 third quarter points, which allowed Sacramento to turn a reasonable four point lead at the half into a far more comfortable 15 point cushion heading into the final period. The offense for LA really cratered as the game went along, scoring only 17 points in the third. Individual performances weren't much to write home about. Austin...

The Lakers have struggled with the Kings for a while now, and a big part of that is the success Sacramento center Domantas Sabonis has had against Anthony Davis. Why has Sabonis (who certainly has success against... most everyone) fared so well against A.D.? Why have the Kings fared so well against the Lakers, generally? How can the Lakers turn it around tonight in Sacramento, a huge game for LA in their effort o move out of the ninth spot in the Western Conference? To talk about all of...

Remember when the Lakers had a terrible, terrible offense, and the only way they could score was in transition or at the free throw line? Well, that's not an issue anymore. The Lakers have, particularly since reconfiguring the starting lineup (again), been one of the best offensive teams in the NBA. In every category that matters, and it's not something fueled by what some critics call "junk" offense. (Meaning, living at the line.) Over their last 15 games, the Lakers have posted the...

Minnesota came into Sunday's game against the Lakers at the Crypt down two of their bigs - Karl Anthony Towns, and Rudy Gobert. That meant Anthony Davis was in position to, and NEEDED to, dominate. And dominate he did. AD's final line—27 points, 25 rebounds, five assists, seven steals—is one that has never been posted before. Nobody has ever had 25 points, 25 rebounds, five dimes and five assists. Not in one game, at least. And just for fun, he finished only two blocks shy of a 5x5. And...

Well, that was improbable, and it was amazing. Playing without LeBron James, and with a one-armed Anthony Davis (who hurt his left shoulder early in the second half, but finished the game despite not being able to lift his left arm in any meaningful way) the Lakers registered a 123-122 win over the Milwaukee Bucks, the 2nd best team in the Eastern Conference. There have been a few moments this year when the Lakers, who have had some maddening collapses and failures, the most recent on...

There was A LOT to unpack following Wednesday's epic, and extremely costly, collapse against the Sacramento Kings at the Crypt, one that fundamentally changed the arc of the season for the Lakers. A win didn't guarantee anything, but would have been a big boost to aspirations of finishing higher in the Western Conference, whether at the good end of the play in bracket, or even moving up to a top six position. With that loss, those dreams are basically shot. The Lakers could, with a strong...

The Lakers didn't just lose to Sacramento by 10 at home Wednesday night at the Crypt. They played almost the exact opposite game as the other night against Oklahoma City, getting up by as much as 19 in the first quarter before giving up the lead and much, much more. It's the basketball embodiment of the "How it started, how it's going" meme. By the time the game reached the half, the Lakers were down 15, and never put it back into single digits. After, LeBron James pointed to Anthony...

The Lakers may not have been playing truly inspired basketball, the kind that gets fans and media fired up and primed for the postseason, but they have, save that putrid stretch following the In-Season Tournament, won more than they've lost. Now, coming off a very impressive home win over the conference-leading Oklahoma City Thunder, the Lakers face another test against a playoff-caliber team. But this time, the Sacramento Kings come in weaker than LA, having been in a weeks long semi-slump...

For about six minutes Monday night at the Crypt, it looked like the Lakers were in a world of trouble, hosting the West-best Oklahoma City Thunder. But then they stopped turning the ball over (or at least not as much), started hitting some shots, moving the ball, and most importantly, playing some high level defense. By the 1:32 mark of the first quarter, the game was tied, and from there the Lakers never trailed. By halftime, they were up nine. After the break, they won the third quarter...

Saturday's loss to Denver was a frustrating one for Lakers fans (and Lakers players, and Lakers coaches) because it followed a pattern that has been well-established in games between LA and Denver - namely one where the Lakers play well, stay close, and then get totally outclassed in the final five minutes of the game. It's super annoying! But with the Lakers staring down another six consecutive games against playoff caliber opponents (including the high seeded and/or red hot variety)...